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HomeWater CodeDiv. 7Ch. 5Art. 2.5§ 13327 Civil Liability Determination Factors

§ 13327 Civil Liability Determination Factors

Water Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 13327 Civil Liability Determination Factors

Key Takeaways

  • •If someone pollutes or dumps bad stuff, the punishment depends on how bad it is and how toxic it is.
  • •They also look at if the person can afford to pay, if they tried to clean it up, and if they did it before.
  • •If the person made money by breaking the rules, that can make the punishment worse.

Example

A factory dumps dirty water into a river.

The punishment depends on how dirty the water is, if the factory can clean it up, and if they’ve done it before. If they saved money by dumping, they might have to pay more.

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

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 13327 Civil Liability Determination Factors

In determining the amount of civil liability, the regional board, and the state board upon review of any order pursuant to Section 13320, shall take into consideration the nature, circumstance, extent, and gravity of the violation or violations, whether the discharge is susceptible to cleanup or abatement, the degree of toxicity of the discharge, and, with respect to the violator, the ability to pay, the effect on ability to continue in business, any voluntary cleanup efforts undertaken, any prior history of violations, the degree of culpability, economic benefit or savings, if any, resulting from the violation, and other matters as justice may require. (Amended by Stats. 2001, Ch. 869, Sec. 4.5. Effective January 1, 2002.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

civil liabilityregional boardstate boardviolationdegree of toxicityability to payprior history of violationseconomic benefitjustice may require

Related Statutes

  • § 13328 Enforcing Board Penalties Judgment
  • § 13351 Civil Liability Factors
  • § 13320 Regional Board Action Review
  • § 13323 Regional Board Complaint Process
  • § 13326 Double Liability Prohibition

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Water Code. Section 13327.
View Official Source