Orange County Municipal Code Art. 1 Prohibition on Sale or Distribution of Nitrous Oxide

This article is enacted pursuant to the County's plenary police powers to protect the public safety, health and welfare. The express purpose of this article is to protect the public health and safety by eliminating retail access for recreational use of nitrous oxide, a dangerous gas that is illicitly used as an intoxicant.

(Ord. No. 25-004, § 2, 2-25-25)

For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply.

(a) Device means any cartridge, compressed gas cylinder, apparatus, container, balloon, attachment, nozzle, or other object used to contain, dispense or administer nitrous oxide.

(b) Nitrous oxide means the colorless nonflammable gas sometimes identified as N20, which is sometimes used in aerosols and sometimes used as an anesthetic, and which, when inhaled, produces loss of sensibility to pain, often preceded by exhilaration and laughter and often used as an anesthetic in dentistry. Nitrous oxide is often informally or colloquially referred to as "laughing gas," "NOX," "galaxy gas," "whippits," amongst others.

(c) Person means any individual or legal entity however constituted or organized.

(d) Wholesale capacity means sale of or distribution of nitrous oxide or a device to dispense nitrous oxide to a person that will use nitrous oxide or the device in service or products for resale. Examples include, but are not limited to, commercial sale of dentistry supplies to dentists or dentistry offices, commercial sale of devices for the use in food production or in a commercial kitchen, and/or commercial sale of nitrous oxide for the purpose of producing food products for commercial sale (e.g., whipped cream canisters).

(Ord. No. 25-004, § 2, 2-25-25)

Except as otherwise authorized by law or allowed under this article, it is unlawful for any person to sell, attempt to sell, offer, distribute or otherwise provide to any person nitrous oxide, a device to dispense or administer nitrous oxide, or any device that contains any quantity of nitrous oxide.

(Ord. No. 25-004, § 2, 2-25-25)

This article does not apply to the sale, attempt to sell, distribution, or other manner of providing nitrous oxide, or a device containing nitrous oxide, in the following circumstances:

(a) If the nitrous oxide is contained in a food product for use as a propellant.

(b) If the nitrous oxide or device is being sold, attempted to be sold, offered, or distributed in a wholesale capacity, for uses similar to those described in subsection (d) of section 3-19-2. This exemption only applies if the wholesaler does not know or have reason to know that the recipient intends to use the nitrous oxide or device in violation of section 3-19-3.

(c) If the nitrous oxide or device that is being sold, attempted to be sold, offered, or distributed is specifically designed for use in a vehicle to enhance the performance of the vehicle.

(d) If the nitrous oxide is being sold, attempted to be sold, offered or distributed specifically for the purpose of providing medical or dental care, by or at the direction and under the supervision of, a medical or dental practitioner licensed by the State of California and in accordance with all applicable rules and regulations.

(e) If the nitrous oxide or device is being sold, attempted to be sold, offered, distributed, or dispensed by a pharmacist, pharmacist intern, or pharmacy as defined by California Business & Professions Code §§ 4030, 4036, and 4037, as maybe amended, in the course of their duties as a pharmacist or pharmacist intern, or wholesalers licensed by the Board of Pharmacy.

(f) Or any other circumstances exempted under law.

(Ord. No. 25-004, § 2, 2-25-25)

Any person who violates section 3-19-3 is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof may be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or by imprisonment in the County Jail for a period of not more than six (6) months or by both such fine and imprisonment. This section shall not serve to limit any other legal remedies or actions that the County may have to address violations of section 3-19-3. A violation of section 3-19-3 is grounds for a revocation of a business license, if applicable, pursuant to section 5-2-16 of the Codified Ordinances.

(Ord. No. 25-004, § 2, 2-25-25)

If any section, paragraph, sentence, clause, phrase or portion of this article is held invalid or unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, such portion shall be deemed severable and such holding shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions hereof. The Board of Supervisors hereby declares that it would have adopted this article irrespective of the invalidity of any particular portion thereof and intends that the invalid portions should be severed, and the balance of the article be enforced.

(Ord. No. 25-004, § 2, 2-25-25)