What are the rules for bringing fruits and veggies into California? We asked a border expert
Two iconic signs greet people driving into California.
The signs read “Welcome to California” and “Agricultural Inspection, All Vehicles Prepare to Stop.”
Along California’s borders with Oregon, Nevada and Arizona, border protection stations run by the California Department of Food and Agriculture control the flora and fauna entering the state through highways.
Sacramento Bee reader Sam Brust asked Bee Curious, a community-driven series where journalists answer readers’ questions: “Why don’t they check for fruit and vegetables anymore when I cross over from Nevada to California on Interstate 80?”
In an email to the Bee, Brust recalled a time when these checkpoints were stricter.
“When I first moved out here I was required to stop and be ‘evaluated’ with a personal interview for illegal fruit and vegetables,” Brust wrote. “Later, I was permitted to drive right through using only a friendly wave and presumably, an honest appearance.
“Finally, all humans were removed from the station.”
What are the rules for bringing fruits and veggies into California? And what are the penalties if you smuggle prohibited plants across the border?
The Bee reached out to the state food and agriculture department to find out more.
Why does California have highway checkpoints at borders?
California has 16 border protection stations placed along the state’s domestic borders on 14 major highways and interstates.
For more than 100 years, these stations have been used to stop harmful pests from entering the state and damaging California’s agriculture and diverse environment.
The border protection stations are known as “the first line of defense” against invasive species, the California Department of Food and Agriculture said on its website.
The stations are part of the department’s Pest Exclusion Branch, which aims to “keep exotic agricultural and environmental pests out of the state of California and to prevent or limit the spread of newly discovered pests within the state,” the website said.
How do border protection stations work?
Staff at the border protection stations inspect private and commercial vehicles entering the state, determining if the produce on board meets the state’s regulations.
Staffers also search for pests and diseases that may be hitching a ride on fruits, vegetables or other plants.
How many vehicles get inspected at California border?
Staffers at border protection stations inspect more than 20 million private vehicles and seven million commercial vehicles annually, according to the state agriculture department’s website.
As a result of these inspections, roughly 82,000 lots of various plant materials are rejected every year, the agency said.
At the Truckee station on Interstate 80 between California and Nevada, border protection station staff stopped roughly 320,000 vehicles for inspection in 2024, out of more than 5.1 million vehicles that crossed the border, California Department of Food and Agriculture spokesperson Steve Levy wrote in an email to the Bee.
According to Levy, about 5.7% of private passenger vehicles such as cars and pickup trucks were inspected at the station, while 3.8% of commercial vehicles were stopped for inspections.
The vehicles most likely to be inspected at the Tahoe station in 2024 were “other” vehicles, which include recreational vehicles and moving vans, Levy wrote.
About 20% of “other” vehicles were inspected, he said.
Who’s most likely to get stopped for inspection?
While the process of inspecting vehicles has stayed relatively similar over the past century, Levy said the volume of traffic has “continued to increase.”
Staff at the border protection stations must prioritize inspecting the “highest risk vehicles,” taking various factors into account when determining a vehicle’s risk, according to Levy.
“Passenger vehicles with plates from California or neighboring states are generally considered lower risk and may not be stopped,” he wrote.
Other factors that may affect the risk of being stopped include traffic levels, budget and staffing at a station.
According to Levy, the Truckee station tends to have the highest staffing during the summer.
However, the station’s operating hours “vary by season,” according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
What are inspectors looking for? Plants? Produce?
Different times of year bring different inspection priorities to the Truckee station, Levy said.
January and February are considered apiary season, and the station is “extremely busy” with commercial beehive shipments, he said.
Workers are busy February through May with springtime shipments of commodities including nursery plants and outdoor household products.
May through September are popular months for travelers, moving companies, produce shipments and watercraft, according to Levy.
September through December marks the return of apiary season, as well as fall travelers visiting California, he said.
Produce and commercial mixed-freight shipments are also common in the fall.
How does California decide which plants are restricted?
Over the past century, the state Food and Agriculture Department has implemented numerous quarantines to restrict plants that can carry invasive species from entering the state, according to Levy.
Levy said the department analyzes a specific invasive species’s potential impact on California’s agriculture and determines if produce from a specific area could bring the species into the state.
The agency then creates an action plan aimed at mitigating the risk.
The state may issue a quarantine order, which prohibits the movement of certain plants or pests.
A quarantine can be internal — meaning that invasive species are prevented from going to other parts of the state — or external, which prevents the species from entering California.
If a plant does not meet the state’s quarantine regulations, it may be either returned to the person outside of California, surrendered to staff who safely discard or incinerate the violating plant at the station, or held until the person leaves California, Levy said.
Which fruits and veggies are banned from entering California?
Citrus fruits from all states are restricted from entering California under state regulations aimed at preventing the numerous pests and viruses that threaten local citrus crops.
That includes oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruits.
Most nuts also have nationwide transportation restrictions into California because husks and hulls can carry various invasive flies and weevils.
In some cases, you’re only barred from bringing produce into California from certain states.
You’re prohibited from transporting these fruits to California from states east of New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana in order to prevent the spread of pest insects:
Apples
Apricots
Blueberries
Crabapples
Huckleberries
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Prunes
Quinces
If you’re unsure whether the produce you have in your vehicle is allowed into the state, the California Department of Food and Agriculture published a guide listing restrictions on where certain fruits and vegetables can be brought from, with information on the hazards they may carry.
There are similar guides available online for houseplants and Christmas trees.
Can I get fined for bringing prohibited plants into California?
If a plant does not meet the state’s quarantine regulations, it may be either returned to the person outside of California or surrendered to staff members, who will safely discard or incinerate the plant at the station, Levy said.
Prohibited plants could also be held until the person leaves California.
However, if a person intentionally imports quarantined plants, they can face civil or criminal charges.
Under California Food and Agriculture Code, anyone who imports a plant that causes a plant infestation or “causes an existing infestation to spread beyond any quarantine boundaries,” can be fined up to $25,000 per offense.
How can I avoid delays at agriculture checkpoints?
The California Department of Food and Agriculture shared these tips on its website for avoiding delays at border protection stations:
Have all plant material — including fruits, vegetables, plants, hay, and firewood — easily accessible.
Make sure the driver knows what is in the vehicle and where it is located.
Ensure the driver has keys or knows the combination for all door locks.
Ensure all doors can be easily opened and closed.
This story was originally published February 8, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "What are the rules for bringing fruits and veggies into California? We asked a border expert."
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