Cal/OSHA Citations and Penalties by Year
Cal/OSHA issued between 11,228 and 14,137 California citations a year from 2020 through 2025, proposing $223 million in penalties, which appeals and settlements have so far reduced by 25%. And thanks to a 127-day issuance lag, heat citations peak in January.
Cal/OSHA publishes yearly citation totals; it does not publish the trends, the sector shares, or the gap between what it proposes and what employers finally pay. This page charts all of it — CompliantCA’s analysis of the federal enforcement data on the 78,088 citations issued on California inspections from January 2020 through December 2025.
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Citations per year: a pandemic dip, then a steady 13,000
| Year | Citations | Penalties as issued | After appeals | Reduced so far |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 13,110 | $33.4M | $21.9M | 34% |
| 2021 | 11,228 | $38.6M | $24.6M | 36% |
| 2022 | 13,635 | $36.1M | $26.5M | 27% |
| 2023 | 14,137 | $36.8M | $28.0M | 24% |
| 2024 | 12,825 | $37.2M | $30.1M | 19% |
| 2025 | 13,153 | $41.3M | $36.0M | 13% |
| Total | 78,088 | $223.4M | $167.1M | 25% |
The 2021 trough matches the pandemic-era drop in inspections; volume has been back around 13,000–14,000 since 2022. 2025’s $41.3M in initially proposed penalties is the highest of the six years.
The appeals discount
A note on terms: the dataset calls these initial and current penalties. We label them as issued — what Cal/OSHA proposed on the citation — and after appeals — the amount still standing as of the August 2026 data retrieval, reflecting every reduction appeals and settlements have produced so far.
The gap between the bars is what appeals and settlements remove. The gap looks smaller in recent years, but that is mostly because those cases are still open — their totals will keep falling as appeals conclude. The settled years show the full effect: in 2020 and 2021, about a third of the proposed penalty amounts were removed through appeals and settlements. 8 CCR §336 sets how penalties are calculated, with adjustments for size, good faith, and history. The window to appeal is 15 working days — see what happens after an inspection opens.
Citations by sector, year by year
| Year | Construction | Manufacturing | Agriculture | Admin & support | Accommodation & food | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 3,500 | 3,696 | 941 | 964 | 602 | 3,407 | 13,110 |
| 2021 | 2,762 | 2,155 | 843 | 760 | 269 | 4,439 | 11,228 |
| 2022 | 3,527 | 2,700 | 940 | 1,011 | 642 | 4,815 | 13,635 |
| 2023 | 3,413 | 2,316 | 863 | 1,060 | 1,463 | 5,022 | 14,137 |
| 2024 | 3,355 | 2,534 | 751 | 890 | 1,204 | 4,091 | 12,825 |
| 2025 | 3,791 | 2,782 | 1,143 | 820 | 1,011 | 3,606 | 13,153 |
Construction and manufacturing carry the largest shares every year — the per-sector detail lives in the most-cited violations series. One clear pattern: accommodation and food service citations fell to 269 in 2021 and rose to 1,463 in 2023 — the industry closing and reopening.
Inspections peak in summer; heat citations arrive in winter
| Month | Inspections opened | §3395 (heat) citations issued |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3,154 | 727 |
| Feb | 3,201 | 658 |
| Mar | 3,064 | 603 |
| Apr | 3,329 | 485 |
| May | 3,648 | 411 |
| Jun | 3,912 | 414 |
| Jul | 4,125 | 431 |
| Aug | 4,146 | 552 |
| Sep | 4,213 | 568 |
| Oct | 3,626 | 658 |
| Nov | 2,827 | 635 |
| Dec | 3,064 | 656 |
Inspections peak in late summer — September has about 50% more openings than November. But heat illness citations peak in January. The cause is not winter heat; it is the median 127-day lag between an inspection opening and its first citation. An August inspection with no citation by December is well within the normal timeline.
Methodology
CompliantCA computed this analysis from the U.S. Department of Labor enforcement dataset (the OSHA Information System), which includes Cal/OSHA because California operates an OSHA-approved State Plan. Scope: citation line items on California inspections, issuance dates January 2020 through December 2025, excluding deleted records; penalty figures sum initial and current penalties per issuance year, as retrieved 2026-08-21 — current penalties change as cases settle, so recent years’ reductions are lower bounds. Sector groups follow NAICS prefixes (23; 31–33; 11; 56; 72). Monthly figures pool 2020–2025. Charts are generated from the same queries as the tables; every chart’s data appears in the adjacent table. Cal/OSHA’s own statewide summaries are at DIR’s citation statistics pages.
A citation count says what inspectors cited, not what any employer must do — the standards themselves say that.
Frequently asked questions
How many citations does Cal/OSHA issue per year?
Between 11,228 (2021) and 14,137 (2023) per year in California from 2020 through 2025, per federal enforcement data — 78,088 total across the six years. The 2021 dip tracks the pandemic-era drop in inspections; volumes have since returned to roughly 13,000 per year.
How much are Cal/OSHA penalties reduced after they are issued?
Across citations issued 2020 through 2025, penalties as issued total $223.4 million; the amounts still standing after appeals and settlements total $167.1 million — a 25% reduction so far through appeals and settlements. The true final reduction is larger: recent years' cases are still settling, so their current totals will continue to fall.
When are heat illness citations issued?
Mostly in fall and winter — January is the single biggest month, with 727 of the 6,798 §3395 citations issued 2020 through 2025. Heat inspections happen in summer, but the median citation issues 127 days after an inspection opens, so citations from summer inspections are mostly issued in fall and winter.