Section 17A.14 Penalties - Minnesota Statutes

17A.14 PENALTIES.

Subdivision 1.Criminal penalties.

Any person, duly licensed or otherwise, who violates this chapter, for which violation a penalty has not been specifically set out, is guilty of a misdemeanor. Any subsequent violation is a gross misdemeanor.

Subd. 2.Civil penalties.

(a) The commissioner, as an alternate to misdemeanor prosecution, may impose a civil penalty on a person who violates a statute or rule enforceable by the commissioner. For a first violation, the commissioner may impose a civil penalty of not more than $500 for each violation. For a second or succeeding violation, the commissioner may impose a penalty of not more than $1,000 for each violation.

(b) In determining the amount of the civil penalty, the commissioner may consider:

(1) the willfulness of the violation;

(2) the gravity of the violation;

(3) the person's history of past violations;

(4) the number of violations;

(5) the economic benefit from the violations; and

(6) other factors identified in the commissioner's citation.

(c) For a second or succeeding violation, the commissioner shall determine the amount of a penalty by considering the factors in paragraph (b) and:

(1) similarity between the violations;

(2) time elapsed since the last violation; and

(3) the person's response to the most recent violation.

History:

1974 c 347 s 14; 1981 c 54 s 3; 1991 c 288 s 6