Consumer Protection

Makes technical changes to update names, references, and cross-references.

Establishes disaster-time license waivers to aid affected licensees. Authorizes waivers to take effect after five-day director review and posting. Extends waivers through the emergency and blocks below-FMV offers for one year. Expands debris-removal licensing, requires hazardous-substance certification and email addresses.

Establishes privacy-first ALPR governance, excluding certain transit and airport entities. Imposes 60-day retention cap and 14-day deletion for non-matching ALPR data. Bans default access to national ALPR databases and limits inter-agency sharing. Provides private action remedies and DOJ audits funded by the budget act.

Establishes the Insurance and Climate Risk Market Intelligence Act to collect reinsurance data and model use. Requires annual March 1 reports by insurers with $50M+ premiums on reinsurance data and catastrophe models. Protects confidentiality of submissions and posts aggregated public reports. Extends loss timelines and contents advances during emergencies, with 60% contents up to $350k and July 1, 2026 compliance.

Mandates real-time age-bracket signals to developers. OSs must collect birth date or age at setup and provide signals by January 1, 2027. Imposes penalties up to $2,500 per negligent and $7,500 per intentional child; enforcement by the Attorney General. Operative date 1/1/2027; July 1 transitions; exemptions for broadband, telecom, and physical products.

Overhauls alcohol rules to expand aging, boost on-site sales, and test direct shipping. Raises craft distiller on-site sale limit to 4.5 liters per consumer per day. Establishes a temporary direct ship regime with permits, records, labeling, and a 2.25 liter cap. Sunsets direct shipping on Jan 1, 2027 and enables ABC enforcement.

Establishes automatic payment system by April 1, 2026. Prohibits cancellation or nonrenewal solely for not enrolling in auto-pay. Allows a cure period for outstanding premiums under existing rules. Keeps the 10-day notice before cancellation for nonpayment.

Updates gift certificates to include electronic forms and raises cash redemption to under $15. Operative date for these changes is April 1, 2026. Adds nonprofit donation carve-out with a 10-point disclaimer that cash redemption does not apply.

Establishes ban on common pricing algorithms used to restrain trade. Defines key terms including common pricing algorithm and commercial term. Alters pleading standards to allow plausible restraint claims. Leaves penalties and private rights of action undefined.

Establishes a broad overhaul of real estate licensing, appraisers, and enforcement. Creates a Recovery Account with $50,000 per transaction and $250,000 per license caps. Expands fingerprinting to original applicants, officers, and 25 percent owners. Adds extensive renewal education requirements including ethics, bias, fair housing, and management.

Extends ban on online sweepstakes that use dual currencies to simulate gambling. Broadens gambling scope to include lottery, bingo, sports wagering, and similar games. Creates a new crime making it unlawful to operate online sweepstakes in California. Imposes misdemeanor penalties of $1,000-$25,000 and up to one year in jail; preserves exemptions.

Requires the bureau to convene a workgroup by March 1, 2026 on abandoned cemeteries. Includes cemetery groups, LAFCos, League of Cities, CSAC, counties, and public cemeteries. Requires a report by June 1, 2026 and sunset on January 1, 2027. Establishes a sunset repeal with no funding or enforcement duties.

Authorizes retrieval and return of shopping carts with costs capped at $100 per cart. Increases fines to $100 per occurrence after three in six months. Requires proof of notice and maintains records of delivery to the owner or their agent. Adds statewide ordinance requirements including 48 hours notice, cost method, and broader parking areas.

Requires cancellation notices to be sent by email and adds an email contact in contracts. Empowers buyers to file a CSLB complaint if a cancellation notice is missing from the contract. Imposes enhanced contract content rules, including subcontractor disclosures and lien warnings. Creates a sequencing condition with SB517 that governs when the amendments take effect.

Raises minimum civil penalties for unlicensed contractor violations to deter unlicensed work. Establishes minimum penalties of at least $500 or $1,500 for other violations with inflation updates every five years. Increases the reserve fund target to approximately 12 months of annual expenditures and requires fees to fund it. Sets July 1, 2026 as the operative date for major penalties and related rule changes.

Establishes mandatory disclosures on new self-service storage rental agreements. Requires six disclosures: term, promo status, promo duration, 12-month cap, termination steps, and owner contact. Requires first-page placement with larger, high-visibility formatting. Applies only to new agreements after January 1, 2026, and enforcement details are not specified.

Requires data brokers to register annually and disclose the data they collect. Mandates an accessible deletion mechanism with 45-day processing and no fee. Prohibits public disclosure of certain sensitive data on the agency site. Requires independent audits of data brokers every three years starting 2028.

Makes technical changes to wording and procedural requirements.

Establishes penalties up to $2,500 per violation for unfair competition against displaced persons. Requires housing listing platforms to remove price gouging listings within 30 days of emergencies. Authorizes enhanced penalties when violations harm seniors, disabled persons, veterans, or displaced persons. Creates a housing listing platforms framework with policies, reporting, and enforcement.

Requires the prime contractor to complete the project per the contract. Requires subcontractor disclosure and a change-order disclaimer if used. Prohibits contractor from holding financial or other interests in joint control. Operative status depends on enactment and sequencing with a cross-bill.

Establishes the California Combating Auto Retail Scams Act to curb misrepresentation in auto sales. Requires total price disclosures, itemization, and clear add-on disclosures in vehicle contracts. Creates a 3-day right to cancel for used vehicles under 50k with restocking limits. Replaces old cancellation option with the 3-day right; operative Oct 1, 2026; 2-year records.

Requires browsers to include a consumer-configurable opt-out signal by January 1, 2027. Mandates public disclosures explaining how the opt-out signal works and its effect. Grants immunity to browser developers for violations by downstream recipients. Authorizes CPPA to adopt regulations to implement and administer the provision.

Requires large social platforms earning over $100M to provide a clear Delete Account button. Provides steps to delete the account and information and prohibits dark patterns. Enforcement relies on the CCPA; no new penalties or state funding are created.

Makes technical changes to fix cross-references and remove obsolete items across statutes.

Clarifies exemption boundaries under the Financial Code to preserve DFPI enforcement. Enumerates DFPI-licensed activities that may be exempt while enforcement remains. Maintains bank and credit-union exemptions when acting under federal or state licenses.