California · Business and Professions Code - BPC

BPC §25658.2: (a) A parent or legal guardian who knowingly permits his or her child, or a person in the company of the child, or both, who are under the age of 18 years, to consume an alcoholic beverage or use a co

Misdemeanor

What this law says, in plain English

A parent or guardian who knowingly allows a minor to consume alcohol or use controlled substances at home, then permits that minor to drive and cause a traffic collision, commits a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in county jail and/or fines up to $1,000.

Read the full statutory text

(a) A parent or legal guardian who knowingly permits his or her child, or a person in the company of the child, or both, who are under the age of 18 years, to consume an alcoholic beverage or use a controlled substance at the home of the parent or legal guardian is guilty of misdemeanor if all of the following occur: (1) As the result of the consumption of an alcoholic beverage or use of a controlled substance at the home of the parent or legal guardian, the child or other underage person has a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.05 percent or greater, as measured by a chemical test, or is under the influence of a controlled substance. (2) The parent knowingly permits that child or other underage person, after leaving the parent’s or legal guardian’s home, to drive a vehicle. (3) That child or underage person is found to have caused a traffic collision while driving the vehicle. (b) A person who violates subdivision (a) shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail for a term not to exceed one year, by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both imprisonment and fine.

Verify at the official source: California legislative text

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This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.