Fresno County’s copper theft ordinance is approved by state; aims to protect farmers
A new ordinance designed to make it more difficult to transport and sell stolen copper wire is now law in Fresno County after the state gave clearance for the rule to be enacted.
At issue was whether the local rule was preempted by existing state law, which would have made it redundant and potentially invalid. Local officials had to wait on California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office to issue the favorable ruling, which took eight months.
County and city leaders gathered inside the Fresno County Hall of Records on Friday for a press conference to announce Bonta’s opinion that Fresno County Ordinance 25-008 is valid
The ordinance makes it illegal to receive, possess or transport more than 10 pounds of commercial grade wire stripped of its protective sheathing unless doing so for a licensed business. The ordinance was created because copper wire theft has hit agricultural and commercial business owners in the area especially hard.
“One of the biggest reasons why we have to do this is that when businesses and farms get hit and they have to absorb that cost, that cost gets passed on to working families in this community,” said Fresno Councilmember Mike Karbassi. “Working families are the ones bearing the burden because it raises the cost of food, it raises the cost of goods, and unfortunately in these inflationary times we have to do our part to help relieve these issues for the residents of this county.”
Ordinance 25-008 was initially approved by the Fresno County Board of Supervisors in April 2025. It was submitted for review to Bonta in September 2025.
Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp said she wasn’t sure why Bonta’s opinion took eight months, but she cited backlogging and understaffing as possible reasons. “I know that we were relentless in, just, every 30 days contacting them to say, ‘Hey, have you made a decision?’’
Smittcamp said the ordinance would broaden the scope of the current California penal code to make it easier to prosecute copper wire thieves. Between the end of 2025 and the present day, at least three copper wire theft cases were submitted to the District Attorney’s office. Now that the ordinance has been approved by Bonta, two of those cases will be filed this week.
“Going forward, we’re hoping, you know, that we’ll have more cases coming in so that we can put a lid on copper wire thieves and recyclers,” Smittcamp said.