California proposes first ‘significant’ update to pesticide regulations in years
California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation proposed this month what it is calling the first “significant” updates to pesticide regulations since 2006.
The changes focus on increasing accountability for human health violations and repeat offenders, as well as ensuring more consistent enforcement across the state’s 58 counties.
The updates are a part of the department’s five-year strategic plan that began in 2024. The pesticide regulation department is housed under the California Environmental Protection Agency and is charged with protecting the environment and human health through pest management and regulating pesticides.
Leia Bailey, chief deputy director for the Department of Pesticide Regulation, said the rules changes are occurring now for two reasons: the division’s value of “continuous improvement” and a U.S. EPA audit that highlighted some inconsistencies across county enforcement.
In an effort to achieve better consistency, the state revised the regulations to clarify rule language, timelines and documentation requirements.
In California, on-the-ground enforcement for pesticide regulations is conducted by county agricultural commissioners. County staff conduct investigations on reported incidents and work on pesticide compliance with growers. The state agency’s main role is to provide oversight and guidance to the counties.
Currently, the regulations are broken down into three separate classes — A, B and C — based on the nature of the violation. With the proposed changes, the first category, class A, would be separated into two subcategories: one focused on health hazards and the other focused on property and environmental hazards. The department’s goal is to increase the severity of the penalty for health hazard breaches.
With that class change, the department will also raise minimum fees for violations that harm human health and raise fines for repeat violators by at least 20%.
The state agency revised its fine structure to increase the maximum penalties in 2024.
The public comment period for the proposed regulation changes will run from June 12 through July 28. Virtual public comment hearings will be held on July 8, 21 and 28.
The department expects the new regulations to go into effect in early 2027. Bailey said the exact timing will depend on if the agency holds another public comment period, which will be determined by the feedback in the first round. The department will review the feedback and could make changes to the proposed regulations.
Once the pesticide regulations team finalizes the updates, it will send the rules to the state Office of Administrative Law for review. The Office of Administrative Law has 30 working days to approve or deny the new regulations.
Information about the proposed changes can be found on the Department of Pesticide Regulation website.
Esta historia fue publicada originalmente el 26 de junio de 2026 a las 11:23 a. m. con el titular "California proposes first ‘significant’ update to pesticide regulations in years."
