California robotaxi operators face new civil fines if their vehicles get in the way of police, fire or ambulance crews, after Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1246 into law.
The measure, introduced by Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), was signed on 30 September 2026. Most of its duties take effect on 1 July 2028. TechCrunch reported that companies including Waymo and Zoox have said they will comply.
The law follows repeated California incidents in which autonomous taxis stalled, blocked roads or slowed emergency work. Cortese’s office pointed to San Francisco examples, including Waymo vehicles blocking roads during 4 July celebrations and a citywide power cut that left about 1,500 Waymos stranded, with first responders waiting on hold for up to 53 minutes.
What the law requires
From July 2028, AV manufacturers running commercial robotaxis must:
- Use remote drivers based in the United States who hold a valid US state or territory driver’s licence
- Notify local jurisdictions, including emergency dispatch, of the location and status of their fleet during system-wide failures that may create a hazard or impede emergency response
- Provide “local incident technicians” who can attend crashes, immobilisations and other scenes when emergency officials ask, and dispatch them immediately on request
- Report more detail on how quickly they respond to incidents
The California DMV must set guidelines for how quickly a local incident technician has to reach the scene after a request.
Penalties
City attorneys and county counsel can bring civil cases. Courts may impose:
- Up to $5,000 for each breach of the local incident technician and related emergency-response duties
- Up to $10,000 per commercial autonomous vehicle that obstructs or interferes with emergency or law-enforcement operations for more than 30 minutes after an emergency official asks for a local incident technician
Those amounts are in the enrolled bill text, not criminal fines.
Cortese said California could not “embrace innovation at the expense of public safety” when AVs crash, break down or block first responders. Waymo told TechCrunch it was “grateful for the amendments” that keep service feasible and remained committed to safer roads in California.
For licensed taxi and private hire drivers watching robotaxi expansion, the practical point is accountability: California is putting a dollar figure and a clock on obstructing emergency crews, with local lawyers able to enforce it.