Enforcement Authority

Back to Pesticide Use Enforcement

The Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) oversees a multi-tiered enforcement program. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) enacts laws covering minimum pesticide requirements that are enforced at the State and local (county) levels through cooperative agreements. Over the years, the California Legislature has passed more stringent laws covering pesticide registration, licensing, the sale and use of pesticides, and worker protection.

DPR has primary responsibility to enforce pesticide laws and regulations in California. The Enforcement Branch oversees compliance with pesticide use requirements, has overall responsibility for pesticide incident investigations, administers the nation's largest state monitoring program for analyzing domestic and imported produce for pesticide residues, and ensures compliance with pesticide product registration and labeling requirements.

County Agricultural Commissioners (CACs) enforce federal and state pesticide laws and regulations at the local level. CACs issue site-specific local permits for the use of restricted materials, conduct on-site application inspections, administer full pesticide use reporting, conduct worker safety inspections, and investigate pesticide incidents.

• Cooperative agreement between the U.S. EPA, DPR, and the California Agricultural Commissioners and Sealers Association (CACASA). (2005; the cooperative agreement remains valid until modified or terminated)
• Ensuring Safe Pesticide Use, PDF (2.5 mb), Chapter 2, from A Guide to Pesticide Regulation in California: 2017 Update
• Environmental Impact Report Functional Equivalency, PDF (40 kb) contains an overview of the California Environmental Quality Act and functional equivalency. (Excerpt from the Pesticide Use Enforcement Program Standards Compendium, Volume 3, Restricted Materials and Permitting)
• Laws and regulations
  • California laws (Food and Agricultural Code)
  • California regulations (Title 3)
  • Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) is the primary federal law governing pesticide use.
• Preemption: Federal, State and Local Jurisdiction, PDF (77 kb), excerpt from Chapter 2, A Guide to Pesticide Regulation in California: 2017 Update
• Structural Pest Control Board
  • California laws (Business and Professions Code, Division 3)
  • California regulations (Title 16)
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Related links

• Vector control, Infectious Diseases Branch, California Department of Public Health (CDPH)
  • Memorandum of understanding, PDF (243 kb) between CDPH, DPR, and CACASA on the protection of human health from the adverse effects of pesticides.

For content questions, contact:
Enforcement Branch
3077 Fite Circle, Suite 100
Sacramento, CA 95827
Phone: (916) 324-4100