An unlicensed person performs $5,000 of contracting work and is cited by the CSLB for the first time. Under §7028.7, what is the maximum administrative civil penalty the Registrar may impose for this citation, separate from any criminal prosecution?

Explanation

B&P §7028.7(c) requires each citation for unlicensed contracting to carry an order of abatement and a civil penalty of not less than $1,500 nor more than $15,000, so $15,000 is the ceiling. (a) is the floor of that same range, which is the near-miss for anyone who remembers one number from the section. (c) is the §7071.6 contractor's license bond, a different sum entirely and not a penalty. (d) assumes the penalty equals the unlawful contract price; it does not, and the Registrar may cite well above or below what the job was worth.