§ 12561 Pesticide Residue Tolerances

Food and Agricultural Code·California

AI SummaryVerified

This law lets the director set safe limits for pesticide residues on food if the pesticide helps grow the food and isn’t harmful to people or animals.

Key Takeaways

•The director can create limits for any pesticide on produce.
•The pesticide must be useful for growing or selling the food.
•The allowed amount must not be harmful to humans or animals.

Example

A farmer sprays a pesticide on strawberries to keep bugs away.

If the director decides a certain amount of that pesticide on strawberries is safe, the farmer can keep using it as long as the residue stays below that limit.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source

View on CA.gov

§ 12561 Pesticide Residue Tolerances

The director by regulation may establish permissible tolerances for any pesticide chemical in or on produce if he or she finds each of the following: (a) The pesticide chemical is useful for the production and marketing of the produce. (b) The presence of the pesticide chemical as pesticide residue in quantities within the tolerances so established is not deleterious to the health of man or animals. (Amended by Stats. 1983, Ch. 717, Sec. 3.)

Last verified: January 10, 2026

Key Terms

permissible tolerances pesticide chemical pesticide residue deleterious to the health of man or animals

References

Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
California Legislature. Food and Agricultural Code. Section 12561.

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

Related Statutes

References

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

Related Statutes

References