LawWiki
HomeCodesSearchGlossaryAPIAbout
LawWiki

Plain English summaries of California law with zero-hallucination AI. Every summary is verified against official source text.

Product

  • Search
  • Codes
  • About

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Disclaimer

© 2026 LawWiki. All rights reserved.

HomeHealth and Safety CodeDiv. 104Pt. 9Ch. 8Art. 14§ 115215 Radioactive Waste Disposal Penalties

§ 115215 Radioactive Waste Disposal Penalties

Health and Safety Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 115215 Radioactive Waste Disposal Penalties

Key Takeaways

  • •Breaking rules about radioactive stuff can get you in big trouble, like fines or jail time.
  • •If you dump or move radioactive stuff where you shouldn’t and it hurts people, you can go to jail for years and pay huge fines.
  • •Medical radioactive stuff is okay if it’s handled the right way.
  • •Messing up mammography rules can cost you up to $5,000 per day or jail time.

Example

A company dumps radioactive waste in a regular trash dump instead of a special licensed place.

This is illegal because the dump isn’t allowed to take radioactive stuff. If someone gets hurt, the company could pay $250,000 for each day they broke the rule and the boss could go to jail for 3 to 7 years.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 115215 Radioactive Waste Disposal Penalties

(a) Any person who violates this chapter, or rules, regulations, or orders in effect adopted pursuant to this chapter, is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000) or by imprisonment in a county jail for a period not to exceed 180 days, or by both the fine and imprisonment. (b) Any person who knowingly disposes or causes the disposal of any radioactive material regulated by this chapter, or who reasonably should have known that the person was disposing or causing the disposal of the material, at a facility within the state that does not have a license for disposal issued by the department pursuant to this chapter, or at any point in the state that is not authorized according to this chapter, or by any other local, state, or federal agency having authority over radioactive materials, and is in violation of this chapter, or any regulation or order adopted pursuant to this chapter, is guilty of a public offense, and upon conviction, may be punished as follows: (1) If the disposal is found to have caused a substantial danger to the public health or safety, the person may be punished by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year or by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for 16, 24, or 36 months, except as otherwise provided in paragraph (2). The court may also impose, upon a person convicted of violating this subdivision, a fine of not more than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for each day of violation, except as otherwise provided in paragraph (2). (2) If the act that violated this subdivision caused great bodily injury or caused a substantial probability that death could result, the person convicted may be punished by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for three, five, or seven years and may be fined not more than two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) for each day of violation. (c) Any person who knowingly transports or causes the transportation of any radioactive material regulated by this chapter, or who reasonably should have known that the person was causing the transportation of the material, to a facility in the state that does not have a license from the department issued pursuant to this chapter, to any point in the state that is not authorized by this chapter, or to any point in the state that is not authorized by any other local, state, or federal agency having authority over radioactive materials, and is in violation of this chapter, or any regulation or order adopted pursuant to this chapter, is guilty of a public offense and, upon conviction, may be punished as follows: (1) If the transportation is found to have caused a substantial danger to the public health or safety, the person may be punished by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year or by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for 16, 24, or 36 months, except as otherwise provided in paragraph (2). The court may also impose, upon a person convicted of violating this subdivision, a fine of not more than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for each day of violation, except as provided by paragraph (2). (2) If the transportation that violated this subdivision caused great bodily injury or caused a substantial probability that death could result, the person convicted may be punished by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for three, five, or seven years and may be fined not more than two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) for each day of violation. (d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, radioactive materials used in medical treatment or result from medical treatment, that are disposed, stored, handled, or transported in a manner authorized pursuant to this chapter, are exempt from subdivisions (b) and (c). (e) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), any person who violates any provision of this chapter relating to mammography or regulations adopted pursuant to those provisions is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000), per day of offense, or by imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed 180 days, or both the fine and imprisonment. (Amended (as amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 15) by Stats. 2011, Ch. 39, Sec. 4. (AB 117) Effective June 30, 2011. Operative October 1, 2011, pursuant to Secs. 68 and 69 of Ch. 39.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

imprisonmentconvictionregulationviolationdangerhealthdisposalinjury

Related Statutes

  • § 1290 Health Code Violation Penalties
  • § 17061 Violation Penalties And Punishments
  • § 1280.3 Health Facility Immediate Jeopardy Penalties
  • § 131130 Sale Of Recalled Products
  • § 13215 Highrise Fire Safety Violations

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Health and Safety Code. Section 115215.
View Official Source