An act to amend Sections 11734, 11923, 12034, 15204, and 15204.5 of the Food and Agricultural Code, relating to pest control.
AB 2380 revises county registration fee rules for several categories of pest control licensees and businesses under the Food and Agricultural Code. The bill increases maximum registration fees for pest control businesses, pest control aircraft pilots, pest control advisers, and Structural Pest Control Board registered companies, while also setting higher caps for registration in additional counties. For some categories, the bill replaces older flat fee ceilings with phased-in fee limits beginning in 2027 and increasing in 2028 and 2029 and later.
The bill also updates registration requirements for structural pest control businesses and fumigation operators. It preserves the requirement that these entities register with county agricultural commissioners before operating, and it continues to allow counties to charge fees tied to processing registrations, but with higher statutory ceilings. For fumigation operations, the bill maintains the requirement for advance notice to the agricultural commissioner and the ability to impose civil penalties for violations.
AB 2380 would amend Sections 11734, 11923, 12034, 15204, and 15204.5 of the Food and Agricultural Code to raise or restructure statutory fee caps governing county-level pest control registrations. It would affect pest control businesses, aircraft pilots, pest control advisers, structural pest control operators, field representatives, applicators, and Structural Pest Control Board registered companies by allowing counties to charge higher registration fees than current law permits, especially for home-county and additional-county registrations. The bill does not create a state appropriation or new statewide program, but it would change the fee authority available to county boards of supervisors and county agricultural commissioners.
The available vote history suggests the bill has been received favorably, with a unanimous 7-0 do pass vote in committee and no recorded opposition in the provided materials. The bill was later ordered to third reading, indicating continued legislative movement. No committee transcript was provided, so the broader discussion record is limited, but the procedural history points to general support rather than controversy.
The main point of potential contention is the increase in registration fee caps, which will likely be viewed differently by county governments and the regulated pest control industry. Counties may support the higher ceilings as a way to recover administrative costs, while pest control businesses and licensees may object to higher annual and multi-county fees. Another possible issue is the bill’s phased fee increases for pilots, advisers, and structural pest control companies, which could be seen as a gradual but meaningful cost increase for businesses operating across multiple counties. No specific objections were recorded in the materials provided.