California · Food and Agricultural Code - FAC

FAC §12996: (a) Every person who violates any provision of this division relating to pesticides, or any regulation issued pursuant to a provision of this division relating to pesticides, is guilty of a misdemeano

Misdemeanor

What this law says, in plain English

Violating pesticide regulations is a misdemeanor punishable by fines and/or up to six months imprisonment. Intentional or negligent violations creating health or environmental hazards carry enhanced penalties up to one year imprisonment.

Read the full statutory text
(a) Every person who violates any provision of this division relating to pesticides, or any regulation issued pursuant to a provision of this division relating to pesticides, is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine of not less than five thousand dollars ($5,000) nor more than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), or by imprisonment of not more than six months, or by both the fine and imprisonment. Upon a second or subsequent conviction of the same provision of this division relating to pesticides, a person shall be punished by a fine of not less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) nor more than seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000), or by imprisonment of not more than six months, or by both the fine and imprisonment. Each violation constitutes a separate offense. (b) Notwithstanding the penalties prescribed in subdivision (a), if the offense involves an intentional or negligent violation that created or reasonably could have created a hazard to human health or the environment, the convicted person shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year or in the state prison or by a fine of not less than fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) nor more than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment. (c) This section does not apply to violations of Chapter 7.5 (commencing with Section 15300) or Section 13186.5.

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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.