California has more cart retrieval laws than any other state, and most other states' laws are modeled on California's. If you don't operate there, this is still a preview of your future. We reviewed every city ordinance in the state against Section 22435 of the Business and Professions Code — the statewide framework for cart containment and retrieval. (We're not your lawyers; have counsel read the full text. But here's what's law versus what's perception.)
Out of 58 ordinances analyzed:
Only 3 require containment. Three. The perception that California mandates locking wheels does not survive contact with the actual code.
2 require both containment and retrieval measures.
21 require a retrieval plan only, with requirements around timeframes and plan contents.
The remaining 32 blend the two — typically letting one suffice for the other, at the local jurisdiction's discretion.
The average retrieval window across all jurisdictions: about 3 days. A retailer with a working retrieval plan who recovers carts inside that window avoids fines in most cities.
And the stakes went up in 2026. SB 753 — effective January 1 — doubled the per-cart fee cap cities can charge to $100 and added a notice-with-proof-of-delivery procedure before billing. Cities like Stockton have already amended their ordinances to require a written retrieval plan on file and a named retrieval vendor, with wheel-lock orders as the penalty for non-compliance. The direction of travel is unmistakable: document your retrieval, or the city documents it for you at $100 a cart.
Map your exposure city-by-city on the ordinance map, and see how QuickTrack handles the retrieval clock automatically.