California Code of Regulations
Title 13 - Motor Vehicles
Division 2 - Department of the California Highway Patrol
Chapter 6.5 - Motor Carrier Safety
Article 6.5 - Carrier Identification Numbers
Section 1235.3 - Required Information and Assignment of Identification Numbers

(a) "Doing Business As" Names. "Doing Business As" (DBA) names under which a person operates may be associated in the department's records with the CA number and legal name of the person.

(b) DBA Name Not A Separate Entity. The fact that a person does business under another name does not create an entity distinct from that person. Except as specifically permitted in this section, DBA names that are fictitious business names shall not be included on the application referenced in Section 1235.1 unless they are adopted in compliance with the Business and Professions Code, commencing with Section 17900.

(c) Legal Name Required. A CA number shall be assigned in the legal name of the person who is a motor carrier or motor carrier of property.

(d) Commissions and Special Districts. A county or city commission, or a special district or joint powers agency governed by a board of trustees, that operates vehicles which cause the commission, district or agency to be subject to Section 34507.5 of the Vehicle Code, shall, upon submission of a properly completed application, be assigned a CA number separately from the level of government with which it is associated.

(e) Public School Districts. A public school district operated by the state, a county, or a city shall, upon submission of a properly completed application, be assigned a CA number separately from the level of government with which it is associated.

(f) Associations and Other Organizations. Associations and other organizations comprising a federation of relatively independent local offices, chapters, congregations, or other units but which are affiliated statewide or nationally with a central organization in such a manner that they share the same federal employer identification number, shall be considered one organization and shall share the same CA number, unless a local chapter is incorporated separately from the state or national organization. The name of each local chapter of the organization may be identified as a DBA of the organization if the local chapter operates one or more vehicles that cause the organization to be subject to Section 34507.5 of the Vehicle Code and the DBA name is properly adopted pursuant to subsection (b), except that any one DBA name shall not be repeated in the records of the department regardless of how many locations use that DBA name.

(g) Reorganizations. Reorganization of a business, enterprise, or other organization under the ownership of a different legal person, such as from a sole proprietorship to a partnership or from a partnership to a corporation shall be considered the emergence of a new or different person, which, if that new person operates vehicles that cause the person to be subject to Section 34507.5 of the Vehicle Code, shall require application for a new CA number pursuant to Section 1235.1.

(h) Individuals Participating in Multiple Businesses. An individual operating one or more businesses as a sole proprietor shall be assigned one CA number, regardless of the number of businesses operated. An individual who enters into a partnership or participates as an owner in the formation of a corporation or limited liability company, but continues to operate one or more businesses as a sole proprietor, shall retain his or her original CA number, which shall continue to represent that individual as a sole proprietor. The partnership, corporation or limited liability company in which that individual participates as a partner or co-owner is a separate legal entity and shall be assigned its own CA number.