TITLE 22

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE

CHAPTER 24

NOXIOUS WEEDS

22-2409.  Penalties for violations. (1) Any person who violates any provision of this chapter, or any rules promulgated hereunder for carrying out the provisions of this chapter, or who fails or refuses to comply with any requirements herein specified, or who interferes with the control authority as defined in section 22-2402, Idaho Code, its agents or employees, in the execution, or on account of the execution of their duties under this chapter or rules promulgated hereunder, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than three thousand dollars ($3,000) or be imprisoned in a county jail for not more than twelve (12) months or be subject to both such fine and imprisonment.

(2)  Any person who violates or fails to comply with any provision of this chapter or any rules promulgated hereunder may be assessed a civil penalty by the control authority of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for each offense and shall be liable for reasonable attorney’s fees.

(a)  Assessment of a civil penalty may be made in conjunction with any other administrative action.

(b)  No civil penalty may be assessed unless the person charged was given notice and opportunity for a hearing pursuant to the Idaho administrative procedure act.

(c)  If the control authority is unable to collect such penalty or if any person fails to pay all or a set portion of the civil penalty as determined by the control authority, it may recover such amount by action in the appropriate district court.

(d)  Any person against whom the control authority has assessed a civil penalty under the provisions of this section may, within thirty (30) days of the final action by the control authority making the assessment, appeal the assessment to the district court of the county in which the violation is alleged by the control authority to have occurred.

(e)  All civil penalties collected pursuant to this section shall be remitted to the applicable fund or account as defined in section 22-2402, Idaho Code.

(3)  Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as requiring the control authority to report minor violations for prosecution when the control authority believes that the public interest will be best served by suitable warnings or other administrative action.

(4)  The control authority may bring an action to enforce the provisions of this chapter, and the penalty provided for under this section.

History:

[(22-2409) 1970, ch. 149, sec. 23, p. 448; am. 1974, ch. 18, sec. 68, p. 364; am. 1987, ch. 331, sec. 19, p. 704; am. and redesignated 1989, ch. 298, sec. 19, p. 746; am. and redesig. 1993, ch. 247, sec. 12, p. 868; am. 2006, ch. 225, sec. 6, p. 675.]