generated: '2026-09-17'
method: searched
source: https://privacy.ca.gov/drop-for-data-brokers/account-creation-fees-and-annual-registration/#fees
docs: https://privacy.ca.gov/drop-for-data-brokers/account-creation-fees-and-annual-registration/
currency: USD
plan_count: 2
model: statutory-fee
note: >-
  DROP is not a commercial API; access is a legal obligation under the Delete Act (Cal. Civ. Code
  1798.99.80 et seq.). The "plans" are the statutory fees a data broker must pay inside DROP (by
  credit card) before an API key can be issued. There is no free tier, no usage metering and no
  per-call pricing; the API itself carries no charge beyond these fees. Non-compliance penalties
  are recorded for completeness because they are the only other published dollar figures.
plans:
- name: Annual registration fee (2026)
  who: Businesses that operated as a data broker in 2025 (register January 1-31, 2026; then annually)
  price: 6000
  currency: USD
  billing_period: annual
  overage: null
  processing_fee: third-party electronic payment fee not to exceed 2.99%
  refundable: false
  prorated: false
  includes:
  - DROP account and Data Broker Portal access
  - Production API key (after selecting consumer deletion lists)
  - Sandbox environment and sandbox API key
  - Listing in the California Data Broker Registry
- name: Access fee (brokers beginning operations in 2026)
  who: Businesses that begin brokering California consumers' data during 2026 (register for the first time in January 2027)
  price: 6000
  price_note: Declines by $500 per month of first payment; the schedule below is the published table.
  currency: USD
  billing_period: one-time (then annual registration from the following January)
  overage: null
  processing_fee: associated fee for processing electronic payments
  schedule:
  - {paid_in: January 2026, amount: 6000}
  - {paid_in: February 2026, amount: 5500}
  - {paid_in: March 2026, amount: 5000}
  - {paid_in: April 2026, amount: 4500}
  - {paid_in: May 2026, amount: 4000}
  - {paid_in: June 2026, amount: 3500}
  - {paid_in: July 2026, amount: 3000}
  - {paid_in: August 2026, amount: 2500}
  - {paid_in: September 2026, amount: 2000}
  - {paid_in: October 2026, amount: 1500}
  - {paid_in: November 2026, amount: 1000}
  - {paid_in: December 2026, amount: 500}
penalties_source: https://privacy.ca.gov/drop-for-data-brokers/
penalties:
  - name: Failure to register
    amount: 200
    currency: USD
    period: per day
    plus: CalPrivacy's cost of investigation and administrative action
  - name: Failure to delete as required
    amount: 200
    currency: USD
    period: per day per deletion request
    plus: CalPrivacy's cost of investigation and administrative action
payment:
  method: credit card within DROP
  alternative: contact CalPrivacy via https://databroker.drop.privacy.ca.gov/Contact if unable to pay by card