NIVA California Advocacy

California Ticketing Bills

Tracking the legislation reshaping ticket sales, resale, and consumer protection for California’s live entertainment industry.

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California AB 1349 (2026)

Passed — veto requested

Protecting Consumers from Deceptive Ticketing Practices

Bans Speculative Ticketing

Prohibits selling tickets that sellers don’t yet own, possess, or have contractual rights to sell

Seat Location Disclosure

Requires resellers to disclose specific seat locations before purchase for full transparency

Record Keeping Required

Sellers must maintain records of ticket sales, deposits, and refunds for minimum 12 months

Blocks Fake Websites

Bans deceptive websites that mimic official event platforms to trick consumers

Increased Penalties

Raises maximum civil penalty for violations from $2,500 to $10,000 per offense

Guaranteed Refunds

Ensures consumers receive full refunds for postponed or canceled events

Bill Status: Passed the Legislature on August 31, 2026 and is now on the Governor’s desk. The Senate passed the amended bill 29–5 and the Assembly concurred in the Senate amendments the same day. NIVA California has asked Governor Newsom to veto AB 1349 after Senate amendments adopted August 28 substantially rewrote the bill. Passed the Assembly 66–0, cleared all three Senate policy committees unanimously, and released from Senate Appropriations 7–0 on Aug. 13, 2026.

Sponsors: Asm. Isaac Bryan [D] | Asm. Tina McKinnor [D] | Asm. Joe Patterson [R] | Asm. Chris Ward [D] | Asm. Rick Zbur [D]

Original co-sponsors: NIVA California | Music Artists Coalition

AB 1720: California Fans First Act

Held in Committee

Capping Ticket Resale Prices

Bill Status: Held on the Senate Appropriations suspense file on Aug. 13, 2026, ending the 10% resale cap for this two-year session without a floor vote. A new bill is expected when the Legislature reconvenes in December.

Sponsor

Assemblymember Matt Haney (D–San Francisco) — District: 17th California Assembly District. Committee: Chair, Committee on Downtown Recovery.

10%

10% Price Cap

Limits ticket resale to no more than 10% above face value, preventing extreme markups and keeping events affordable for fans and communities.

Targets Scalpers & Bots

Stops professional scalpers and automated bots from dominating ticket sales by restricting practices that enable mass buying and unfair advantages.

Protects Fans & Artists

Ensures live music and performances remain accessible; artists and venues will not face 300%+ markups that price out real fans.

Fair Fan-to-Fan Resale

Allows reasonable fan-to-fan resale, permitting a modest regulated increase so transfers remain fair and not exploitative.

Key Data

Applies to concerts, comedy shows, and theatrical productions while explicitly excluding sporting events from this resale cap policy.

Resale Multiples

Tickets have been resold for as much as 8x the original face value on secondary markets, creating severe affordability issues.

$1,000+

Low Face Value, High Resale

Events with average face value under $80 have been resold for $1,000+, demonstrating extreme price distortion.

300%+

Extreme Markups

Some events routinely see markups of 300%, pricing fans out and undermining fair access to live culture.

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