Santa Clara County Ordinance NS-1100, adopted in 2008 as the first county-level bag ban in the nation, prohibits single-use plastic carryout bags in unincorporated areas and requires a paper-bag charge. California SB-270 and AB-1162 (2024) now mirror the rule statewide.
Santa Clara County Ordinance NS-1100, codified in Division B33 of the County Ordinance Code, was the first county-level ban on single-use plastic carryout bags in the United States when adopted in 2008. It bars supermarkets, pharmacies, convenience stores, and other retailers in unincorporated areas from distributing single-use plastic carryout bags. Stores must sell paper bags with at least forty percent post-consumer content or reusable bags meeting state durability standards, charging a per-bag fee retained by the store. CalFresh and WIC customers are exempt from the charge. The county ordinance directly influenced California SB-270 (Public Resources Code section 42281). AB-1162 (2024) phases out remaining thicker reusable plastic bags by 2026 statewide.
Distributing banned plastic bags or failing to charge for paper bags violates SCC Ord. NS-1100 and PRC section 42281, with administrative fines starting around one hundred dollars per day after a written warning.
See how Santa Clara's plastic bag rules rules stack up against other locations.
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