AI Laws in Commerce, California
AI Laws USA tracks 85 AI rules that apply to people and businesses in Commerce, California: 10+ federal rules, 73 California state-level rules, and 2 local Commerce/county ordinances. Coverage is strongest on consumer protection, automated decision-making, AI disclosure and transparency, and government use of AI. 49 of these rules are already in effect. Each entry below links to its official source.
Commerce local AI rules (and Los Angeles County County)
2 local AI rules specific to Commerce, California or Los Angeles County County.
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Expired
Commerce CA 45-day data center urgency ordinance (2026)
Commerce, CA · Effective August 11, 2026 · City of Commerce, Cal. — urgency ordinance imposing a 45-day data center moratorium (adopted August 11, 2026)
The Commerce City Council adopted an URGENCY ORDINANCE at its August 11, 2026 meeting imposing an immediate forty-five-day moratorium on new data center development, while officials determine how the massive power, water and infrastructure demands of such facilities should be regulated. City officials cited electricity demand, water use, noise and air quality. The drafting detail worth noting is the breadth of what is frozen: the ordinance temporarily prohibits approvals of LAND-USE PERMITS, ENTITLEMENTS OR AGREEMENTS involving data center development ANYWHERE IN COMMERCE. Including AGREEMENTS is the part most municipal pauses miss. A moratorium that stops permits and entitlements but says nothing about agreements leaves the city free to enter — or bound by — a development agreement, an annexation agreement or a memorandum of understanding that vests rights the later ordinance cannot touch. That is precisely how Rockford Illinois, Cle Elum Washington and Lowell Massachusetts each lost the project their moratorium was written for. Commerce closed all three doors at once. Forty-five days is the initial term California's urgency ordinance procedure allows before extension, so this measure has very likely been extended or superseded and should be rechecked. Commerce is a small, heavily industrial city in Los Angeles County.
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In effect Strength: stronger
Los Angeles County prohibition on data centers in unincorporated areas (2026)
Los Angeles County, CA · Effective September 17, 2026 · Los Angeles County, Cal. — Department of Regional Planning memorandum prohibiting large-scale AI data center development in unincorporated areas, September 17, 2026, pending zoning code amendment
Los Angeles County's planning director ordered an IMMEDIATE PROHIBITION on the development of large-scale data centers that power artificial intelligence across the county's UNINCORPORATED AREAS. Department of Regional Planning Director AMY BODEK issued the directive in a memorandum on Thursday, September 17, 2026, saying it is intended to serve as INTERIM GUIDANCE FOR PLANNING STAFF while the county moves toward codifying the prohibition in its zoning code. This is the largest jurisdiction to act in this dataset. Los Angeles County is the most populous county in the United States, and its unincorporated areas alone hold more people than many states. The path here is worth following because it is not a moratorium. Board Chair and First District Supervisor HILDA SOLIS introduced a motion in April 2026 addressing public health and environmental concerns about data centers, and THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS APPROVED IT UNANIMOUSLY. The county's report back on that motion identified ZONING CHANGES THAT WOULD PROHIBIT THESE FACILITIES — not pause them. The planning director's memorandum holds the line in the meantime; Solis says she intends to bring further actions before the Board to implement the Regional Planning and Public Health departments' recommendations and amend the zoning code. Solis gave two reasons. The first is local and specific: 'I introduced it in response to concerns raised by San Gabriel Valley residents who were understandably concerned about the effects of data centers in their communities, concerns that have since been reflected nationwide.' The second is not local at all: 'The need for such a ban has only been further underscored by alarming developments from the AI sector on CATASTROPHIC IMPACTS THE TECHNOLOGY MAY HAVE ON HUMANITY.' That is the second American local government in this dataset, after Gary, Indiana, to put AI existential risk on the record as a reason for a land-use restriction — and unlike Gary it is paired with an ordinary public-health and environmental record.
California-level AI rules most relevant to Commerce
73 California state rules apply to residents and businesses in Commerce. Showing the 8 most relevant to Commerce's local picture; 65 more are on the California jurisdiction page.
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In effect Strength: limited
CCC systemwide AI guidance and HUMANS responsible-AI framewo
California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office · Effective January 1, 2024 · CCC systemwide AI guidance and HUMANS responsible-AI framework
The California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office issues systemwide AI guidance built on its HUMANS framework (human-centered, privacy, algorithmic-discrimination protections, notice and explanation, safety) governing AI in instruction and student support.
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Enacted (not yet in effect) Strength: limited
CA SB 1168 — data center grid cost allocation
California · Effective January 1, 2027 · Cal. S.B. 1168 (McNerney), Ch. 440, Stats. 2026 (approved Sept. 21, 2026); Pub. Util. Code sec. 901
California SB 1168 (Sen. Jerry McNerney) directs the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), in a new or existing proceeding, to look at rate structures that would make data centers pay their reasonable share of transmission and distribution costs and their proportionate share of the extra power purchases needed to serve them, and that would ease cost pressure on residential customers, including low-income customers in the CARE and FERA programs. Governor Newsom signed it on September 21, 2026 (Chapter 440, Statutes of 2026), and it takes effect January 1, 2027. The measure aims to keep ordinary California ratepayers from subsidizing the electricity costs of AI data centers. It does not set a specific rate or deadline.
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In effect Strength: limited
CA SB 1298 (2012 AV authorization)
California · Effective January 1, 2013 · Cal. Veh. Code §§ 38750 et seq.
California's foundational autonomous-vehicle statute. SB 1298 directed the DMV to adopt regulations for testing and eventual deployment of AVs on California roads, including an autonomous-vehicle tester permit, insurance and bonding rules, and the framework later used for the Cruise and Waymo robotaxi authorizations.
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In effect Strength: limited
CSU AI-Empowered University System initiative and systemwide
California State University (CSU System) · Effective February 4, 2025 · CSU AI-Empowered University System initiative and systemwide ChatGPT Edu deployment
CSU announced a first-in-the-nation systemwide AI initiative giving all 23 campuses' 460,000+ students and 63,000+ faculty/staff access to ChatGPT Edu plus AI Commons training and academic-use resources.
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In effect Strength: limited
SB 53 (Frontier AI Safety)
California · Effective January 1, 2026 · SB 53 (Stats. 2025)
The first US frontier-AI safety law in effect: the largest AI model developers must publish safety frameworks and transparency reports, report critical safety incidents to the state, and protect whistleblowers who raise catastrophic-risk concerns.
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In effect Strength: stronger
CA CPPA ADMT Regs
CA · Effective January 1, 2026 · 11 Cal. Code Regs. §§ 7200-7232
California's privacy agency finalized binding regulations governing automated decision-making and AI used to make significant decisions about Californians — including hiring, housing, education, healthcare, financial services, and ads to minors. Consumers gain rights to pre-use notice, opt-out, and access to information about how AI made the decision.
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Enacted (not yet in effect) Strength: stronger
California SB 1119 Adam's Law, companion chatbots (2026)
California · Effective July 1, 2027 · Cal. S.B. 1119 (2025-2026 Reg. Sess.), Stats. 2026, ch. 190 — Adam's Law, Bus. & Prof. Code § 21810 et seq. (approved September 10, 2026; main duties operative July 1, 2027)
California Senate Bill 1119, which the law itself names "Adam's Law" (press coverage calls it the Adam Raine Law), was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 10, 2026 (Chapter 190). Starting July 1, 2027, companies that run companion chatbots must protect users under 18. By default, a child can chat for no more than one hour at a time and two hours a day, and only a parent can change those limits. Operators must have a crisis plan that points a child to crisis services, must tell a parent as soon as practicable if the chatbot detects a credible threat of suicide or self-harm, must assess risks to children before launching a new or substantially changed chatbot, and must publish a child safety policy. Public prosecutors can seek civil penalties of up to $5,000 per affected child, or $15,000 if the violation was intentional, and a harmed child or their parent can sue for actual damages.
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In effect Strength: stronger
CCPA/CPRA + ADMT Regulations
California · Effective January 1, 2026 · Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.100 et seq.; Cal. Code Regs. tit. 11, div. 6
California's main privacy law gives consumers rights to know, delete, correct, and opt out of the sale or sharing of their personal information. New regulations finalized in 2025 add rights around automated decision-making technology (ADMT): businesses using ADMT for significant decisions (jobs, housing, credit, healthcare) must give pre-use notice, let people opt out, and provide access to how decisions were made.
Federal AI rules that apply in Commerce, California
These federal rules apply everywhere in the United States, including Commerce, California. Showing the 10 strongest and most recent.
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In effect Strength: stronger
TVA data center capacity commitment charge (2026)
Tennessee Valley Authority · Effective October 1, 2026 · Tenn. Valley Auth. Bd. of Dirs. — Data Center Capacity Commitment Charge (approved Aug. 20, 2026; eff. Oct. 1, 2026)
The Tennessee Valley Authority's Board of Directors approved a separate, higher wholesale rate for data centers on August 20, 2026, effective October 1. New or expanding data center loads above 5 megawatts now fall under a Capacity Commitment Charge attached to TVA's data center rate schedules, designed to recover the incremental capacity costs those customers impose on the system. The headline figures are substantial: upfront capacity commitment charges of roughly $1.5 million per megawatt, payable over three to five years, and an all-in average billing increase for data center customers of about 10%, phased in across three consecutive fiscal years. The stated purpose is to keep residential rates low while still serving growing data center demand. TVA matters here out of proportion to a single utility. It is a federal corporate agency supplying power across seven states, so this is not a state rate case but a regional cost-allocation decision reaching a large share of the Southeast — and TVA is among the first large US utilities to adopt a tariff aimed specifically at AI-driven load. Where most 2026 measures in this dataset restrict where data centers may be built, this one changes what they pay to run.
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In effect Strength: stronger
Bartz v. Anthropic
N.D. Cal. · Effective September 5, 2025 · Bartz v. Anthropic PBC, No. 3:24-cv-05417 (N.D. Cal.)
Authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson sued Anthropic over its use of pirated-book datasets to train Claude. In June 2025 Judge William Alsup ruled that training on lawfully purchased books was fair use. The piracy claims (LibGen ingestion) proceeded toward settlement; in September 2025 Anthropic agreed to a $1.5 billion class settlement covering ~500,000 works. Judge Alsup granted preliminary approval September 25, 2025 and final approval July 20, 2026. The appeal period runs through August 19, 2026; class members will not receive payments until at least end of 2026.
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In effect Strength: stronger
COPPA + 2025 Rule (childrens data)
United States · Effective June 23, 2025 · 15 U.S.C. §§ 6501–6506; 16 C.F.R. Part 312
COPPA requires online services aimed at children under 13 to get verifiable parental consent before collecting kids' personal data. The 2025 rule update — fully in effect since April 22, 2026 — adds biometric identifiers (like face templates and voiceprints, which matter for AI tools), requires separate parental consent before sharing children's data for targeted advertising, and tightens data retention limits.
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In effect Strength: stronger
TAKE IT DOWN Act
United States · Effective May 19, 2025 · Pub. L. No. 119-12 (S. 146)
Makes it a federal crime to knowingly publish intimate images of someone without consent, including AI-generated deepfakes. Social media and similar platforms must give victims a way to request removal and must take the content (and known copies) down within 48 hours. The platform removal requirement became enforceable May 19, 2026, and the FTC has already begun enforcement.
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Blocked / in litigation
NetChoice v. Yost (Ohio)
S.D. Ohio · Effective April 16, 2025 · NetChoice, LLC v. Yost, No. 2:24-cv-00047 (S.D. Ohio Apr. 16, 2025)
Ohio's Social Media Parental Notification Act — requiring parental consent for minors' social-media use, including algorithmic feeds — was preliminarily enjoined on February 12, 2024, then permanently enjoined on April 16, 2025 when the district court granted summary judgment for NetChoice. The state appealed to the Sixth Circuit, which vacated the district court's injunction in 2026.
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In effect Strength: stronger
Thaler v. Perlmutter (Copyright)
D.C. Cir. · Effective March 18, 2025 · Thaler v. Perlmutter, 130 F.4th 1039 (D.C. Cir. 2025)
The companion copyright case: Stephen Thaler sought to register a copyright with 'Creativity Machine' (his AI) as the author. The D.C. Circuit affirmed in March 2025 that the Copyright Act's human-authorship requirement is dispositive as a matter of statutory law. AI cannot be a copyright author under U.S. law.
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In effect Strength: stronger
Louis v. SafeRent
D. Mass. · Effective November 20, 2024 · Louis v. SafeRent Solutions, LLC, No. 1:22-cv-10800 (D. Mass.)
SafeRent agreed in November 2024 to a $2.275M settlement and a five-year ban on using its 'SafeRent Score' for housing-voucher applicants, after a class action alleged its AI tenant-screening tool systematically denied housing to Black and Hispanic Section 8 voucher holders. The first major AI tenant-screening Fair Housing Act settlement.
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In effect Strength: stronger
FTC Impersonation Rule (AI)
United States · Effective April 1, 2024 · 16 C.F.R. Part 461; 89 Fed. Reg. 15017
The FTC's Impersonation Rule lets the agency directly sue scammers who pretend to be a government agency or a real business — including those who use AI-cloned voices or generated images to do so. Civil penalties can reach $53,088 per violation. The FTC also issued a supplemental notice in February 2024 proposing to extend the rule to all individual impersonation.
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In effect Strength: stronger
FTC v. Rite Aid
FTC · Effective February 26, 2024 · FTC v. Rite Aid Corp., No. 2:23-cv-05023 (E.D. Pa. Dec. 19, 2023)
The FTC banned Rite Aid from using facial-recognition technology in its stores for five years after finding the pharmacy chain's FRT system falsely tagged customers — disproportionately women and people of color — as shoplifters, leading to wrongful detentions and humiliations.
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In effect Strength: stronger
TCPA (AI voice calls)
United States · Effective February 8, 2024 · 47 U.S.C. § 227; FCC 24-17
Robocalls using AI-cloned or AI-generated voices are treated like other 'artificial voice' calls: callers need your prior express consent, must identify themselves, and must offer opt-outs for telemarketing. You can personally sue violators for $500 to $1,500 per illegal call.
Frequently asked questions about AI laws in Commerce, California
Are there AI laws in Commerce, California?
What federal AI rules apply in Commerce?
Does California have an AI privacy law?
Are deepfakes illegal in California?
Can my employer use AI to screen me for jobs in Commerce?
How do I report an AI law violation in Commerce?
Are facial recognition cameras allowed in Commerce?
Is Commerce regulated by California's consumer privacy act?
Compliance guides for California businesses
Plain-English guides to the California AI and data laws companies most often need to comply with:
California ADMT / automated-decision rules · California deepfake law for business
Have we missed an AI rule in Commerce?
This page is generated from our open civic dataset. If you know of a Commerce ordinance, county rule, or local enforcement action we should add, email feedback@ailawsusa.com or submit a correction. Every entry must include a verifiable source.