LA County banned single-use plastic carryout bags in unincorporated areas via Ordinance 2010-0059, requiring a minimum 10-cent paper-bag charge. California SB-270 extended the ban statewide, and AB-1162 (2024) further restricts pre-checkout plastic bags countywide.
LA County Code Title 12, chapter 12.85, originally adopted as Ordinance 2010-0059, bans single-use plastic carryout bags at supermarkets, pharmacies, convenience stores, and other retailers in unincorporated areas. Stores must sell paper bags with at least 40 percent post-consumer content or reusable bags meeting state durability standards, charging at least 10 cents retained by the store. CalFresh and WIC customers are exempt from the charge. California SB-270 (Public Resources Code section 42281) extended the ban to all 88 cities. AB-1162 (2024) phases out remaining thicker reusable plastic bags by 2026. LA County Department of Public Works enforces with educational warnings before fines.
Distributing banned plastic bags or failing to charge for paper bags violates LACO Title 12.85 and PRC section 42281, with administrative fines starting around one hundred dollars per day after warning.
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