SB 1053: Bag Ban Rules, Exemptions, and Store Penalties

Starting January 1, 2026, the California SB 1053 plastic bag ban prohibits grocery stores, large retailers, pharmacies, and convenience stores from handing out any plastic bag at checkout, including the thicker “reusable” plastic bags that have been sold at registers since 2014. Covered stores can offer only recycled paper bags or reusable bags made from cloth or other washable textiles, and both come with specific rules. Retailers that violate the law face civil penalties of up to $5,000 per day.

What Changes on January 1, 2026

California’s first statewide bag ban, SB 270, took effect in 2014 and prohibited thin single-use plastic bags. But it allowed stores to sell thicker plastic film bags labeled “reusable,” and shoppers used them once and threw them out. The legislature found this workaround actually increased the total amount of plastic bag waste discarded statewide.¹

SB 1053 removes plastic from the checkout equation entirely. Beginning January 1, 2026, no covered store may provide, sell, or distribute any plastic carryout bag to a customer at the point of sale, regardless of thickness or labeling.¹ The old certification program for reusable plastic film bags ended December 31, 2025, and CalRecycle no longer maintains a list of certified bags from it.²

Which Stores Have to Comply

The law reaches the categories of retailers defined in Public Resources Code Section 42280. Not every business that sells goods is covered, but the categories capture most places Californians shop for groceries and household items.

Full-line, self-service retail stores with at least $2 million in gross annual sales that sell dry groceries, canned goods, nonfood items, and some perishables.
Retail stores with at least 10,000 square feet of retail space that contain a licensed pharmacy.
Convenience stores and food marts that hold a Type 20 or Type 21 off-sale beer and wine license from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
Any other store that voluntarily opts in by notifying CalRecycle. Once a store opts in, that commitment is irrevocable.³

What Bags Stores Can Still Provide

Covered stores have two choices at the register: recycled paper bags or reusable bags made from cloth or washable textiles.

Recycled Paper Bags

Stores must charge at least ten cents for each recycled paper bag. The fee was carried over from the original ban to discourage unnecessary bag use.⁴

Each paper bag must be accepted for recycling in curbside programs available to a majority of California households and must be printed with the manufacturer’s name, country of manufacture, and percentage of postconsumer recycled content. Beginning January 1, 2028, every recycled paper bag must contain at least 50 percent postconsumer recycled material.⁵

Reusable Cloth and Textile Bags

The new reusable-bag standard is far stricter than the old one. Plastic film bags no longer qualify, regardless of thickness. A compliant reusable bag must be made from cloth, woven textile, or another washable textile; have at least one strap; and have all straps and seams sewn with thread. It must carry 22 pounds over 175 feet for a minimum of 300 uses, up from the previous 125-use threshold. Bags made from non-cloth washable textiles must also meet a minimum fabric weight of 80 grams per square meter; cloth and woven textile bags are exempt from that fabric-weight rule but still have to meet the durability and construction standards.⁶

Bags the Ban Doesn’t Touch

Several categories of bags fall outside the definition of “carryout bag” and can still be handed out, often for free:

Pre-checkout bags provided before the register to hold loose produce, meat, fish, nuts, grains, candy, or bakery goods, or to keep items from damaging or contaminating other purchases.
Bags provided by a pharmacy for prescription medication.
Non-handled protective bags used inside a paper or compostable bag to keep one item from damaging another.
Non-handled garment bags designed to cover clothing on a hanger, such as dry cleaning bags.⁵

The thin plastic bags on rolls in the produce section and at the meat and bakery counters still qualify as pre-checkout bags. The ban applies to bags handed out at the point of sale for carrying purchases out of the store.

Penalties for Stores That Violate the Ban

A city, county, or the state can impose civil penalties on any store that knowingly violates the law or reasonably should have known it was out of compliance. The penalties escalate with each violation:

$1,000 per day for a first violation.
$2,000 per day for a second violation.
$5,000 per day for a third or subsequent violation.⁷

Enforcement actions can be brought by a city attorney, city prosecutor, district attorney, or the state Attorney General.⁷ The “reasonably should have known” standard means ignorance of the law is unlikely to work as a defense.

What Shoppers Will See at the Register

For most shoppers, the practical change is simple. No plastic bags of any kind come across the counter. Paper bags cost at least ten cents each. Cloth reusables sit near the register at higher prices. Bringing your own bag stays the cheapest option, and it is the behavior the law is designed to push.⁵ The produce-section bags remain, so you can still grab one for apples or deli items. But the thick plastic bag that most stores had been selling for a dime is gone.

1
California Legislative Information. California Code – SB-1053 Solid Waste: Recycled Paper Bags: Standards: Carryout Bag Prohibition
2
CalRecycle. SB 270 Reusable Grocery Bag Program to End December 31, 2025
3
California Legislative Information. California Public Resources Code PRC 42280
4
California Legislative Information. California Public Resources Code PRC 42283
5
CalRecycle. Bag Requirements at Grocery and Retail Stores
6
LegiScan. Bill Text: CA SB1053 2023-2024 Regular Session
7
California Legislative Information. California Public Resources Code 42285