Cal. GOV § 402
This is the official text of Cal. GOV § 402, part of California’s Government Code — covers the structure and operation of state and local government, including public employment and public records.
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
(a) Every person who maliciously or for commercial purposes uses or allows to be used any reproduction or facsimile of the Great Seal of the State in any manner whatsoever is guilty of a misdemeanor.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the Great Seal of the State may be used for commercial purposes by the Golden State Museum Store located at 1020 O Street in Sacramento, and by the Capitol Bookstore and Gift Shop located in the rotunda of the restored State Capitol Building.
(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the California Sesquicentennial Commission may enter into an agreement to use the Great Seal of the State for officially sanctioned products of the California Sesquicentennial celebration as approved by the commission. The funds received from these sales shall revert to the California Sesquicentennial Foundation and be used only for official Sesquicentennial celebration purposes.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the Great Seal of the State may be used for commercial purposes by the Golden State Museum Store located at 1020 O Street in Sacramento, and by the Capitol Bookstore and Gift Shop located in the rotunda of the restored State Capitol Building.
(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the California Sesquicentennial Commission may enter into an agreement to use the Great Seal of the State for officially sanctioned products of the California Sesquicentennial celebration as approved by the commission. The funds received from these sales shall revert to the California Sesquicentennial Foundation and be used only for official Sesquicentennial celebration purposes.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in California?
Find a California lawyer
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.