Tractor Supply Company has agreed to pay $5.1 million to settle a civil consumer protection lawsuit accusing the farm and outdoor retailer of overcharging customers, mislabeling products as biodegradable, and selling restricted pesticides without proper licensing at California stores, including its locations in Petaluma and Windsor. The stipulated judgment, entered on Wednesday, resolves claims brought by district attorneys in Sonoma, San Diego, Santa Cruz, Sacramento and San Bernardino counties.
How the Case Came Together
According to The Press Democrat, the district attorneys alleged that Tractor Supply Company West LLC unlawfully charged customers prices higher than the lowest price advertised, sold products labeled biodegradable in violation of the state’s greenwashing laws, and sold restricted pesticides without a current, valid license from the Department of Pesticide Regulation. Prosecutors also alleged the company failed to properly document its pesticide sales. Tractor Supply’s attorneys stipulated that the company did not admit to the allegations as part of the settlement terms.
The pricing concerns trace back years. Sonoma County Weights and Measures official Michael Barrett said his team began noticing pricing discrepancies at Tractor Supply stores in 2019. The office conducted 648 inspections at 401 retailers between March 2022 and April 2023, and found that 232 businesses — 36 percent of those inspected — were overcharging customers during those inspections. Sonoma County Weights and Measures informed the district attorney’s office about the Tractor Supply pricing issues in 2023, setting the case in motion. The retailer has since passed weights and measures compliance inspections in both 2025 and 2026, per the same account.
Pesticide Licensing Gaps Triggered a Voluntary Sales Halt
Separately, prosecutors said Tractor Supply sold pesticides without holding current, valid licenses required under state law. Per Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez, pesticide licensing violations constitute violations of California’s Unfair Competition Law. According to a statement from the district attorney’s office, Tractor Supply cooperated with the investigation and voluntarily ceased pesticide sales until proper licensing was back in place.
California law requires any retailer selling restricted-use or agricultural pesticides to hold a Pest Control Dealer License and keep a licensed designated agent supervising operations at every branch, a framework detailed by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. Under the settlement, Tractor Supply must now maintain a database tracking each store’s pest control dealer license and active licensed designated agent, implement new policies to promote compliance with agricultural pesticide regulations, and report all covered-pesticide sales to the Department of Pesticide Regulation within 10 business days after each quarter closes. The company must also audit 25 percent of its California stores that sell covered pesticides every quarter and maintain a pesticide compliance program at every location that sells them.
Greenwashing Claims and Ongoing Website Checks
The biodegradable-labeling allegations fall under California Public Resources Code Section 42357, which bars marketing consumer products as biodegradable, degradable or decomposable because standard landfill conditions prevent that kind of breakdown. As part of the judgment, Tractor Supply must now determine quarterly whether products sold through its website that ship to California comply with that code.
Where the Money Goes
Of the $5.1 million settlement, $500,000 will go to the California Agricultural Commissioners and Sealers Association Quantity Control Trust Fund, a nonprofit trust that finances county weights and measures investigations. Tractor Supply must also pay $14,400 directly to the Sonoma County Department of Agriculture/Weights and Measures and reimburse consumer agency costs totaling $73,283. Sonoma County Agricultural Commissioner Andrew Smith said his department’s inspectors contributed evidence to the case, and that trust-fund payments support the investigation and enforcement of consumer protection laws…