AB 1291 California Assembly · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Ticket sellers: proof of purchase.

Summary

Existing law regulates ticket sellers, defined as a person who, for compensation, commission, or otherwise, sells admission tickets to sporting, musical, theater, or any other entertainment event. In this regard, existing law, among other things, prohibits specified ticket selling practices and imposes certain recordkeeping and disclosure requirements. This bill would require a ticket seller, upon selling a ticket to an entertainment event, as defined, to immediately deliver a proof of purchase to a consumer, and would require a venue operator to honor that proof of purchase in lieu of the ticket if specified conditions are met. The bill would impose a civil penalty of up to $2,500 for a violation of these requirements, as specified.

Bill status failed 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 21, 2025 Last action Feb 2, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

04/07/25 - Amended Assembly → 04/23/25 - Amended Assembly · 6 edits · Apr 23, 2025

MODERATE

The April 23 amendment substantially restructured AB 1291 by adding a new 'Fair Ticketing Practices Act' (Chapter 21.2) that requires ticket sellers to immediately deliver a proof of purchase to consumers and requires venue operators to honor that proof in lieu of the actual ticket under specified conditions. The amendment also removed the bill's prior provisions amending Section 22500, which had required ticket sellers to maintain a permanent business address and local licensure with misdemeanor penalties and $5,000 civil penalties. The net effect shifts the bill's focus from business registration requirements to consumer protection around ticket access at the venue.

SCOPE

A new Chapter 21.2 (Fair Ticketing Practices Act) was added to Division 8 of the Business and Professions Code, creating a standalone regulatory framework for proof of purchase delivery and venue operator obligations.

REQUIREMENT

Ticket sellers must immediately deliver a proof of purchase (an electronically delivered receipt with a unique identifier linking it to the ticket) to consumers upon sale. Venue operators must honor that proof of purchase in lieu of the actual ticket if the consumer cannot access the ticket, the proof is legitimate and linked to the ticket, and the ticket has not already been used for admission.

The amendment to Section 22500 requiring ticket sellers to have a permanent business address (included in advertisements) and to be duly licensed by local jurisdictions was removed entirely from the bill.

DEFINITION

New definitions were added for 'consumer,' 'entertainment event,' 'entertainment venue,' 'proof of purchase,' 'ticket seller' (now explicitly including online ticket selling marketplaces), and 'venue operator.'

ENFORCEMENT

A civil penalty of up to $2,500 per violation was added for failures under the new chapter. Each ticket sold without a proof of purchase or each proof not honored by a venue operator counts as a separate violation. Enforcement is authorized for the Attorney General, district attorney, county counsel, city attorney, or city prosecutor, with prevailing public prosecutors awarded costs and attorney's fees.

The misdemeanor penalty (up to 6 months jail or $5,000 fine) and the $5,000 civil penalty for violations of the business address and licensure provisions were removed along with Section 22500.

02/21/25 - Introduced → 04/07/25 - Amended Assembly · 7 edits · Apr 7, 2025

MODERATE

The amended version of AB 1291 substantially expands the bill beyond its original scope of increasing penalties for ticket sellers without a permanent business address. The amendment adds three new code sections requiring primary contractors and their contracted sellers to deliver electronic tickets within 24 hours, disclose ticket availability and pricing information publicly, and provide full refunds when tickets are counterfeit, non-functional, misdescribed, or undelivered. Penalties in the original section were also doubled from $2,500 to $5,000.

REQUIREMENT

New Section 22505.6 requires primary contractors or their contracted sellers to deliver electronic tickets to consumers within 24 hours of purchase. If a ticket is purchased less than 24 hours before an event, delivery must occur as soon as reasonably possible. This applies despite the existing exemption for primary contractors in Section 22503.5.

New Section 22512 requires primary contractors or contracted sellers to clearly and conspicuously disclose on websites, box offices, and other distribution channels: the total number of days reserved for an event at a venue, the total number of tickets available during any public sale or pre-sale, and pricing details including fixed-price and demand-fluctuating tickets. Disclosures must be updated when additional tickets are released.

New Section 22513 requires ticket sellers to provide a full refund within 30 days of the event if the ticket is counterfeit, does not allow entry (unless caused by the purchaser), fails to match the seller's description, or was not delivered before the event (unless caused by the purchaser).

SCOPE

Section 22512 includes an exemption for venues not owned, operated, or exclusively ticketed by a publicly traded company or a corporate entity operating multiple venues across state lines with a capacity of 2,500 people or less.

The bill's scope expanded from amending only Section 22500 to also adding Sections 22505.6, 22512, and 22513. The state-mandated local program designation changed from 'no' to 'yes' in the fiscal note.

ENFORCEMENT

Section 22500 criminal fine increased from $2,500 to $5,000 and civil penalty increased from $2,500 to $5,000 per violation. County counsel were added as authorized parties to bring civil enforcement actions alongside the Attorney General, district attorneys, and city attorneys.

FISCAL

A new section (Section 4) provides that no state reimbursement is required under Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the act creates new crimes or changes penalties, which are exempt from the reimbursement requirement.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Feb 2, 2026

Lower · Passed

From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

lower

May 23, 2025

Lower · Passed

In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.

lower

May 14, 2025

Committee

In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

lower

May 1, 2025

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 3.) (May 1). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

lower

Apr 24, 2025

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P.

lower

Apr 23, 2025

Lower · Passed

Read second time and amended.

lower

Apr 22, 2025

Introduced

From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on P. & C.P. (Ayes 6. Noes 1.) (April 22).

lower

Apr 8, 2025

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on A.,E.,S., & T.

lower

Apr 7, 2025

Introduced

From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on A.,E.,S., & T. Read second time and amended.

lower

Mar 28, 2025

Committee

Referred to Coms. on A.,E.,S., & T., P. & C.P. and JUD.

lower

Feb 22, 2025

Lower · Passed

From printer. May be heard in committee March 24.

lower

Feb 21, 2025

Introduced

Introduced. To print.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors