Singer Britney Spears has been charged with hit-and-run and driving without a valid licence.
She is accused of hitting a parked car and driving away from a Los Angeles car park on 6 August, a spokesman for the city's attorney's office said.
The 25-year-old could face six months in jail and a $1,000 (£495) fine if convicted of the misdemeanour charges.
Ms Spears' representatives were not immediately available for comment, the Associated Press news agency said.
Drug tests
The owner of the car filed an accident report on 9 August at the North Hollywood Community Police Station.
The city attorney's office did not know whether Ms Spears' car had been damaged, nor did he know the extent of damage to the other car, spokesman Frank Mateljan said.
Ms Spears was notified of the charges by letter earlier this week.
A hearing, which Ms Spears does not have to attend because the charges are misdemeanours, has been set for 10 October.
The charges come just days after a judge ordered Ms Spears to undergo random drug and alcohol tests twice a week in her child custody dispute with former husband Kevin Federline.
Los Angeles Superior Court judge Scott M Gordon said Ms Spears, 25, showed "a habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol".
He also ordered Ms Spears and 29-year-old Mr Federline - who is seeking increased custody of their two young sons - to complete a parenting class.
Ms Spears, whose new album is set for release on 13 November, has also been dropped by her management firm, and her recent performance at this year's MTV Video Music Awards was widely panned.
