Section 17.982 Criminal and Administrative Penalties

17.982 CRIMINAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PENALTIES.

Subdivision 1.Criminal penalties.

A person who violates a provision of chapter 25, 28A, 29, 31, 31A, 31B, or 34 for which a penalty has not been prescribed is guilty of a misdemeanor.

Subd. 2.Administrative penalties.

(a) The commissioner may, as an alternative to misdemeanor prosecution, impose an administrative penalty on a person who violates a statute or rule enforceable by the commissioner. For a first violation, the commissioner may impose an administrative penalty of not more than $1,000 for each violation. For a second or succeeding violation, the commissioner may impose an administrative penalty of not more than $1,500 for each violation. Each day a violation continues is a separate violation.

(b) In determining the amount of the administrative penalty the commissioner may consider:

(1) the willfulness of the violation;

(2) the gravity of the violation;

(3) the person's history of past violations;

(4) the number of violations;

(5) the economic benefit from the violation; and

(6) other factors identified in the commissioner's citation.

(c) For a second or succeeding violation, the commissioner shall determine the amount of a penalty by considering the factors in paragraph (b) and:

(1) similarity between the violations;

(2) time elapsed since the last violation; and

(3) the person's response to the most recent violation.

History:

1991 c 316 s 2; 1999 c 231 s 34; 1Sp2005 c 1 art 1 s 11; 2007 c 45 art 1 s 20