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Section § 42285

Explanation

This law allows cities, counties, or the state to impose fines on people or organizations that knowingly or should have known they violated certain rules. The fines increase with each violation: $1,000 per day for the first offense, $2,000 per day for the second, and $5,000 per day for the third and further offenses.

The money collected from these fines goes to whichever governmental office initiated the action, like a city attorney or the Attorney General. If the Attorney General collects the money, it can be used to enforce these rules, but only if the Legislature approves it.

(a)CA Public Resources Code § 42285(a) A city, a county, a city and county, or the state may impose civil liability on a person or entity that knowingly violated this chapter, or reasonably should have known that it violated this chapter, in the amount of one thousand dollars ($1,000) per day for the first violation of this chapter, two thousand dollars ($2,000) per day for the second violation, and five thousand dollars ($5,000) per day for the third and subsequent violations.
(b)CA Public Resources Code § 42285(b) Any civil penalties collected pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be paid to the office of the city attorney, city prosecutor, district attorney, or Attorney General, whichever office brought the action. The penalties collected pursuant to this section by the Attorney General may be expended by the Attorney General, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to enforce this chapter.
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