Statutes » California » Business and Professions Code » Division 3

Cal. BPC § 5121

This is the official text of Cal. BPC § 5121, part of California’s Business and Professions Code — regulates business practices and professional/occupational licensing - contractors, doctors, cosmetologists, real estate agents, and dozens of other licensed professions.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

Official statutory text

The display or uttering by a person of a card, sign, advertisement or other printed, engraved or written instrument or device, bearing a person’s name in conjunction with the words “certified public accountant” or any abbreviation thereof or the words “public accountant” or any abbreviation thereof shall be prima facie evidence in any prosecution, proceeding or hearing brought under this article that the person whose name is so displayed caused or procured the display or uttering of such card, sign, advertisement or other printed, engraved or written instrument or device. Any such display or uttering shall be prima facie evidence that the person whose name is so displayed holds themselves out as a certified public accountant, or a public accountant holding a permit to practice public accountancy in this state under the provisions of this chapter. In any prosecution or hearing under this chapter, evidence of the commission of a single act prohibited by this chapter shall be sufficient to justify a conviction without evidence of a general course of conduct.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

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About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.