Sacramento County recently passed a couple new ordinances regarding the use of plastic bags and shopping carts in stores. There has been some confusion for our Citrus Heights businesses and we wanted to clarify that these new Sacramento County ordinances do not apply to Citrus Heights.

Sacramento County recently enacted a Single-Use Carryout Bag Ordinance. Starting July 1, 2016, businesses located in unincorporated Sacramento County must charge 10 cents per bag. This ordinance does not apply to Citrus Heights businesses located in the City’s boundaries. Businesses in Citrus Heights may continue to use plastic bags and not charge customers for their use. For further information, you may refer to an article on the Sacramento County’s website (http://www.saccounty.net/BYOS/Pages/default.aspx), which specifically states that the ordinance only applies to the unincorporated areas of Sacramento County.

In addition, late last year Sacramento County approved a new regulation aimed at reducing the nuisance and blight of abandoned shopping carts. The County now requires business owners who provide shopping carts for customers to submit an Abandoned Cart Prevention Plan outlining measures to be taken to eliminate the removal of carts from their premises. Although Citrus Heights is located in Sacramento County, we are an incorporated city. Therefore, again, this ordinance only applies to areas in unincorporated Sacramento County. Citrus Heights stores are expected to manage and retrieve their shopping carts, but no specific plan is required to be provided by all business owners.

If you are a business located in the City of Citrus Heights and still have further questions, please contact City Hall at (916) 725-2448.