Where U.S. bag laws stand, and the statute and ordinance language kept on file for reference.
Twelve states — California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington — and the District of Columbia have statewide bag laws. Hawaii’s is de facto: all four of its counties adopted bans. Several U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico, Guam, and American Samoa, have laws of their own.
Beneath the statewide laws sit 535 local and county bag laws on record across the country, many of which came first and built the case for state action. Twenty states preempt local bag laws entirely; Minnesota preempts bans but allows fees. In Florida, North Carolina, and Texas, local bag laws that had been adopted were repealed or struck down under state preemption.
Frequently referenced statute and ordinance language, state by state, including the California sample-ordinance documents.
Bag bills introduced in the U.S. Congress.