The fine for a violation is $238, plus court costs and assessments.

If you are cited for failing to stop under CVC 22450, you will (a) pay the fine, (b) do traffic school (once every 18 months) or (c) fight the ticket in court.

If you complete traffic school or fight the ticket successfully, you will avoid getting points on your DMV record. Otherwise, this is a “one point” violation. You risk getting a negligent operator license suspension if you get 4 points in 12 months, 6 points in 24 months or 8 points in 36 months.

Ignoring the ticket (neither paying the fine nor going to court) will likely result in being charged with failure to appear per Vehicle Code 40508. Although failing to stop at a stop sign is just an infraction, failure to appear can be charged as a misdemeanor crime. It can also result in a hold on your driver’s license per Vehicle Code 40509.5.

California law says that you must come to a complete stop when stopping at stop signs.

A complete stop is when a vehicle is at a speed of zero. The vehicle is not moving forward.

Rolling stops (or so-called “California stops”) are not permissible under VC 22450. A rolling stop is when a vehicle does not come to a complete stop. The vehicle is still in motion, even at the slightest of speeds.

Some people often believe that there is a “three-second rule” in California that mandates all drivers to stop for at least three seconds at stop signs. This is not true. However, the longer you stop means the better chance that you will not receive a ticket.