Enforcement
Enforcement of Pesticide Use Laws and Regulations
The Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) is responsible for statewide enforcement of pesticide use laws and regulations in agricultural and urban environments to protect people and the environment. County Agricultural Commissioners (CACs) enforce pesticide use laws and regulations at a local level. They investigate pesticide incidents and take action to address pesticide violations.
At DPR, we oversee and evaluate CAC’s local pesticide use enforcement programs, monitor pesticide products for compliance with labeling and registration requirements, test fresh fruits and vegetables for the presence of illegal pesticides, and we take enforcement actions for violations of pesticide laws and regulations.
Working with County Agricultural Commissioners (CACs) on Local Enforcement
DPR and CACs work together to enforce federal and state pesticide use laws and regulations in California. DPR is responsible for overall statewide enforcement and oversees counties’ enforcement programs to provide consistent enforcement throughout the state. CACs are responsible for local enforcement under the direction and supervision of DPR. Each CAC is appointed by their county board of supervisors. In addition to their pesticide use enforcement responsibilities, CACs enforce agricultural and weights and measures programs.
As the local pesticide use enforcement agencies, the CACs’ responsibilities include:
- Investigating all reported pesticide incidents and illnesses.
- Inspecting the operations and records of growers, pest control businesses, agricultural pest control advisers, farm labor contracts, and government agencies.
- Certifying private applicators and issuing restricted materials permits and operator identification numbers.
- Collecting and reporting to DPR pesticide use report information.
- Monitoring pesticide applications in the field.
As part of our oversight, we:
- Provide supervision, training, guidance, coordination, and technical support to CACs and their county enforcement programs.
- Evaluate county programs through records inspections to review completeness of permits, accuracy and thoroughness of investigations, appropriateness of enforcement actions, and adequacy of other aspects of enforcement programs.
- Conduct oversight inspections of county staff to provide consistent enforcement of pesticide laws and regulations throughout the state.
County Evaluations
We provide guidance to the CACs on core enforcement program priorities and evaluate the effectiveness of each county’s pesticide use enforcement program and implementation of DPR-approved work plans on a 1-3 year cycle.
County Work Plans
CACs develop work plans that identify their county’s priorities to focus and improve enforcement, compliance, and permitting. These 1-3 plans are informed by DPR’s guidance on statewide priorities and are reviewed and approved by DPR. We use work plans to help assess the effectiveness of the county’s enforcement program.
For County Agricultural Commissioner resources, visit our CAC Resources Page.
State Enforcement Programs
In addition to overseeing local pesticide use enforcement programs administered by CACs, we also monitor pesticide products sold and used in California to confirm they are registered by DPR and U.S. EPA and are correctly labeled.
We conduct two types of inspections:
- Inspections at facilities where pesticide products are manufactured, prepared, processed, packaged, repackaged, labeled, or relabeled to confirm they are registered and labeled correctly and in alignment with state and federal pesticide use laws and regulations.
- Marketplace surveillance to enforce compliance with pesticide product registration, formulation, packaging and label requirements. Marketplace surveillance occurs anywhere pesticides are sold, including retail nurseries, hardware stores, home-and-garden centers, landscape material suppliers, pesticide dealers, feed, farm, and pet stores, medical, dental, and veterinary suppliers, restaurant and hospital suppliers, grocery and drugstores, as well as pool and spa centers.
Food Safety
We collect and test fresh produce sold to the public as part of our residue monitoring program. If a produce sample contains illegal residues, we may trace forwards or backwards through the lines of trade as appropriate to stop future sales to protect Californians. More information can be found on our Residue Monitoring webpage.
Through the full cycle of our enforcement programs and our oversight of local pesticide use enforcement by CACs we track and monitor where pesticides are sold, how they are used and the impact on our produce as part of our ongoing work to protect people and the environment.
Enforcement Metrics
Pesticide use enforcement includes providing grower and applicator training and outreach on how to comply with pesticide laws and regulations, conducting inspections to evaluate compliance with laws and regulations and taking action when violations occur.
As part of our enforcement oversight, we track CAC-conducted inspections and investigations. We update the tracker below quarterly to reflect year-to-date inspections conducted by CACs across the state.
This table was last updated in December 2024.
| Inspection Type | Number of Inspections (December 2024 TYD ) |
|---|---|
| Field Worker Safety Inspections | 1,465 |
| Pesticide Use Monitoring Inspections
(includes commodity fumigation, soil field fumigation, structural fumigation and structural use) |
17,466 |
| Pest Control Business and Headquarter Inspections | 5,219 |
For annual, county-specific statistics on enforcement actions and investigations, please visit California’s County Statistics site.
Local Enforcement Actions – County Agricultural Commissioner Actions
CACs take enforcement actions to address violations of pesticide use laws and regulations. Penalties for violations can include:
- The assessment of agricultural and structural civil penalties; and
- The suspension or revocation of county registrations, private applicator certificates, and restricted materials permits.
DPR Enforcement Actions
DPR takes enforcement actions to address violations of pesticide use laws and regulations. Those actions and related penalties can include:
Civil Actions
We can levy civil sanctions for violations related to licensing requirements and licensing examinations.
Licensing Actions
We can revoke or suspend the licenses of companies and individuals that do pest control work, sell pesticides, or advise on pest control in California.
Administrative Actions
We can levy administrative penalties on companies and individuals who sell unregistered or misbranded pesticide products, fail to pay required fees on pesticide sales, or pack, ship, or sell produce with illegal pesticide residue.
Court Action
We can also take civil court enforcement actions through the California Attorney General’s Office for any violation of pesticide laws. We can also refer pesticide use violations for criminal prosecution.
For information on settlements, licensing, administrative or other enforcement actions, visit News and Announcement.
Enforcement Actions: Illegal Pesticide Residues
Cases and fines related to produce with illegal pesticide residue.
Enforcement Actions: Unregistered and Misbranded Pesticides and Failure to Pay Mill
The department tracks the fines and settlements related to unregistered and misbranded pesticides and failure to pay the mill assessment on pesticide sales.
Contact DPR’s Regional Enforcement Offices
DPR also has three regional enforcement offices across California: Northern, Central, and Southern. See the map below to see what regional office serves your region. Regional offices provide local support for pesticide use compliance and enforcement.
Northern Regional Office (NRO)
Email: ENF.NRO@cdpr.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 603-7700
Address: 3077 Fite Circle, Suite 100
Sacramento, CA 95827
Central Regional Office (CRO)
Email: ENF.CRO@cdpr.ca.gov
Phone: (559) 297-3511
Address: 395 W. Spruce Avenue, Suite 103
Clovis, CA 93611-8706
Southern Regional Office (SRO)
Email: ENF.SRO@cdpr.ca.gov
Phone: (714) 279-7690
Address: 2 MacArthur Place, Suite 910
Santa Ana, CA 92707- 5924
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Still have a Question or Need More Information?
Please contact us with questions or visit the Contact Us page on our website to connect with other programs at DPR.
Email: ENF.HQ@cdpr.ca.gov