California's attorney general has issued enforcement notices to eight jurisdictions in the state's warehouse concentration region that failed to comply with a law requiring truck routes to avoid residential areas and schools.
The affected cities and county—Chino, Moreno Valley, Perris, Rancho Cucamonga, Rialto, Riverside, Ontario, and Riverside County—missed the January 1, 2026 deadline set under Assembly Bill 98. Under the law, jurisdictions must amend their general plans to designate truck routes that avoid residential areas, schools, day cares, parks, playgrounds, nursing homes and hospitals, and must conduct heightened community engagement on route planning.
The warehouse concentration region consists of San Bernardino and Riverside counties plus 12 cities within those counties. According to the attorney general's office, trucks traveling to and from warehouses emit nitrogen oxide and diesel particulate matter, which contribute to smog formation and health problems including asthma, cancer, and heart disease. Trucks also create noise pollution and safety hazards such as traffic jams, road deterioration, and accidents.
The statute authorizes civil penalties of up to $50,000 every six months, along with attorneys' fees, costs, and injunctive relief. The attorney general emphasized that while rapid compliance is important, jurisdictions must also engage affected communities to ensure truck routes adequately protect sensitive receptors.
AB 98 was amended by Senate Bill 415 in 2025. Jurisdictions outside the warehouse concentration region must adopt a truck-route ordinance rather than a general-plan amendment, with deadlines of either January 1, 2028 or January 1, 2030 depending on their population.