What States Banned Plastic Bags: The 12 States, Fees, and Exemptions

Twelve states have banned single-use plastic carryout bags: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. Each law has its own effective date, its own fee for paper or reusable replacements, and its own list of exceptions. A separate group of states has gone the other way, passing preemption laws that stop cities and counties from banning bags on their own.

The Twelve States With Bans

Effective dates and fee structures vary. Hawaii is on the list because every county passed its own ban, producing a statewide prohibition without a single state statute.¹

California. The original 2014 ban under SB 270 let stores sell thicker film plastic bags labeled “reusable.” SB 1053 closed that loophole on January 1, 2026. Stores can no longer provide any plastic carryout bag and may sell recycled paper bags for at least ten cents.²
Colorado. Large retailers started charging ten cents per bag in January 2023, and single-use plastic bags were banned outright in January 2024. Only recycled paper bags are allowed, with a ten-cent minimum charge.
Connecticut. A ten-cent fee started in August 2019, followed by a full ban on July 1, 2021.³
Delaware. A ban on larger retailers took effect in January 2021; an expanded version covering most retail locations followed on July 1, 2022.
Hawaii. Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii counties adopted bans between 2011 and 2013, and Honolulu joined in 2015.¹
Maine. Enforcement started July 1, 2021, after COVID delayed the original April 2020 date. Retailers must charge at least five cents for recycled paper or reusable bags.⁴
New Jersey. The strictest law in the country took effect May 4, 2022. It bans single-use plastic bags at all retail stores and also bans single-use paper bags at grocery stores with at least 2,500 square feet of floor space.⁵
New York. The Bag Waste Reduction Law took effect March 1, 2020, with enforcement from October 19, 2020. Anyone required to collect state sales tax cannot hand out plastic carryout bags.⁶
Oregon. Retail stores cannot provide single-use checkout bags and must charge at least five cents for recycled paper or reusable bags. Restaurants face similar rules but may give out paper bags free.⁷
Rhode Island. The Plastic Waste Reduction Act took effect January 1, 2024.
Vermont. Stores and food service establishments have been barred from providing single-use plastic carryout bags since July 1, 2020.⁸
Washington. The ban began January 1, 2021. As of January 2026, the pass-through fee is twelve cents for reusable film plastic bags and eight cents for paper bags, and the minimum thickness for film plastic bags rose from 2.25 mils to four mils.⁹

What the Bans Actually Cover

Most of these laws target thin plastic bags handed out at checkout, defined by thickness. The common cutoff is 2.25 mils (thousandths of an inch), and anything thinner counts as single-use. Several states originally allowed thicker “reusable” film bags, but California ended that practice in 2026 and Washington raised its minimum thickness to four mils the same year.²

Every ban carves out exceptions where a thin plastic bag serves a specific purpose. Loose produce bags, bulk food bags, and bags for raw meat or seafood are generally still allowed because they prevent cross-contamination. Prescription medication bags and dry-cleaning bags are also typically exempt. The rules reach the bag at checkout, not every plastic bag in the store.

What You’ll Pay for a Replacement Bag

A free bag at checkout is rare in ban states. Most require retailers to charge for every paper or reusable bag they provide. Minimums range from five cents in states like Maine and Oregon up to twelve cents for reusable plastic film bags in Washington as of January 2026.⁹ California requires at least ten cents for recycled paper bags.²

Retailers generally keep the fee to offset the higher cost of compliant bags. In Washington, the pass-through charge is treated as a taxable retail sale, so sales tax applies on top of the bag fee.⁹ Treatment varies elsewhere depending on how the state classifies the charge.

SNAP, WIC, and EBT Shoppers

Bag fees cannot be paid with SNAP benefits. The USDA has stated that it does not have the authority to exempt SNAP recipients from the charge, so the fee has to come from cash, a credit card, or a non-SNAP debit account.¹⁰

Some states soften that result. California’s SB 1053 requires stores to provide a recycled paper bag at no cost to anyone using a WIC voucher or an EBT card.² Oregon exempts WIC and EBT users from the fee as well.⁷ Not every ban state offers this protection, so a reusable bag brought from home is the surest way to avoid the charge.

States That Block Local Plastic Bag Bans

A larger group of states has moved in the opposite direction, passing preemption laws that stop cities and counties from banning bags, taxing them, or regulating them differently from the state. The practical effect: plastic bags remain freely available, and no municipality can change that.

Florida law prohibits any local government or state agency from enacting rules on the use, sale, or restriction of disposable plastic bags, wrappings, or containers until the legislature acts on recommendations from the Department of Environmental Protection.¹¹ Arizona bars cities and towns from imposing any tax, fee, or regulation on “auxiliary containers,” a broad category that includes disposable bags, reusable bags, bottles, and cups.¹² In Texas, the state Supreme Court held that a local ordinance banning single-use bags was preempted by the state’s Solid Waste Disposal Act, blocking any Texas city from enacting its own ban.¹³

Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Tennessee all restrict local authority over bags and other disposable containers in various ways. Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota added preemption provisions in 2020. The geographic pattern is sharp: coastal and northeastern states tend to ban bags, while many southern and midwestern states protect the status quo.

No Federal Ban

No federal law bans plastic bags. The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, introduced in the 118th Congress (2023–2024), did not advance to a vote. As of 2026, it has not been reintroduced in the 119th Congress, and no comparable federal legislation is pending. Plastic bag regulation remains a state and local matter.

1
County of Hawai’i Department of Environmental Management. County of Hawaii Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinance
2
California Legislative Information. SB 1053 Solid Waste Recycling Plastic Carryout Bags
3
Justia Law. Connecticut Code 22a-246a – Single-Use Checkout Bags
4
Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 38 Section 1611 – Plastic Bag Reduction
5
Justia Law. New Jersey Revised Statutes 13 1E-99.126 – Prohibition on Single-Use Bags
6
New York State Senate. New York Environmental Conservation Law 27-2803 – Plastic Carryout Bag Ban
7
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 459A.757 – Prohibition on Provision of Certain Checkout Bags
8
Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 10 Section 6692 – Single-Use Plastic Carryout Bags Prohibition
9
Washington State Legislature. Revised Code of Washington 70A.530.020 – Retail Establishments Limitations on Carryout Bags
10
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Retailer Notice – Bag Fees, Sales Tax, Seasonal Items
11
Florida Legislature. Florida Code 403.7033 – Departmental Analysis of Particular Recyclable Materials
12
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 9-500.38 – Prohibition on Regulation of Auxiliary Containers
13
Justia Law. City of Laredo Texas v Laredo Merchants Association