Just a few weeks after its self-driving vehicles surpassed 10 million miles driven on public roads, Waymo has announced that the California Department of Motor Vehicles has granted the company the first permit in the state to begin driverless testing on public roads.

According to Waymo, the permit is the result of new DMV regulations that took effect in April that allow companies to apply for fully driverless testing within carefully defined limits.

Waymo, which has been testing its technology in the state of California for almost a decade, notes that this is the first time California has allowed tests on public roads of fully driverless cars without a test driver sitting in the driver’s seat.

Waymo says that its test cars will operate in parts of Mountain View—where the company is headquartered—, Sunnyvale, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, and Palo Alto. Before expanding the territory for its driverless testing, Waymo says that it will alert the new communities where this expansion will occur, and submit a request to the DMV.

Waymo’s permit includes day and night testing on city streets, rural roads and highways with posted speed limits of up to 65 miles per hour. Additionally, the permit allows for testing when there is fog and light rain—conditions that Waymo’s vehicles are equipped to safely handle.

Gradually, Waymo says, it will begin driverless testing on city streets in a limited territory. Over time, the company plans on expanding the area that it drives in as it gains the confidence and experience needed to expand.

According to Waymo, its vehicles are well-equipped to handle the task of driverless operation, as a Waymo vehicle will come to a safe stop if it encounters a situation it doesn’t understand, and it will only begin operating again once it understands how to properly proceed.

“For our cars, that means following well-established protocols, which include contacting Waymo fleet and rider support for help in resolving the issue,” Waymo explains in a company blog post.

Members of the Waymo team will be the first to experience the driverless rides. Waymo says that eventually, it will create opportunities for members of the public to experience this technology, similar to what it has done in Arizona with its early rider program.

“Our thanks to the DMV for granting Waymo the first step forward in California — a green light to move forward with the next phase of our driverless testing in the Bay Area,” Waymo says.