Assembly BillFailedPenal
AB 336: Criminal penalties: wildfires.
What AB 336 does, verified December 7, 2025
<p>This bill aims to increase the criminal penalties for wildfires. Currently, unlawfully causing a fire by recklessly setting fire to, burning, or causing to be burned any structure, forest land, or property is punishable as either a felony or a misdemeanor. This bill would make these violations punishable only as a felony, including a fine of up to $10,000. This change would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill also includes a provision that no reimbursement is required for certain costs mandated by the state.</p>
Bill journey
✓IntroducedComplete
2In CommitteeCurrent
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: From committee: Without further action pursuant to Joint Rule 62(a). (2025-04-02)Alert me
Author and sponsors
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| Apr. 02, 2025 | From committee: Without further action pursuant to Joint Rule 62(a). |
| Mar. 04, 2025 | In committee: Set, first hearing. Failed passage. |
| Feb. 10, 2025 | Referred to Com. on PUB. S. |
| Jan. 29, 2025 | From printer. May be heard in committee February 28. |
| Jan. 28, 2025 | Read first time. To print. |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, January 28, 2025 · 697 words
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 336
| Introduced by Assembly Member Wallis (Coauthors: Assembly Members Chen, Dixon, Essayli, Gallagher, Jeff Gonzalez, Hoover, Macedo, Patterson, Sanchez, and Ta) |
January 28, 2025 |
An act to amend Section 452 of the Penal Code, relating to wildfires.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 336, as introduced, Wallis. Criminal penalties: wildfires.
Existing law prohibits unlawfully causing a fire by recklessly setting fire to, burning, or causing to be burned, any structure, forest land, or property. A violation of this prohibition that causes great bodily injury, that causes an inhabited structure or property to burn, or that causes a fire of a structure or forest land is punishable either as a felony or a misdemeanor.
This bill would make the above-described violations punishable only as a felony including a fine not to exceed $10,000. By increasing the punishment of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 452 of the Penal Code is amended to read:452.
A person is guilty of unlawfully causing a fire when they recklessly set fire to, burn, or cause to be burned any structure, forest land, or property.(a) Unlawfully causing a fire that causes great bodily injury is a felony punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for two, four, or six years, or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year, or by a fine, or by both such imprisonment and fine. and by a fine not to exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
(b) Unlawfully causing a fire that causes an inhabited structure or inhabited property to burn is a felony punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years, or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year, or by a fine, or by both such imprisonment and fine. and by a fine not to exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
(c) Unlawfully causing a fire of a structure or forest land is a felony punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, two or three years, or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six months, or by a fine, or by both such imprisonment and fine. and by a fine not to exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
(d) Unlawfully causing a fire of property is a misdemeanor. For purposes of this paragraph, unlawfully causing a fire of property does not include one burning or causing to be burned their own personal property unless there is injury to another person or to another person’s structure, forest land, or property.
(e) In the case of any person convicted of violating this section while confined in a state prison, prison road camp, prison forestry camp, or other prison camp or prison farm, or while confined in a county jail while serving a term of imprisonment for a felony or misdemeanor conviction, any sentence imposed shall be consecutive to the sentence for which the person was then confined.
(f) For purposes of sentencing for a violation of this section, the fact that the offense was carried out within a merchant’s premises in order to facilitate organized retail theft, as defined in Section 490.4, shall be a factor in aggravation.
SEC. 2.
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.Text of AB 336 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions