On July 1, 2026, PaintCare proposed an amendment to the California Paint Stewardship Program Plan, requesting an increase of the fee assessed on the sale of architectural coatings (e.g., house paint, stain, and varnish) in California.
Pending approval by CalRecycle, the fee increase will take effect May 1, 2027.
Since starting in 2012, the California PaintCare program has collected more than 44 million gallons of leftover paint for recycling or safe disposal. Paint collection volumes have been consistently high, however in recent years paint management costs have increased and paint sales have slowed, resulting in the need for a fee increase in California to ensure the program can be sustained into the future.
For more information, please see PaintCare’s amendment to the program plan which presents the financial position of the program and addresses the proposed fee structure change. The Fee Change Amendment can be found here.
Proposed California Fee Structure
Based on the projected paint sales, revenue, and expenses, PaintCare proposes the following increases in the program fee structure:
| Container Size | Current Fee | Proposed Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Half pint or smaller | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Larger than half pint up to smaller than 1 gallon | $0.30 | $0.45 |
| 1-2 gallons | $0.65 | $0.95 |
| Larger than 2 gallons up to 5 gallons | $1.50 | $1.95 |
Once the proposed fee is approved by CalRecycle, PaintCare will follow up to notify you.
Manufacturers will be strongly encouraged to communicate with their dealers and customers in California about the fee increase and the effective date. At that time, dealers and retailers should prepare to see the fee increase on invoices from their suppliers and evaluate their billing and point-of-sale systems to accommodate the fee change.
Please contact Terri Marsman, California Program Manager, at or (209) 404-8625 if you have any questions.