(a) Any registrant, commercial applicator, uncertified person who performs or advertises or solicits to perform commercial application, wholesaler, dealer, retailer or other distributor who knowingly violates any provision of this chapter, section 10-231b, 10-231c or 10-231d, subsection (a) of section 23-61a or section 23-61b, shall be fined not more than five thousand dollars, or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.

(b) Any private applicator or other person, not included in subsection (a) of this section, who knowingly violates any provision of this chapter, section 10-231b, 10-231c or 10-231d, subsection (a) of section 23-61a or section 23-61b, shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars, or imprisoned for not more than thirty days, or both.

(c) Any person who, with intent to defraud, uses or reveals information relative to formulas of products acquired under the authority of this chapter, shall be fined not more than ten thousand dollars, or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.

(d) When construing and enforcing the provisions of this chapter, sections 10-231b, 10-231c and 10-231d, subsection (a) of section 23-61a and sections 23-61b and 23-61f, the action, omission or failure to act of any officer, agent or other person acting for or employed by any person shall in every case be also deemed to be the action, omission or failure to act of such person as well as that of the person employed.

(e) Any person who violates any provision of this chapter, section 10-231b, 10-231c or 10-231d, may be assessed a civil penalty of not more than two thousand five hundred dollars per day for each day such violation continues. The Attorney General, upon complaint of the commissioner, shall institute a civil action to recover such penalty in the superior court for the judicial district of Hartford. All actions brought by the Attorney General shall have precedence in the order of trial as provided in section 52-191.

(f) Any person who is not certified as a commercial applicator who performs or advertises or solicits to perform commercial application of a pesticide, or any person possessing an operational certificate for commercial application under section 22a-54 who performs or advertises or solicits to perform any activity requiring a supervisory certificate for commercial application shall be assessed a civil penalty in an amount not less than one thousand dollars or more than two thousand dollars for each day such violation continues. For any subsequent violation, such penalty shall be not more than five thousand dollars. The Attorney General, upon complaint of the commissioner, may institute a civil action to recover such penalty in the superior court for the judicial district of Hartford.

(P.A. 73-540, S. 18, 28; P.A. 77-529, S. 22; P.A. 88-230, S. 1, 12; 88-246, S. 1, 12; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2; P.A. 93-142, S. 4, 7, 8; P.A. 95-220, S. 4–6; P.A. 98-229, S. 6; P.A. 99-225, S. 23, 33; P.A. 01-204, S. 6, 29; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9, S. 73, 131; P.A. 02-89, S. 63; P.A. 03-19, S. 56; P.A. 07-168, S. 4; 07-217, S. 106; P.A. 08-124, S. 13; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3, S. 463.)

History: P.A. 77-529 replaced “unlicensed” with “uncertified” in Subsec. (a) and reduced maximum fine from $25,000 to $5,000; P.A. 88-230 replaced “judicial district of Hartford-New Britain” with “judicial district of Hartford”, effective September 1, 1991; P.A. 88-246 made technical changes and added Subsec. (e) establishing a civil penalty for violations of the chapter; P.A. 90-98 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1991, to September 1, 1993; P.A. 93-142 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1993, to September 1, 1996, effective June 14, 1993; P.A. 95-220 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1996, to September 1, 1998, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 98-229 added new Subsec. (f) re fines for certain violations under this chapter; P.A. 99-225 amended Subsec. (f) to change the criminal penalty under that subsection to a civil penalty enforceable by a civil action brought by the Attorney General, effective June 29, 1999; P.A. 01-204 amended Subsec. (f) to delete provisions re violations of Secs. 22a-61(d) or (e), 23-61a(a) or 23-61b(a), to add provisions re assessment of civil penalty against certain persons who are not certified as commercial applicators or who have an operational certificate, and to provide that civil penalty be assessed for each day the violation continues, effective July 11, 2001; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9 revised effective date of P.A. 01-204 but without affecting this section; P.A. 02-89 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) to replace references to “sections 23-61b to 23-61d, inclusive” with references to “section 23-61b” and amended Subsec. (d) to make a technical change and replace reference to “sections 23-61b to 23-61d, inclusive, and 23-61f” with reference to “sections 23-61b and 23-61f”, reflecting repeal of Sec. 23-61d by the same public act; P.A. 03-19 made a technical change in Subsec. (f), effective May 12, 2003; P.A. 07-168 added Secs. 10-231b, 10-231c and 10-231d to lists of violations in Subsecs. (a), (b), (d) and (e); P.A. 07-217 made a technical change in Subsec. (b), effective July 12, 2007; P.A. 08-124 made technical changes in Subsecs. (a) to (d), effective June 2, 2008; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3 amended Subsec. (f) to delete provision requiring penalties to be deposited in Environmental Quality Fund.