California Attorney General Warns Against Price Gouging During Fire Emergency

Flames consume a building as the Park fire tears through the Cohasset community in Butte County, Calif., July 25, 2024. Noah Berger/AP Photo

Businesses in Kern County are being warned against price gouging after a state of emergency was issued regarding the Borel fire, which began burning in the Sequoia National Forest last week.

Price gouging during a state of emergency is illegal in California.

“Businesses and landlords cannot unlawfully raise the price of essential supplies, hotels, rental housing, and more,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a July 30 press release.  “I urge all Californians to be prepared, keep safe, and understand that in California you have rights protecting you during an emergency.”

The fire is roughly about 41 percent contained and has burned more than 59,000 acres, according to CalFire. Part of the larger 2024 SQF Lightning Complex fire, which spans over 90,000 acres through the counties of Tulare and Kern, the Borel fire is about 60 miles northeast of Bakersfield.

Under the state’s price gouging law, businesses cannot raise prices by more than 10 percent after a state or local state of emergency is declared or charge a price more than 50 percent of the seller’s cost, according to the attorney general’s press release.

The law applies to sellers of emergency supplies, food, medical supplies, gasoline, and building materials or services such as emergency cleanup, repair or reconstruction, freight and storage, hotels and rental housing, and some transportation.

Anyone convicted of violating the law could face up to one year in jail or a fine of up to $10,000, or both, according to the attorney general’s press release. Violators could also face civil penalties of up to $2,500 per violation, mandatory restitution, and injunctive relief—meaning they would be immediately legally barred from continuing the practice.

Anyone who believes they have been a victim of price gouging can report it to the Attorney General at oag.ca.gov/report or to their local authorities.