Section 17A.14 - PENALTIESSubdivision 1.Criminal penalties.Any person, duly licensed or otherwise, who violates this chapter, for which violation a penalty has not been specifically set out, is guilty of a misdemeanor. Any subsequent violation is a gross misdemeanor.
Subd. 2.Civil penalties.(a) The commissioner, as an alternate to misdemeanor prosecution, may impose a civil penalty on a person who violates a statute or rule enforceable by the commissioner. For a first violation, the commissioner may impose a civil penalty of not more than $500 for each violation. For a second or succeeding violation, the commissioner may impose a penalty of not more than $1,000 for each violation.(b) In determining the amount of the civil penalty, the commissioner may consider: (1) the willfulness of the violation;(2) the gravity of the violation;(3) the person's history of past violations;(4) the number of violations;(5) the economic benefit from the violations; and(6) other factors identified in the commissioner's citation.(c) For a second or succeeding violation, the commissioner shall determine the amount of a penalty by considering the factors in paragraph (b) and:(1) similarity between the violations;(2) time elapsed since the last violation; and(3) the person's response to the most recent violation.1974 c 347 s 14; 1981 c 54 s 3; 1991 c 288 s 6