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HomeWater CodeDiv. 7Ch. 5Art. 5§ 13351 Civil Liability Factors

§ 13351 Civil Liability Factors

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

§ 13351 Civil Liability Factors

Key Takeaways

  • •The court decides how much money someone has to pay for breaking pollution rules.
  • •They look at how bad the pollution was, how toxic it is, and if it can be cleaned up.
  • •They also check if the person can afford to pay, if they tried to clean it up themselves, and if they’ve broken rules before.
  • •The court thinks about whether the person saved money by breaking the rules and if it’s fair to punish them.

Example

A factory dumps dirty water into a river instead of cleaning it first.

The court will check how bad the dirty water is, if it can be cleaned up, and if the factory has done this before. They’ll also see if the factory can pay the fine and if they tried to fix it. If the factory saved money by not cleaning the water, they might have to pay more.

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

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 13351 Civil Liability Factors

In determining the amount of civil liability to be imposed pursuant to this chapter, the superior court shall take into consideration the nature, circumstance, extent, and gravity of the violation or violations, whether the discharge is susceptible to cleanup or abatement, the degree of toxicity of the discharge, and, with respect to the violator, the ability to pay, the effect on ability to continue in business, any voluntary cleanup efforts undertaken, any prior history of violations, the degree of culpability, economic benefit or savings, if any, resulting from the violation, and such other matters as justice may require. (Amended by Stats. 2001, Ch. 869, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 2002.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

civil liabilitynature, circumstance, extent, and gravity of the violationdegree of toxicity of the dischargeability to payprior history of violationseconomic benefit or savingssuch other matters as justice may require

Related Statutes

  • § 13327 Civil Liability Determination Factors
  • § 12884 Public Agency Grant Approval
  • § 12884.2 Dam And Reservoir Grants
  • § 13326 Double Liability Prohibition
  • § 13328 Enforcing Board Penalties Judgment

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Water Code. Section 13351.
View Official Source