Tehama County, CA Public Health Rules: Syringe Disposal (2026)
Key Facts
- Coverage area
- Unincorporated Tehama County
- Max distance to site
- 10 miles per resident
- Misdemeanor fine
- $50-$1,000 per day
- Civil penalty
- Up to $1,000 per day
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 2061, 2018
Summary
Tehama County requires responsible stewards to fund a stewardship plan placing sharps and unwanted-drug collection sites within 10 miles of every unincorporated-area resident, with free mail-back mailers and sharps containers, under Chapter 9.29 of the county code.
Travel Distance: Collection sites shall be geographically distributed so as to ensure that every resident within the service area is within ten miles of a collection site for unwanted covered drugs and a collection site for unwanted sharps to the greatest extent feasible;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23).
Full Breakdown
Tehama County's Chapter 9.29 makes drug and sharps manufacturers ('responsible stewards') fund and operate a take-back program rather than leaving disposal to residents. Stewardship plans must place at least one sharps collection site in every unincorporated community, keep every unincorporated-area resident within 10 miles of a site, offer free mail-back mailers and free FDA-compliant sharps containers, and cover every supervisorial district. The ordinance applies directly in the unincorporated area of Tehama County; Red Bluff, Corning and the City of Tehama each run their own municipal code and are covered only if they separately adopt the chapter as a 'participating city.'
Violations & Fines
Violating a stewardship-plan requirement is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $50 to $1,000 per day, or up to six months in jail, plus a separate civil penalty of up to $1,000 per day per violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tehama County run a needle-exchange program?
Does this rule apply inside Red Bluff or Corning?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tehama County
California rules heatmap·Compare Tehama County to another location·View the California public health rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.