Article 15. Enforcement And Penalties of California Food And Agricultural Code >> Division 13. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 15.

The director, and the commissioner of each county under the direction and supervision of the director shall enforce this chapter.

The director may make any regulations that are reasonable and necessary to carry out this chapter.

Unless otherwise stated, it shall be an infraction for any person to fail to comply with any requirement of this chapter, or regulations adopted thereto after a warning notice of seven days is given. However, there shall be no warning notice for infractions involving the following sections:
  (a) Subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 29046.
  (b) Subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 29056.
  (c) Section 29072.
  (d) Section 29111.
  (e) Section 29113.
  (f) Section 29120.
  (g) Section 29126.
  (h) Section 29127.
  (i) Section 29145.
  (j) Section 29150.
  (k) Section 29170.
  (l) Section 29171.
  (m) Section 29172.
  (n) Section 29173.
  (o) Section 29204. Violations thereof shall be referred to the district attorney in the affected county, or to the Attorney General if the district attorney is not able to prosecute the matter. For purposes of this chapter, each incident shall constitute a separate infraction. Where violations of provisions governing hives or colonies are involved, each separate hive or colony shall constitute a separate infraction. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the maximum penalty of each infraction herein shall be one hundred dollars ($100) for the first hive or colony, plus one dollar ($1.00) for each additional hive or colony not in compliance, as applicable to a maximum penalty not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000), except that a violation of Section 29070 shall be subject to a maximum fifty dollar ($50) fine. Nothing herein shall prevent the director or the commissioner from initiating any procedures for issuance of a prior warning notice or notice to correct.

It shall be an infraction for any person to fail to comply with any notice or order which is issued pursuant to this chapter subject to the penalties set forth in Section 29302.

(a) In addition to the penalties outlined in Sections 29302 and 29303 above, any person not complying with any provision of this chapter or regulation adopted thereto, or any notice or order issued pursuant to this chapter or regulation, shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than five hundred dollars ($500) for each day that the violation continues.
  (b) The director or commissioner may also seek injunctive relief against any person operating in violation of this chapter or regulations adopted thereto, or violation of any order or notice issued pursuant to the authority of this chapter or regulation adopted thereto.
  (c) Any action for recovery of civil penalties or injunctive relief shall be referred to the Attorney General.

(a) Any penalties recovered under this chapter, whether criminal or civil, shall be paid into a special account maintained by the department, and shall be used for the administration of Section 29302, except that up to 50 percent of the costs incurred by a district attorney in prosecuting a case under Section 29302 shall be reimbursed from whatever penalties are obtained from the prosecution.
  (b) In determining the amount of any civil or criminal penalty provided for in this chapter, the court shall consider the seriousness of the conduct, and all relevant circumstances including, but not limited to, the extent of the harm caused by the conduct; the motive and persistence of the conduct; the length of time over which the conduct occurred; the economic impact on the person involved, whether a corporation or an individual; and any corrective action taken by the person.

In addition to any other penalty provided for by law, and by this article, any person who willfully or intentionally violates any provisions of this chapter shall be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) for each violation, which shall be recovered in a civil action brought in the name of the people of the State of California by the Attorney General.

Any person who violates any injunctive order issued pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 29304 shall be subject to a civil penalty, in addition to any other penalty provided for by law, not to exceed six thousand dollars ($6,000). Where the conduct constituting a violation is of a continuing nature, each day of violative conduct shall be a separate and distinct violation.

The director shall appoint a supervisor of apiary inspection and such qualified state apiary inspectors as may be necessary.

Each commissioner is an ex officio state apiary inspector and may appoint one or more inspectors, qualified pursuant to the regulations of the director, to be county apiary inspectors.

The director may assign one or more qualified state apiary inspectors to perform the duties of a county apiary inspector in any county for such time and rate of compensation as may be determined by agreement with the board of supervisors pursuant to Section 482. The state apiary inspector shall be under the direction and supervision of the commissioner if there is a commissioner in the county to which the inspector is assigned.

The penalties prescribed by this chapter are exclusive and no other civil penalties may be assessed.