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Division of Agriculture
Division of Agriculture

Find out if you can bring produce and plants from other states into County

Quarantine Inspector examining a box of cherries from out of state

Where your fruit or plants were grown plays a big part on whether it will be allowed into Santa Clara County.

Residents are allowed to bring indoor houseplants into Santa Clara County as long as they are free from pests and will remain inside. Outdoor plants and fruit have a large number of restrictions, which limit their movement.

In order to find out if your item will be allowed into Santa Clara County, you can call our office, or you can look it up at the Food and Agriculture's website.

* If you ship agricultural products into Santa Clara County, you must state on the outside of the package the common or scientific name of the item and where it was grown.  Failure to properly identify the contents of your shipment can cause your shipment to be destroyed.

What happens if something is rejected?

If something is rejected at a freight or mail facility, a Notice of Rejection will be mailed to the receiver, the sender, and to the State Department of Agriculture. When something is not allowed entry, we will give the sender and receiver one or two options in regards to the disposition of the held material.  Sometimes, the only option is to destroy the plant or produce.

When the decision is made to destroy an article, the way they are destroyed will depend upon the pest risk. Sometimes fruit or plants are incinerated at a State supervised facility and sometimes they are buried at a landfill.

How do I mail something from Santa Clara County to another state: How do I label my package?

Cardboard Box

All shipments of agricultural products that enter or passes through Santa Clara County must be conspicuously labeled with the name and address of the shipper and receiver, the name of the country, state, or territory where the agricultural item was grown, and a statement of its contents.

Quarantines: Every state and country has established quarantines (areas that do not allow certain plants or soil) in an attempt to prevent the introduction of damaging pests into areas where they don’t naturally occur. It is unlawful to ship or transport any plant, cutting, animal, fruit or vegetable into California that does not comply with California’s quarantine requirements.

Quarrantine Tape

If you have questions about shipping an agricultural item into California, you can contact your local agricultural office.  You can also contact the agricultural commissioner’s office in the destination county. 

 For a listing of all the agricultural commissioner offices in the State, visit the California Department of Food and Agriculture links to County departments. For items destined for Santa Clara County, navigate to our home screen for our contact information.

How do I find out if it is ok to mail something from Santa Clara County to another State?

If you would like to ship something to another State, you can visit that state's agriculture website or you can look up their entry requirements at the National Plant Board's website.   

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