California · Health and Safety Code - HSC

HSC §1569.40: (a) Any person who violates this chapter, or who willfully or repeatedly violates any rule or regulation adopted under this chapter, is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be pun

Misdemeanor

What this law says, in plain English

Violating this chapter or willfully/repeatedly violating its regulations is a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 fine and/or up to one year in county jail. Operating an unlicensed residential care facility for the elderly is a separate misdemeanor with enhanced penalties up to $2,500 and/or one year imprisonment.

Read the full statutory text
(a) Any person who violates this chapter, or who willfully or repeatedly violates any rule or regulation adopted under this chapter, is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000), by imprisonment in the county jail for a period not to exceed one year, or by both the fine and imprisonment. (b) Operation of a residential care facility for the elderly without a license shall be subject to a summons to appear in court. Unlicensed operation, establishment, management, conducting, or maintaining of a facility as prohibited by Section 1569.10 is a separate and distinct offense of this section and is punishable as a misdemeanor. (c) A misdemeanor may be prosecuted regardless of any concurrent enforcement of civil penalties or administrative remedies available to the department. (d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, any person, firm, partnership, association, or corporation who owns, operates, establishes, manages, conducts, or maintains a residential care facility for the elderly, as defined in subdivisions (k) and ( l ) of Section 1569.2 which is an unlicensed residential care facility for the elderly as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 1569.44 is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine not exceeding two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500), by imprisonment in the county jail for a period not to exceed one year, or by both the fine and imprisonment.

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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.