ARTICLE 3. Jurisdiction, Licenses, and Exemptions [18640. - 18656.]

Cal. Business and Professions Code - BPC 3.
in effect

Cal. Business and Professions Code - BPC § 18640. Section 18640.

The commission has the sole direction, management, control of, and jurisdiction over all professional and amateur boxing, professional and amateur kickboxing, all forms and combinations of forms of full contact martial arts contests, including mixed martial arts, and matches or exhibitions conducted, held, or given within this state. No event shall take place without the prior approval of the commission. No person shall engage in the promotion of, or participate in, a boxing or martial arts contest, match, or exhibition without a license, and except in accordance with this chapter and the rules adopted hereunder.

Cal. Business and Professions Code - BPC § 18640.5. Section 18640.5.

(a) The commission, at its regularly scheduled meetings, shall invite testimony from boxing stakeholders to identify actions that may lead to greater opportunities for its licensees to participate in major professional championship boxing contests in the State of California. The commission shall invite testimony that shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (1) What cooperative actions may be taken by the private sector boxing stakeholders that may lead to greater opportunities for the commission’s licensees to participate in major professional championship boxing contests in the State of California. (2) What role may public-private partnerships play that may lead to greater opportunities for the commission’s licensees to participate in major professional championship boxing contests in the State of California. (3) What actions may local agencies take that may lead to greater opportunities for the commission’s licensees to participate in major professional championship boxing contests in the State of California. (4) What actions may the commission take that may lead to greater opportunities for the commission’s licensees to participate in major professional championship boxing contests in the State of California. (5) What actions may other state agencies take that may lead to greater opportunities for the commission’s licensees to participate in major professional championship boxing contests in the State of California. (b) The stakeholders shall include, but not be limited to, boxing promoters, boxing event venues, boxers, sports news outlets, and local agencies that have an interest in providing greater opportunities for the commission’s licensees to participate in major professional championship boxing contests in the State of California. (c) Nothing in this section shall jeopardize the commission’s duties and responsibilities to protect the safety and welfare of boxers and the public. (d) Costs incurred by the commission in implementing this section shall be covered by existing resources of the commission.

Cal. Business and Professions Code - BPC § 18641. Section 18641.

The commission may license clubs to conduct, hold, or give, and shall license referees, judges, matchmakers, and timekeepers, and may license assistant matchmakers and corporation treasurers, to participate in, or be employed in connection with, professional or amateur boxing contests, sparring matches, or exhibitions. No club may conduct, hold, or give, and no person performing tasks for which licensure is required by the commission may participate in, or be employed in connection with, those boxing contests, sparring matches, or exhibitions unless the club or person has been licensed for that purpose by the commission.

Cal. Business and Professions Code - BPC § 18642. Section 18642.

The commission may license professional and amateur boxers, professional and amateur martial arts fighters, and booking agents, managers of professional boxers and professional martial arts fighters, trainers, chief seconds, and seconds of each. No person shall participate in any contest or serve in the capacity of a booking agent, manager, trainer, or second, unless he or she has been licensed for that purpose by the commission.

Cal. Business and Professions Code - BPC § 18642.5. Section 18642.5.

A professional boxer or martial arts fighter shall, prior to licensure by the commission, demonstrate his or her ability to perform. If at any time a licensed boxer of fighter’s ability to perform is questionable the commission shall revalidate the licensee using standards adopted in regulation by the commission. The commission may accept whatever evidence is available to demonstrate the “ability to perform” at the initial time of licensure. However, all commission evaluations or reevaluations shall be recorded on a form approved by the commission and maintained with the fighter’s licensing file. The evaluation or reevaluation may be used by the commission when approving bouts for not more than 120 days from the date of the evaluation.

Cal. Business and Professions Code - BPC § 18645. Section 18645.

(a) There is hereby created within the jurisdiction of the State Athletic Commission an Advisory Committee on Medical and Safety Standards. (b) The committee shall consist of six licensed physicians and surgeons appointed by the commission, including at least one licensed physician and surgeon certified in neurology by a specialty board that is a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties. The commission may call meetings of those physicians and surgeons at such times and places as it deems appropriate for the purpose of studying and recommending medical and safety standards for the conduct of boxing, wrestling, and martial arts contests. (c) It shall require a majority vote of the commission to appoint a person to the committee. Each appointment shall be at the pleasure of the commission for a term not to exceed four years. (d) A majority of the appointed members of the committee shall constitute a quorum for the purposes of meeting.

Cal. Business and Professions Code - BPC § 18645.1. Section 18645.1.

(a) (1) The commission shall establish, by regulation, a review and approval process for applicants or licensees under this chapter who test positive for hepatitis C pursuant to the required blood tests described in Section 280 of Title 4 of the California Code of Regulations. (2) The commission may consult with the Advisory Committee on Medical and Safety Standards to establish the review and approval process described in paragraph (1). (b) An applicant or licensee under this chapter shall not be prohibited from competing in any contest, match, or exhibition on the basis of testing positive for hepatitis C, pursuant to Section 280 of Title 4 of the California Code of Regulations, if the applicant or licensee has been approved by the commission under subdivision (a).

Cal. Business and Professions Code - BPC § 18646. Section 18646.

(a) This chapter applies to all amateur boxing, wrestling, and full contact martial arts contests. (b) The commission may, however, authorize one or more nonprofit boxing, wrestling, or martial arts clubs, organizations, or sanctioning bodies, upon approval of its bylaws, to administer its rules for amateur boxing, wrestling, and full contact martial arts contests, and may, therefore, waive direct commission application of laws and rules, including licensure, subject to the commission’s affirmative finding that the standards and enforcement of similar rules by a club, organization, or sanctioning body meet or exceed the safety and fairness standards of the commission. The commission shall review the performance of any such club, organization, or sanctioning body annually. (c) Every contest subject to this section shall be preceded by a physical examination, specified by the commission, of every contestant. A physician and surgeon shall be in attendance at the contest. There shall be a medical insurance program satisfactory to the commission provided by an amateur club, organization, or sanctioning body in effect covering all contestants. The commission shall review compliance with these requirements. (d) Any club, organization, or sanctioning body that conducts, holds, or gives amateur contests pursuant to this section, which collects money for the event, shall furnish a written financial report of receipts and disbursements within 90 days of the event. (e) The commission has the right to have present without charge or restriction such representatives as are necessary to obtain compliance with this section. (f) The commission may require any additional notices and reports it deems necessary to enforce the provisions of this section. (g) The commission, at its discretion, may rescind previously approved authorization of a nonprofit boxing, wrestling, or martial arts club, organization, or sanctioning body to administer its rules for amateur boxing, wrestling, and full contact martial arts contests.

Cal. Business and Professions Code - BPC § 18649. Section 18649.

(a) The administration or use of any drugs, alcohol, stimulants, or injections in any part of the body or the use of any prohibited substance specified in the Prohibited List of the World Anti-Doping Code, as adopted by the World Anti-Doping Agency, by a professional or amateur boxer or martial arts fighter licensed by the commission shall be prohibited. The commission, in its discretion and pursuant to regulations adopted pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), may determine the necessity of exemptions to this section for certain licensees. (b) The commission may conduct testing at any time during the period of licensure for a professional or amateur boxer or martial arts fighter licensed by the commission to ensure compliance with subdivision (a). (c) The commission may collect blood and urine specimens from a professional or amateur boxer or martial arts fighter licensed by the commission to detect the presence of any prohibited substances. Collection of specimens shall be done in the presence of authorized commission personnel. (d) A professional or amateur boxer or martial arts fighter licensed by the commission, for which the presence of a prohibited substance is detected through testing by the commission, shall be in violation of this section and subject to the penalties described in Section 18843.

Cal. Business and Professions Code - BPC § 18653. Section 18653.

No person shall train a professional boxer or kickboxer or martial arts athlete unless he or she has been licensed by the commission. A professional trainer is someone who is responsible for the day-to-day training of those athletes and possesses a minimum of five years experience in combative sports. Only professional trainers licensed by the commission may make a recommendation to the commission on whether a contestant is prepared for his or her first amateur mixed martial arts bout or to turn professional in boxing, kickboxing, or mixed martial arts. A professional trainer shall be present in the corner of the contestant unless otherwise authorized by the commission or the executive director.

Cal. Business and Professions Code - BPC § 18654. Section 18654.

Failure of a licensed professional trainer, fighter, boxer, second, or manager to report an injury or knockout of a licensed boxer or fighter to the commission and to a database designated by the commission, which may include the national athlete and bout results databases approved by the Association of Boxing Commissions for boxing and mixed martial arts, shall be grounds for the suspension or revocation of his or her license pursuant to this chapter.

Cal. Business and Professions Code - BPC § 18656. Section 18656.

This chapter does not apply to any contest conducted by, or participated in exclusively by, any school, college, or university, or by any association or organization composed exclusively of schools, colleges, or universities when each contestant in such contest is a bona fide student regularly enrolled for not less than one-half time in a school, college, or university.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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