4570-4578
PUBLIC RESOURCES CODE
SECTION 4570-4578
4570. For purposes of this article, "real person in interest" means an individual who is one of the following: (a) The sole proprietor, principal owner, or principal officer of an entity that is applying for a license or the renewal of a license under this article. (b) The on-site supervisor responsible for the conduct of timber operations pursuant to the license, including the authority to hire and fire persons conducting those timber operations. 4571. (a) No person shall engage in timber operations until that person has obtained a license from the board. (b) The board may issue a limited timber operator license for the commercial cutting or removal of Christmas trees, tanbark, fuelwood, root crown burls, posts, or split products. 4572. (a) The board shall, by regulation, prescribe the form and content of an application for a timber operator license or license renewal, establish procedures for filing the application, and require a reasonable filing fee. The amount of the filing fee shall not exceed the amount necessary to administer licensing under this article. (b) First-time applicants for a timber operator license shall furnish to the board proof that the real person in interest has complied with both of the following requirements: (1) Completion, within the preceding 12 months, of an education program approved by the director that covers the statutes and regulations governing timber operations in this state. (2) (A) Except as specified in subparagraph (B) and subdivision (d), completion of 3000 hours of work experience in two or more areas of employment in timber operations. (B) An applicant shall be exempt from this paragraph if the applicant furnishes proof to the board that the applicant is sole proprietor of, principal owner of, or principal officer of an entity that owns, the land on which all timber operations under the license will be conducted, and the applicant will supervise those timber operations. (c) (1) Except as specified in paragraph (2) and subdivision (d), all applicants shall file with the director written evidence of timber operation insurance coverage under an insurance policy issued by an insurer eligible to do business in this state that includes both of the following: (A) Commercial general liability insurance for not less than one million dollars ($1,000,000) per occurrence for bodily injury and property damage combined, including within that limit, or in a separate limit, loggers third party property damage liability. (B) A provision requiring the insurer to provide to the director a certificate of insurance and notice of any amendment to, or cancellation of, the policy within 30 days from the date of policy amendment or cancellation. (2) This subdivision does not apply to an applicant who owns the land upon which the timber operations are to be conducted pursuant to the license. (d) Subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) and paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) do not apply to an applicant for a limited timber operator license. 4573. The board may deny a timber operator license for any of the following reasons: (a) The applicant is not the real person in interest. (b) Material misrepresentation or false statement in the application. (c) Conviction within one year of the application of unlawfully operating without a license. (d) The failure or refusal of the applicant to comply with this chapter or the rules and regulations adopted by the board pursuant to this chapter, within three years prior to the date of application. (e) The failure or refusal of the applicant to pay a judgment assessed or awarded by a court of competent jurisdiction that is the result of a violation of this chapter or the rules and regulations adopted by the board pursuant to this chapter. (f) The failure or refusal of the applicant to keep current the insurance required by subdivision (c) of Section 4572. (g) The failure or refusal of the applicant to reimburse the department for costs incurred by the department as the result of an action to correct a violation conducted in accordance with Article 8 (commencing with Section 4601). 4574. (a) Timber operator licenses shall be valid for a period not to exceed two calendar years, as prescribed by the board. (b) (1) The board may deny an application for license renewal until any violations by the applicant that exist on the date of submission of the renewal application, of which the applicant has been notified and given reasonable opportunity to correct, are corrected in accordance with any reasonable terms and conditions required by the board. (2) The board may issue a temporary license to permit the applicant to perform those timber operations that are necessary to correct any violation that has resulted in a denial of license renewal. (c) For a license first issued on or after January 1, 1997, the board may deny an application for license renewal if the real person in interest has not completed both an education program approved by the director that covers the statutes and regulations governing timber operations in this state, and 3,000 hours of work experience in two or more areas of employment in timber operations. 4575. A license is subject to future legislation and is not transferable. 4576. A license may be suspended or revoked by the director pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code for any of the reasons specified by Section 4573, for refusal to allow inspections, or for violations of any of the rules and regulations of the board. 4576.1. During the period for which a timber operator license has been suspended, revoked, or denied pursuant to Section 4573 or 4576, the real person in interest, as defined in Section 4570, may not have any ownership, possessory, security, or other pecuniary interest in, or any responsibility for the conduct of, the timber operations of any person licensed pursuant to this article. This provision does not preclude ownership of publicly traded stock in any corporation. 4577. The board may delegate its authority under this article to the director. 4578. Timber operations, timber harvesting, and any other activities pursuant to a timber harvest plan or a federal or state timber sales contract are exempt from the provisions of Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 7000) of Division 3 of the Business and Professions Code, and no license shall be required for the conduct of timber operations on private or public lands, other than as provided in Section 4571.