California Weigh Stations & Ag Inspection

When California makes you pull in

California is all-in. Every commercial vehicle stops when CHP has the scale open and signs posted, with no weight excuse (CVC 2813). Skip an operational scale and it is a misdemeanor, up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine before penalty assessments. Separate from all that, 16 CDFA border stations on the OR, NV, and AZ lines stop every inbound vehicle for pest inspection, and your bypass subscription does nothing there.

Stations, bypass, and inspection

• Who must stop: All CMVs must stop
• Where the stations are: CHP inspection facilities and scales line I-5, I-15, I-10, I-80, I-8, and many state routes, roughly 65-plus sites. Hours vary by facility: some run around the clock, others open only when staffed. Signs and lights direct trucks in, and weigh-in-motion pre-screens several corridors. The CDFA ag stations are a separate stop on the land borders.
• Bypass: PrePass and Drivewyze are both widely available across CHP scales. A green light lets you bypass, but it does not cover an oversize or overweight load or a temporary hazmat permit; those still enter. A red or no signal means stop. None of this touches the CDFA ag stations, which no bypass clears.
• Ag / border inspection: 16 CDFA Border Protection Stations on the Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona land borders (for example I-5 at Hornbrook, I-80 near Truckee, I-15 at Mountain Pass, I-10 at Blythe). Every inbound vehicle stops for pest inspection; trucks and loads of plants, produce, firewood, or livestock get closer looks, and infested cargo is turned back.
• Fine for passing an open station: Misdemeanor under CVC 2813: up to 90 days in county jail and up to a $1,000 fine before state and county penalty assessments (which can multiply it), plus a violation point with no traffic school. Passing an operational CHP scale is exactly what CHP charges.

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