---
type: "Bill"
title: "Crimes: fires."
description: "Existing law prohibits unlawfully causing a fire by recklessly setting fire to, burning, or causing to be burned, any structure, forest land, or property. A violation of this prohibition is punishable as either a misdemeanor or a felony."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20232024"
identifier: "SB 1242"
citation: "California SB 1242 (20232024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Crimes", "fires"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Min"]
version_count: 8
action_count: 29
vote_count: 8
first_action: "2024-02-15"
last_action: "2024-08-16"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/752ed09f-81c2-487d-9bd7-6c2ce3ee5905"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB1242"
source_hash: "a90e84be4d8a6fe842272e0607f8785e96911704388275014767a9482d821ee8"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ca"]
---

# California SB 1242 (20232024) — Crimes: fires.

Existing law prohibits unlawfully causing a fire by recklessly setting fire to, burning, or causing to be burned, any structure, forest land, or property. A violation of this prohibition is punishable as either a misdemeanor or a felony.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **02/15/24 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB1242&version=20230SB124299INT)
2. **03/19/24 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB1242&version=20230SB124298AMD)
3. **05/16/24 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB1242&version=20230SB124297AMD)
4. **06/20/24 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB1242&version=20230SB124296AMD)
5. **07/01/24 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB1242&version=20230SB124295AMD)
6. **08/16/24 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB1242&version=20230SB124293CHP)
7. **SB1242** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB1242)
8. **08/14/24 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB1242&version=20230SB124294ENR)

## Votes

- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **8–0** (pass) · lower
- Unfinished Business SB1242 Min et al. Concurrence — **37–0** (pass) · upper
- Placed on suspense file — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- 3rd Reading SB1242 Min et al. — **36–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **5–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass as amended. — **9–4** (pass) · lower
- SB 1242 Min Senate Third Reading By Zbur — **68–3** (pass) · lower
- Do pass as amended — **7–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Min — primary (person)
- Atkins — coauthor (person)
- Becker — coauthor (person)
- Blakespear — coauthor (person)
- Cortese — coauthor (person)
- Dodd — coauthor (person)
- McGuire — coauthor (person)
- Rubio — coauthor (person)
- Stern — coauthor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2024-02-15** Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. `introduction, reading-1`
- **2024-02-16** From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 17.
- **2024-02-29** Referred to Com. on PUB S. `referral-committee`
- **2024-03-19** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on PUB S. `amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2024-03-26** Set for hearing April 2.
- **2024-04-02** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 3450.) (April 2). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2024-05-03** Set for hearing May 13.
- **2024-05-13** May 13 hearing: Placed on APPR suspense file.
- **2024-05-14** Set for hearing May 16.
- **2024-05-16** From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 3976.) (May 16). `amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-05-16** Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2`
- **2024-05-20** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2024-05-22** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 4137.) Ordered to the Assembly. `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2024-05-23** In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. `reading-1`
- **2024-06-03** Referred to Com. on PUB. S. `referral-committee`
- **2024-06-11** Coauthors revised.
- **2024-06-11** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (June 11). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2024-06-19** From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 9. Noes 4.) (June 19). `amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-06-20** Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2`
- **2024-06-24** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2024-07-01** Assembly Rule 69 suspended. (Ayes 54. Noes 15. Page 6106.)
- **2024-07-01** Read third time and amended. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2024-07-01** Ordered to third reading.
- **2024-08-08** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 68. Noes 3. Page 6245.) Ordered to the Senate. `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2024-08-08** In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
- **2024-08-12** Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 5040.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. `amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-08-15** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11:45 a.m.
- **2024-08-16** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2024-08-16** Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 173, Statutes of 2024. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/752ed09f-81c2-487d-9bd7-6c2ce3ee5905`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).