Most Cited Cal/OSHA Violations in Landscaping
Cal/OSHA issued 2,013 citations across 716 California landscaping inspections from 2020 through 2025. Heat illness prevention is the most-cited standard, and the tree-work rules fill three of the top ten rows.
Cal/OSHA publishes a statewide top-ten list of frequently cited standards but no per-industry breakdown. This page is the landscaping cut, computed from the federal enforcement data that Cal/OSHA inspections flow into. The period is January 2020 through December 2025: 2,013 citations across 716 California landscaping inspections (NAICS 561730, landscaping services).
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The top ten, 2020–2025
Citations counted per violation line item. Average penalty is the mean current penalty across the row’s citations, including those reduced to $0; the range minimum is the smallest non-zero current penalty. Current penalties are as retrieved 2026-08-21 and change as cases settle.
| # | Standard | What it covers | Citations | Avg penalty | Penalty range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | §3395 | Heat Illness Prevention in Outdoor Places of Employment | 489 | $1,161 | $50 – $125,000 |
| 2 | §3421 | Tree Work — General | 370 | $1,515 | $75 – $21,600 |
| 3 | §3203 | Injury and Illness Prevention Program | 224 | $915 | $75 – $22,500 |
| 4 | §342 | Reporting Work-Connected Fatalities and Serious Injuries | 134 | $3,632 | $450 – $9,000 |
| 5 | §3427 | Tree Work — Safe Work Procedures | 129 | $7,121 | $105 – $24,300 |
| 6 | §1509 | IIPP (Construction Safety Orders) | 95 | $627 | $85 – $14,400 |
| 7 | §3424 | Tree Work — Mobile Equipment | 56 | $4,816 | $150 – $27,000 |
| 8 | §1512 | Emergency Medical Services | 38 | $243 | $85 – $560 |
| 9 | General duty (5A0001) | Recognized hazards not covered by a specific standard | 35 | $3,560 | $150 – $18,000 |
| 10 | §3276 | Portable Ladders | 31 | $3,648 | $130 – $18,000 |
| 11 | All other standards | 113 distinct provisions outside the top ten | 412 | $2,188 | $50 – $22,500 |
| Total | All standards cited | 2,013 | $2,095 | $50 – $125,000 |
Reading the table
Heat leads, and it reaches every crew. §3395 applies to all outdoor employment; landscaping is on its own high-heat-procedures list along with agriculture and construction. The row’s $125,000 maximum is the largest single penalty in this table.
Tree work is where the money concentrates. §3421 (general — including the qualified-tree-worker requirement and an IIPP per §3203), §3427 (safe work procedures, starting with pre-climb inspection by a qualified tree worker), and §3424 (mobile equipment) combine for 555 citations. §3427 carries the highest average penalty in the table at $7,121.
The Construction Safety Orders reach landscaping too. §1509 and §1512 are construction-orders sections, and both appear in landscaping’s top ten — worth knowing if your crews do grading, hardscape, or irrigation work. Our construction IIPP guide covers that layer.
The IIPP appears twice here as well. §3203 directly at #3, and again through §3421(a), which requires the program for tree work by name.
Most Cited Cal/OSHA Violations by Industry
- Most Cited Cal/OSHA Violations in Construction
- Most Cited Cal/OSHA Violations in Manufacturing
- Most Cited Cal/OSHA Violations in Restaurants
- Most Cited Cal/OSHA Violations in Agriculture
- Most Cited Cal/OSHA Violations in Auto Repair
- Most Cited Cal/OSHA Violations in Trucking and Warehousing
- Most Cited Cal/OSHA Violations in Health Care
Methodology
Computed 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 with NAICS code 561730, issuance dates January 2020 through December 2025, excluding citation records deleted in the source data. Thirty-five citations carry the dataset’s general-duty code (5A0001) rather than a Title 8 section; they appear as their own row. Data as retrieved 2026-08-21; counts change as cases settle and records are amended. 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. Each section above links to its full text.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most cited Cal/OSHA standard in landscaping?
8 CCR §3395, Heat Illness Prevention in Outdoor Places of Employment — 489 citations on California landscaping inspections (NAICS 561730) from 2020 through 2025 in the federal enforcement data. The tree-work sections §3421, §3427, and §3424 combine for 555 more.
Do the tree-work rules require an IIPP?
§3421(a) states that an Injury and Illness Prevention Program shall be implemented and maintained in accordance with §3203, and §3421(b) requires each tree trimming, repairing, or removal location to be under the direction of a qualified tree worker.
What is a general-duty citation?
Thirty-five landscaping citations in this data carry the code 5A0001, which the enforcement dataset labels the OSH Act General Duty Paragraph — a citation for a recognized hazard not covered by a specific standard. They appear as their own row in the table.