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HomeWater CodeDiv. 7Ch. 4Art. 4§ 13268 Reporting Violations Penalties

§ 13268 Reporting Violations Penalties

Water Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 13268 Reporting Violations Penalties

Key Takeaways

  • •If you don't send required reports or lie in them, you can get fined or even go to jail.
  • •Fines can be up to $1,000 per day for small mistakes or up to $25,000 per day for big mistakes, like lying about dangerous waste.
  • •If you keep breaking the rules after getting caught, the fines can get even bigger.
  • •The money from fines is used to clean up waste and protect water.

Example

A factory dumps bad chemicals into a river and lies about it in their reports.

The factory can be fined up to $25,000 for each day they lied, and the money will be used to clean up the river.

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

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 13268 Reporting Violations Penalties

(a) (1) Any person failing or refusing to furnish technical or monitoring program reports as required by subdivision (b) of Section 13267, failing or refusing to furnish information as required by subdivision (a) or (b) of Section 13267.5, or failing or refusing to furnish a statement of compliance as required by subdivision (b) of Section 13399.2, or falsifying any information provided therein, is guilty of a misdemeanor, and may be liable civilly in accordance with subdivision (b). (2) Any person who knowingly commits any violation described in paragraph (1) is subject to criminal penalties pursuant to subdivision (e). (b) (1) Civil liability may be administratively imposed by a regional board in accordance with Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 13323) of Chapter 5 for a violation of subdivision (a) in an amount which shall not exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000) for each day in which the violation occurs. (2) Civil liability may be imposed by the superior court in accordance with Article 5 (commencing with Section 13350) and Article 6 (commencing with Section 13360) of Chapter 5 for a violation of subdivision (a) in an amount which shall not exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each day in which the violation occurs. (c) Any person discharging hazardous waste, as defined in Section 25117 of the Health and Safety Code, who knowingly fails or refuses to furnish technical or monitoring program reports as required by subdivision (b) of Section 13267, or who knowingly falsifies any information provided in those technical or monitoring program reports, is guilty of a misdemeanor, may be civilly liable in accordance with subdivision (d), and is subject to criminal penalties pursuant to subdivision (e). (d) (1) Civil liability may be administratively imposed by a regional board in accordance with Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 13323) of Chapter 5 for a violation of subdivision (c) in an amount which shall not exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each day in which the violation occurs. (2) Civil liability may be imposed by the superior court in accordance with Article 5 (commencing with Section 13350) and Article 6 (commencing with Section 13360) of Chapter 5 for a violation of subdivision (c) in an amount which shall not exceed twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) for each day in which the violation occurs. (e) (1) Subject to paragraph (2), any person who knowingly commits any of the violations set forth in subdivision (a) or (c) shall be punished by a fine that does not exceed twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000). (2) Any person who knowingly commits any of the violations set forth in subdivision (a) or (c) after a prior conviction for a violation set forth in subdivision (a) or (c) shall be punished by a fine that does not exceed twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) for each day of the violation. (f) (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, fines collected pursuant to subdivision (e) shall be deposited in the Waste Discharge Permit Fund and separately accounted for in that fund. (2) The funds described in paragraph (1) shall be expended by the state board, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to assist regional boards, and other public agencies with authority to clean up waste, or abate the effects of the waste, in cleaning up or abating the effects of the waste on waters of the state or for the purposes authorized in Section 13443. (g) The state board may carry out the authority granted to a regional board pursuant to this section if, after consulting with the regional board, the state board determines that it will not duplicate the efforts of the regional board. (Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 758, Sec. 2. (AB 1328) Effective January 1, 2018.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

liabilityviolationaccordancecomplianceinformationhazardoushealthport

Related Statutes

  • § 13261 Reporting Fee Violations Penalty
  • § 13265 Waste Discharge Penalties
  • § 13273 Solid Waste Water Quality Ranking
  • § 13273.1 Solid Waste Assessment Questionnaire
  • § 13274 Sewage Sludge Discharge Standards

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Water Code. Section 13268.
View Official Source