Fish and Game Code section 2017
(a)
Unless otherwise authorized under state law, it is unlawful for a person in this state to import, cause to be imported, export, cause to be exported, transport, sell, offer for sale, possess with the intent to sell, receive, acquire, or purchase any fish, wildlife, or plant that was taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of any law or statute of any state or of any law, treaty, or statute of the United States with regard to fish, wildlife, or plants in effect on January 19, 2025.(b)
Nothing in this section shall prohibit a person from transporting, selling, receiving, acquiring, or purchasing any cannabis or hemp as allowed under state law.(c)
Notwithstanding Section 802 of the Penal Code, prosecution of an offense punishable under this section shall be commenced within three years after the commission of the offense.(d)
For a violation of this section or any rule, regulation, or order adopted pursuant to this section, the following criminal penalties shall be imposed:(1)
For a first conviction, the offense shall be a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than five thousand dollars ($5,000) nor more than forty thousand dollars ($40,000), or imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment.(2)
For a second or subsequent conviction, the offense shall be a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) nor more than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), or imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment.(e)
Upon conviction or other entry of judgment for a violation of this section, any seized evidence shall be forfeited and, upon forfeiture, either maintained by the department, donated by the department to a bona fide educational or scientific institution, or destroyed.(f)
(1)This section shall become inoperative on December 31, 2031, and, as of January 1, 2032, is repealed.(2)
Notwithstanding paragraph (1), an action brought to enforce this section on or before December 31, 2031, may proceed to final judgment.
Source:
Section 2017, https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=FGC§ionNum=2017. (updated Jan. 1, 2026; accessed Dec. 15, 2025).
