Below are the civil and criminal penalties for writing a bad check in California.
Civil Penalties: Amount due, damages of triple the amount so owing, but in no case less than $100 or more than $1, 500. (Civil Code § 1719(a)(2))
Criminal Penalties: Where amount is less than $200 an is first offense, up to one year in county jail.
For more information on bad check laws and for criminal and civil penalties in other states for writing bad checks, please read Bad Check Laws
Check with your state statutes for the most current information on state bad check laws.
You may want to also read Getting A Checking Account While On The Chex System
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