ARTICLE 3. Liability of Public Employees [820. - 823.]

Cal. Government Code - GOV 3.

in effect

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 820. Section 820.

(a) Except as otherwise provided by statute (including Section 820.2), a public employee is liable for injury caused by his act or omission to the same extent as a private person. (b) The liability of a public employee established by this part (commencing with Section 814) is subject to any defenses that would be available to the public employee if he were a private person.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 820.2. Section 820.2.

Except as otherwise provided by statute, a public employee is not liable for an injury resulting from his act or omission where the act or omission was the result of the exercise of the discretion vested in him, whether or not such discretion be abused.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 820.4. Section 820.4.

A public employee is not liable for his act or omission, exercising due care, in the execution or enforcement of any law. Nothing in this section exonerates a public employee from liability for false arrest or false imprisonment.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 820.6. Section 820.6.

If a public employee acts in good faith, without malice, and under the apparent authority of an enactment that is unconstitutional, invalid or inapplicable, he is not liable for an injury caused thereby except to the extent that he would have been liable had the enactment been constitutional, valid and applicable.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 820.8. Section 820.8.

Except as otherwise provided by statute, a public employee is not liable for an injury caused by the act or omission of another person. Nothing in this section exonerates a public employee from liability for injury proximately caused by his own negligent or wrongful act or omission.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 820.9. Section 820.9.

Members of city councils, mayors, members of boards of supervisors, members of school boards, members of governing boards of other local public entities, members of locally appointed boards and commissions, and members of locally appointed or elected advisory bodies are not vicariously liable for injuries caused by the act or omission of the public entity or advisory body. Nothing in this section exonerates an official from liability for injury caused by that individual’s own wrongful conduct. Nothing in this section affects the immunity of any other public official. This section shall become operative January 1, 2000.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 820.21. Section 820.21.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, the civil immunity of juvenile court social workers, child protection workers, and other public employees authorized to initiate or conduct investigations or proceedings pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 200) of Part 1 of Division 2 of the Welfare and Institutions Code shall not extend to any of the following, if committed with malice: (1) Perjury. (2) Fabrication of evidence. (3) Failure to disclose known exculpatory evidence. (4) Obtaining testimony by duress, as defined in Section 1569 of the Civil Code, fraud, as defined in either Section 1572 or Section 1573 of the Civil Code, or undue influence, as defined in Section 1575 of the Civil Code. (b) As used in this section, “malice” means conduct that is intended by the person described in subdivision (a) to cause injury to the plaintiff or despicable conduct that is carried on by the person described in subdivision (a) with a willful and conscious disregard of the rights or safety of others.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 820.25. Section 820.25.

(a) For purposes of Section 820.2, the decision of a peace officer, as defined in Sections 830.1 and 830.2 of the Penal Code, or a state or local law enforcement official, to render assistance to a motorist who has not been involved in an accident or to leave the scene after rendering assistance, upon learning of a reasonably apparent emergency requiring his immediate attention elsewhere or upon instructions from a superior to assume duties elsewhere, shall be deemed an exercise of discretion. (b) The provision in subdivision (a) shall not apply if the act or omission occurred pursuant to the performance of a ministerial duty. For purposes of this section, “ministerial duty” is defined as a plain and mandatory duty involving the execution of a set task and to be performed without the exercise of discretion.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 821. Section 821.

A public employee is not liable for an injury caused by his adoption of or failure to adopt an enactment or by his failure to enforce an enactment.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 821.2. Section 821.2.

A public employee is not liable for an injury caused by his issuance, denial, suspension or revocation of, or by his failure or refusal to issue, deny, suspend or revoke, any permit, license, certificate, approval, order, or similar authorization where he is authorized by enactment to determine whether or not such authorization should be issued, denied, suspended or revoked.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 821.4. Section 821.4.

A public employee is not liable for injury caused by his failure to make an inspection, or by reason of making an inadequate or negligent inspection, of any property, other than the property (as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 830) of the public entity employing the public employee, for the purpose of determining whether the property complies with or violates any enactment or contains or constitutes a hazard to health or safety.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 821.5. Section 821.5.

A public entity or a public employee acting within the scope of his employment is not liable for failing to prohibit or restrict the time that cargo tank vehicles required to display flammable liquid placards may travel through a tunnel.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 821.6. Section 821.6.

A public employee is not liable for injury caused by his instituting or prosecuting any judicial or administrative proceeding within the scope of his employment, even if he acts maliciously and without probable cause.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 821.8. Section 821.8.

A public employee is not liable for an injury arising out of his entry upon any property where such entry is expressly or impliedly authorized by law. Nothing in this section exonerates a public employee from liability for an injury proximately caused by his own negligent or wrongful act or omission.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 822. Section 822.

A public employee is not liable for money stolen from his official custody. Nothing in this section exonerates a public employee from liability if the loss was sustained as a result of his own negligent or wrongful act or omission.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 822.2. Section 822.2.

A public employee acting in the scope of his employment is not liable for an injury caused by his misrepresentation, whether or not such misrepresentation be negligent or intentional, unless he is guilty of actual fraud, corruption or actual malice.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 823. Section 823.

Neither the widow, widower, nor the heirs of a peace officer, as defined in Sections 830.1, 830.2, and 830.32 of the Penal Code, shall be liable individually for any injury or death that may result from an act or omission of a peace officer that occurs in his or her line of duty, including an act or omission not directly related to the officer’s death, if the officer was slain while in the line of duty. Nothing in this section shall preclude any action from being brought against the estate of the peace officer.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026