AB 556: County ordinances: violations: fines.

The California Constitution authorizes a county to make and enforce within its limits all police, sanitary, and other ordinances and regulations not in conflict with general laws, and existing law establishes the procedure by which counties may enact ordinances. Under existing law, violation of a county ordinance is generally a misdemeanor, unless by ordinance it is made an infraction. Existing law establishes fines for violations of an ordinance determined to be an infraction and limits the amount of fine to $100 for a first violation, $200 for a 2nd violation within one year, and $500 for each additional violation within one year or, in the case of violations of a local building and safety code, a fine not exceeding $100 for a first violation, $500 for a 2nd violation within one year, and $1,000 for each additional violation within one year.

This bill would increase the maximum amount of a fine for a violation of an event permit requirement, as defined, to $150 for a first violation, $700 for a 2nd occurrence of the same violation by the same owner or operator within 3 years, and $2,500 for each additional occurrence of the same violation by the same owner or operator within 3 years.

Existing law authorizes the legislative body of a local agency, as defined, to make, by ordinance, any violation of an ordinance subject to an administrative fine or penalty and limits the maximum fine or penalty amounts for infractions, as specified. Where the violation would otherwise be an infraction, existing law requires that the administrative fine or penalty not exceed the maximum fine or penalty amounts set forth in specified law, including the above-described provisions regarding the limitation on the maximum amount of fine for the violation of a county ordinance determined to be an infraction.

This bill would make changes to these provisions to conform to the above-described changes.