California Business and Professions Code

This act shall be known as the Business and Professions Code.

The provisions of this code in so far as they are substantially the same as existing statutory provisions relating to the same subject matter shall be construed as restatements and continuations thereof, and not as new enactments.

All persons who, at the time this code goes into effect, hold office under any of the acts repealed by this code, which offices are continued by this code, shall continue to hold the same according to the former tenure thereof.

No action or proceeding commenced before this code takes effect, and no right accrued, is affected by the provisions of this code, but all procedure thereafter taken therein shall conform to the provisions of this code so far as possible.

No rights given by any license or certificate under any act repealed by this code are affected by the enactment of this code or by such repeal, but such rights shall hereafter be exercised according to the provisions of this code.

All persons who, at the time this code goes into effect, are entitled to a certificate under any act repealed by this code, are thereby entitled to a certificate under the provisions of this code so far as the provisions of this code are applicable.

Any conviction for a crime under any act repealed by this code, which crime is continued as a public offense by this code, constitutes a conviction under this code for any purpose for which it constituted a conviction under the act repealed.

(a) A conviction within the meaning of this code means a judgment following a plea or verdict of guilty or a plea of nolo contendere or finding of guilt. Any action which a board is permitted to take following the establishment of a conviction may be taken when the time for appeal has elapsed, or the judgment of convic…

Unless the context otherwise requires, the general provisions hereinafter set forth shall govern the construction of this code.

Division, part, chapter, article and section headings contained herein shall not be deemed to govern, limit, modify, or in any manner affect the scope, meaning, or intent of the provisions of this code.

Whenever, by the provisions of this code, a power is granted to a public officer or a duty imposed upon such an officer, the power may be exercised or duty performed by a deputy of the officer or by a person authorized pursuant to law by the officer, unless it is expressly otherwise provided.

Writing includes any form of recorded message capable of comprehension by ordinary visual means. Whenever any notice, report, statement, or record is required by this code, it shall be made in writing in the English language unless it is otherwise expressly provided.

Whenever any reference is made to any portion of this code or of any other law of this State, such reference shall apply to all amendments and additions thereto now or hereafter made.

Whenever in any provision of this code authority is granted to issue a citation for a violation of any provision of this code, that authority also includes the authority to issue a citation for the violation of any regulation adopted pursuant to any provision of this code.

The term “materia medica” as used in this code or in any initiative act referred to in this code, means those substances listed in the official United States Pharmacopoeia, the official Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States, the official United States Dispensatory, New and Nonofficial Remedies, or the National…

The present tense includes the past and future tenses; and the future, the present. Each gender includes the other two genders.

The Legislature hereby declares its intent that the terms “man” or “men” where appropriate shall be deemed “person” or “persons” and any references to the terms “man” or “men” in sections of this code be changed to “person” or “persons” when such code sections are being amended for any purpose. This act is declaratory…

“Spouse” includes “registered domestic partner,” as required by Section 297.5 of the Family Code.

“Section” means a section of this code unless some other statute is specifically mentioned. “Subdivision” means a subdivision of the section in which that term occurs, unless some other section is expressly mentioned.

The singular number includes the plural, and the plural the singular.

“County” includes city and county.

“City” includes city and county.

“Shall” is mandatory and “may” is permissive.

“Oath” includes affirmation.

“State” means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. In the latter case, it includes the District of Columbia and the territories.