Law of the People's Republic of China on Public Security Administration Punishments (2025 Revision)

Law of the People's Republic of China on Public Security Administration Punishments (2025 Revision)

Order of the President of the People's Republic of China
(No. 49)

The Law of the People's Republic of China on Public Security Administration Punishments, as revised and adopted at the 16th Session of the Standing Committee of the Fourteenth National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China on June 27, 2025, is hereby issued with effect from January 1, 2026.

Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China
June 27, 2025

Law of the People's Republic of China on Public Security Administration Punishments
(Adopted at the 17th Session of the Standing Committee of the Tenth National People's Congress on August 28, 2005, amended in accordance with the Decision to Amend the Law of the People's Republic of China on Public Security Administration Punishments adopted at the 29th Session of the Standing Committee of the Eleventh National People's Congress on October 26, 2012, and revised at the 16th Session of the Standing Committee of the Fourteenth National People's Congress on June 27, 2025)

Table of Contents
Chapter I General Provisions
Chapter II Types and Application of Punishments
Chapter III Violations of Public Security Administration and Punishments
Section 1 Acts Disrupting Public Order and Punishments
Section 2 Acts Endangering Public Security and Punishments
Section 3 Acts Infringing upon Personal Rights or Property Rights and Punishments
Section 4 Acts Impeding Social Administration and Punishments
Chapter IV Punishment Procedures
Section 1 Investigation
Section 2 Decision
Section 3 Execution
Chapter V Law Enforcement Supervision
Chapter VI Supplemental Provisions
Chapter I General Provisions
Article 1 This Law is enacted in accordance with the Constitution for the purposes of maintaining the order of public security, safeguarding public security, protecting the lawful rights and interests of citizens, legal persons, and other organizations, and regulating and guaranteeing the performance of public security administration duties by public security authorities and their police officers in accordance with the law.
Article 2 The administration of public security shall uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China and adhere to comprehensive governance.
People's governments at all levels shall strengthen the comprehensive governance of public security and take effective measures to prevent and resolve social conflicts and disputes, enhance social harmony, and maintain social stability.
Article 3 Whoever disrupts the public order, endangers public security, infringes upon personal rights or property rights, or impedes social administration shall be held criminally liable if the violation is harmful to the society and constitutes a crime in accordance with the provisions of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China; and shall be punished by the public security authority in public security administration in accordance with this Law if the violation is not serious enough for a criminal punishment.
Article 4 The procedures for imposing public security administration punishments shall be governed by this Law. For any matters not prescribed by this Law, the relevant provisions of the Administrative Sanctioning Law of the People's Republic of China and the Administrative Compulsion Law of the People's Republic of China shall apply.
Article 5 This Law shall apply to the violations of public security administration committed within the territory of the People's Republic of China, except as otherwise specially provided for by any law.
This Law shall apply to the violations of public security administration committed on vessels and aircraft of the People's Republic of China, except as otherwise specially provided for by any law.
This Law shall apply to the violations of public security administration that are committed on foreign vessels and aircraft and over which the People's Republic of China exercises jurisdiction in accordance with international treaties concluded or acceded to by the People's Republic of China.
Article 6 Public security administration punishments shall be based on facts and be commensurate with the facts, nature, and circumstances of, and degree of social harm caused by, the violations of public security administration.
Public security administration punishments shall be imposed in an open and impartial manner, human rights shall be respected and safeguarded, and the personal dignity of citizens shall be protected.
Public security cases shall be handled under the principle of combining education with punishment, laws and reasons shall be fully interpreted, and citizens, legal persons, or other organizations shall be educated to voluntarily abide by laws.
Article 7 The public security department of the State Council shall be responsible for public security administration throughout the country. The public security authorities of local people's governments at or above the county level shall be responsible for public security administration within their respective administrative regions.
The jurisdiction over public security cases shall be prescribed by the public security department of the State Council.
Article 8 Where any violation of public security administration causes damage to any other person, the violator or his or her guardian shall, in addition to being subject to public security administration punishment in accordance with this Law, bear civil liability in accordance with the law.
If any violation of public security administration constitutes a crime and the offender shall be held criminally liable in accordance with the law, public security administration punishment may not be imposed in lieu of criminal punishment.
Article 9 With regard to the violations of public security administration, such as fighting and damaging or destroying the property of any other person caused by civil disputes, if the circumstances are relatively minor, the public security authority may handle the matter through mediation.
When handling public security cases through mediation, the facts shall be ascertained, the principles of legality, impartiality, voluntariness, and timeliness shall be followed, and attention shall be paid to education and persuasion, to promote the resolution of conflicts and disputes.
If the parties reach an agreement through mediation by the public security authority, no punishment shall be imposed. If no agreement is reached through mediation or an agreement has been reached but not been performed, the public security authority shall handle the violation of public security administration in accordance with the provisions of this Law and inform the parties that they may legally file a civil lawsuit with the people's court regarding the civil dispute.
For a public security case falling within the scope of mediation specified in paragraph 1, no punishment shall be imposed on the violator if the parties reach a settlement on their own or reach an agreement through mediation by the people's mediation committee and have it performed before the public security authority makes a handling decision, and the written application has been recognized by the public security authority.
Chapter II Types and Application of Punishments
Article 10 The public security administration punishments are classified into:
(1) warning;
(2) fine;
(3) administrative detention; and
(4) revocation of the license issued by the public security authority.
For a foreigner who commits any violation of public security administration, ordering the violator to leave the country within a prescribed time limit or deportation may additionally apply.
Article 11 The drugs, pornographic items, and other illegal items, gambling devices, gambling stakes, devices used for taking or injecting drugs, and all the instruments owned and directly used by the person for committing any violation of public security administration that are seized in handling a public security case shall be confiscated and disposed of in accordance with relevant provisions.
The property obtained from the commission of the violation of public security administration shall be recovered and returned to the victim; and if there is no victim, shall be registered in archives and sold by open auction or disposed of in accordance with the relevant provisions issued by the state, and the proceeds therefrom shall be turned over to the state treasury.
Article 12 Where a person who has attained the age of 14 but under the age of 18 commits any violation of public security administration, the person shall be given a lighter or mitigated punishment. If a person who is under the age of 14 commits any violation of public security administration, no punishment shall be imposed on him or her, but his or her guardian shall be ordered to subject him or her to strict discipline.
Article 13 Where a person with mental illness or a person with intellectual disability commits any violation of public security administration when he or she is unable to recognize or control his or her behavior, no punishment shall be imposed on him or her, but his or her guardian shall be ordered to strengthen custody and management and give him or her medical treatment. A person with intermittent psychotic episodes shall be punished if he or she commits any violation of public security administration when he or she is in a normal mental state. If a person with mental illness or a person with intellectual disability who has not completely lost his or her ability to recognize or control his or her behavior commits any violation of public security administration, the person shall be punished, but a lighter or mitigated punishment may be given.
Article 14 A blind or a deaf and mute person who commits any violation of public security administration may be given a lighter or mitigated punishment or may be exempted from punishment.
Article 15 An intoxicated person who commits any violation of public security administration shall be punished.
If any intoxicated person in a state of intoxication may cause danger to himself or herself or threaten any other person's personal or property safety or public security, protective measures shall be taken to restrain him or her until he or she sobers up.
Article 16 Where a person commits two or more violations of public security administration, decisions shall be made separately, but punishments shall be executed concurrently. The maximum time period for the concurrently executed punishments of administrative detention shall not exceed 20 days.
Article 17 Where two or more persons jointly commit a violation of public security administration, they shall be punished respectively based on their respective roles in the violation.
Whoever instigates, coerces, or induces any other person to commit any violation of public security administration shall be punished according to the act committed as a result of his or her instigation, coercion, or inducement.
Article 18 Where an entity commits any violation of public security administration, the directly liable person in charge of the entity and other directly liable persons shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of this Law. If any other law or administrative regulation prescribes that the punishment shall be imposed on an entity for the same violation, the entity shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of such a law or administrative regulation.
Article 19 The act of stopping an ongoing illegal infringement which causes damage does not constitute a violation of public security administration and shall not be punished. If the act of stopping evidently exceeds the limits of necessity and causes considerable damage, a punishment shall be imposed on the violator in accordance with the law, but a mitigated punishment shall be given. If the circumstances are relatively minor, no punishment shall be imposed on the violator.
Article 20 Where the violation of public security administration falls under any of the following circumstances, the violator shall be given a lighter or mitigated punishment or be exempted from punishment:
(1) The circumstances are minor.
(2) The violator has taken the initiative to eliminate or mitigate the consequences of the violation.
(3) The violator has obtained the forgiveness of the victim.
(4) The violator is forced or induced by any other person to commit the violation.
(5) The violator voluntarily surrenders and truthfully makes a statement on his or her illegal conduct to the public security authority.
(6) The violator has performed meritorious service.
Article 21 A violator of public security administration may be given a lenient punishment in accordance with the law if he or she voluntarily and truthfully states his or her illegal conduct to the public security authority, admits the facts of his or her illegal conduct, and is willing to accept the punishment.
Article 22 Where the violation of public security administration falls under any of the following circumstances, the violator shall be given a heavier punishment:
(1) Any relatively serious consequence has been caused.
(2) The violator instigates, coerces, or induces any other person to commit the violation of public security administration.
(3) The violator retaliates against the reporting party, accuser, informant, or witness.
(4) The violator has been subject to any public security administration punishment within one year.
Article 23 Where a violator of public security administration falls under any of the following circumstances, although he or she shall be given a punishment of administrative detention in accordance with this Law, the punishment of administrative detention shall not be executed:
(1) The violator has attained the age of 14 but is under the age of 16.
(2) The violator has attained the age of 16 but is under the age of 18, and the violation of public security administration is committed for the first time.
(3) The violator is over 70 years old.
(4) The violator is pregnant or breastfeeding her baby who is under one year old.
If the circumstances of the violation of public security administration committed by the violator specified in subparagraph (1), (2), or (3) of the preceding paragraph are serious and the effects are adverse, or if the violator specified in subparagraph (1) or (3) commits any violation of public security administration twice or more within one year, it shall not be subject to the restriction specified in the preceding paragraph.
Article 24 Where a minor is exempt from punishment in accordance with the provisions of Article 12 of this Law or is exempt from the punishment of administrative detention in accordance with the provisions of Article 23 of this Law, the public security authority shall take corresponding correction and education and other measures in accordance with the provisions of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency.
Article 25 Where any violation of public security administration has not been found by the public security authority within six months, no punishment shall be imposed on the violator.
The time period specified in the preceding paragraph shall be calculated from the date when the violation of public security administration is committed; and if the violation of public security administration is in a consecutive or continuous state, the time period shall be calculated from the date when the violation ends.
Chapter III Violations of Public Security Administration and Punishments
Section 1 Acts Disrupting Public Order and Punishments
Article 26 Whoever commits any of the following conduct shall be warned or fined not more than 500 yuan; and if the circumstances are relatively serious, shall be detained for not less than five days nor more than 10 days and may be fined not more than 1,000 yuan:
(1) Disrupting the order of any authority, group, enterprise, or public institution, thus making it impossible for the work, production, business operation, medical services, teaching, or scientific research to proceed normally without causing any serious loss.
(2) Disrupting the order of any station, port, dock, airport, shopping mall, park, exhibition hall, or any other public place.
(3) Disrupting the order on any public bus, trolleybus, urban rail transit vehicle, train, ship, aircraft, or other means of public transport.
(4) Illegally intercepting or forcibly boarding or holding on to any motor vehicle, ship, aircraft, or other means of transport, thus affecting the normal operation of the means of transport.
(5) Disrupting the order of any election conducted in accordance with the law.
If a crowd is gathered to commit any of the conduct as mentioned in the preceding paragraph, the ringleader shall be detained for not less than 10 days nor more than 15 days and may be fined not more than 2,000 yuan.
Article 27 Where a person commits any of the following conduct during a national examination prescribed by laws and administrative regulations, thus disrupting the order of the examination, the person shall be fined not less than one time nor more than five times the amount of illegal proceeds, and if there are no illegal proceeds therefrom or the illegal proceeds are less than 1,000 yuan, shall be fined not less than 1,000 yuan nor more than 3,000 yuan; and if the circumstances are relatively serious, shall be detained for not less than five days nor more than 15 days.
(1) Organizing cheating.
(2) Providing any cheating device or other assistance for any other person to organize cheating.
(3) Illegally selling or providing examination questions or answers to any other person in order to cheat in the examination.
(4) Taking the examination on behalf of any other person or having any other person take the examination on his or her behalf.
Article 28 Whoever commits any of the following conduct to disrupt the order of any sports, cultural, or any other large-scale public activity shall be warned or fined not more than 500 yuan; and if the circumstances are serious, shall be detained for not less than five days nor more than 10 days and may be fined not more than 1,000 yuan:
(1) Forcibly entering the venue.
(2) Setting off fireworks, firecrackers, or other items in the venue in violation of relevant provisions.
(3) Displaying any insulting slogan, banner, or other item.
(4) Besieging any referee, athlete, or other staff member.
(5) Throwing debris into the venue and refusing to be stopped.
(6) Other acts that disrupt the order of large-scale public activities.
A person who is subject to the punishment of detention for disrupting the order of a sports competition or cultural performance may, at the same time, be ordered not to enter a sports venue or performance venue to watch the same type of competitions or performances for six months to one year. A person who enters a sports venue or performance venue in violation of the provisions shall be forcibly removed from the scene and may be detained for not more than five days or be fined not more than 1,000 yuan.
Article 29 Whoever commits any of the following conduct shall be detained for not less than five days nor more than 10 days and may be fined not more than 1,000 yuan; and if the circumstances are relatively minor, shall be detained for not more than five days or be fined not more than 1,000 yuan:
(1) Intentionally disrupting the public order by intentionally spreading any rumor, falsely reporting any dangerous situation, epidemic disease, disaster, or police situation, or by other means.
(2) Disrupting the public order by throwing any false explosive, toxic, radioactive, or corrosive substance, infectious disease pathogen, or other hazardous substance.
(3) Disrupting the public order by threatening to set fire, set off explosions, throw hazardous substances, or commit any other criminal act that endangers public security.
Article 30 Whoever commits any of the following conduct shall be detained for not less than five days nor more than 10 days or be fined not more than 1,000 yuan; and if the circumstances are relatively serious, shall be detained for not less than ten days nor more than 15 days and may be fined not more than 2,000 yuan:
(1) Gang fighting or assaulting any other person at will.
(2) Chasing or intercepting any other person.
(3) Taking or demanding forcibly, or destroying, damaging, or occupying at will public or private property.
(4) Other acts of picking fights and troubles that disturb any other person without any cause or disrupt the social order.
Article 31 Whoever commits any of the following conduct shall be detained for not less than 10 days nor more than 15 days and may be fined not more than 2,000 yuan; and if the circumstances are relatively minor, shall be detained for not less than five days nor more than 10 days and may be fined not more than 1,000 yuan:
(1) Arranging for, instigating, coercing, inducing, or inciting any other person to carry out activities of any cult or superstitious sect or secret society, illegal religious activities, or disrupting the social order or impairing the physical health of any other person by using any cult organization, superstitious sect, or secret society, or superstitious activity.
(2) Engaging in activities that disrupt the social order or impairing the physical health of any other person under the guise of any religion or Qigong.
(3) Making or spreading items, information, or materials with the content of any cult organization, superstitious sect, or secret society.
Article 32 Whoever commits any of the following conduct in violation of the provisions issued by the state shall be detained for not less than five days nor more than 10 days; and if the circumstances are serious, shall be detained for not less than 10 days nor more than 15 days.
(1) Intentionally interfering with the normal operation of radio services.
(2) Causing harmful interference to any normally operating radio station, and refusing to take effective measures to eliminate the interference after being reminded by the appropriate authority.
(3) Setting up any radio broadcasting station, communication base station, or any other radio station without approval, or illegally using or occupying radio frequencies to engage in illegal activities.
Article 33 Whoever commits any of the following conduct shall be detained for not more than five days if any damage has been caused; and if the circumstances are relatively serious, shall be detained for not less than five days nor more than 15 days:
(1) In violation of the provisions issued by the state, intruding into a computer information system or obtaining the data stored, processed, or transmitted in a computer information system, or exercising illegal control over a computer information system by other technical means.
(2) In violation of the provisions issued by the state, deleting, altering, adding, or interfering with the functions of a computer information system.
(3) In violation of the provisions issued by the state, deleting, altering, or adding the data and applications stored, processed, or transmitted in a computer information system.
(4) Internationally producing or spreading any computer virus or other destructive programs.
(5) Providing programs or tools specially used for intruding into or illegally controlling a computer information system, or providing programs or tools to any other person, although knowing that such a person is committing the illegal or criminal conduct of intruding into or illegally controlling a computer information system.
Article 34 Whoever organizes or leads pyramid sale activities shall be detained for not less than 10 days nor more than 15 days; and if the circumstances are relatively minor, shall be detained for not less than five days nor more than 10 days.
Whoever coerces or induces others to participate in pyramid sale activities shall be detained for not less than five days nor more than 10 days; and if the circumstances are relatively serious, shall be detained for not less than 10 days nor more than 15 days.
Article 35 Whoever commits any of the following conduct shall be detained for not less than five days nor more than 10 days or be fined not less than 1,000 yuan nor more than 3,000 yuan; and if the circumstances are relatively serious, shall be detained for not less than 10 days nor more than 15 days and may be fined not more than 5,000 yuan:
(1) Intentionally engaging in any activities contrary to the theme and atmosphere of celebration, commemoration, memorial, public memorial, or other important activities held by the state in the venues where such important activities are held and the surrounding controlled areas and disregarding dissuasion, causing an adverse social impact.
(2) Engaging in activities that damage the environment and atmosphere for commemorating heroes and martyrs within the protected area of memorial facilities for heroes and martyrs, disregarding persuasion, or occupying, damaging, or defiling the memorial facilities for heroes and martyrs.
(3) Infringing upon the name, portrait, reputation, or honor of any hero or martyr by insulting, defaming, or other means, causing damage to the public interest.
(4) Desecrating or denying the deeds and spirit of any hero or martyr, or producing, disseminating, or spreading speeches, pictures, audio and video recordings, or other items that advocate or glorify wars of aggression or acts of aggression, thereby disrupting the public order.
(5) Wearing or forcing others to wear in public places clothes or signs that advocate or glorify wars of aggression or acts of aggression, and disregarding dissuasion, causing an adverse social impact.
Section 2 Acts Endangering Public Security and Punishments
Article 36 Whoever, in violation of the provisions issued by the state, produces, trades in, stores, transports, mails, carries, uses, provides, or disposes of any explosive, toxic, radioactive, or corrosive substance, infectious disease pathogen, or other hazardous substance shall be detained for not less than 10 days nor more than 15 days; and if the circumstances are relatively minor, shall be detained for not less than five days nor more than 10 days.
Article 37 Where any explosive, toxic, radioactive, or corrosive substance, infectious disease pathogen, or other hazardous substance is stolen, robbed, or lost and no report is filed as required, the violator shall be detained for not more than five days; and if the violator intentionally conceals the relevant information, the violator shall be detained for not less than five days nor more than 10 days.
Article 38 Whoever illegally carries any gun, ammunition, crossbow, dagger, or other controlled device prescribed by the state shall be detained for not more than five days and may be fined not more than 1,000 yuan; and if the circumstances are relatively minor, shall be warned or fined not more than 500 yuan.
Whoever illegally carries any gun, ammunition, crossbow, dagger, or other controlled device prescribed by the state into a public place or means of public transport shall be detained for not less than five days nor more than 10 days and may be fined not more than 1,000 yuan.
Article 39 Whoever commits any of the following conduct shall be detained for not less than ten days nor more than 15 days; and if the circumstances are relatively minor, shall be detained for not more than five days:
(1) Stealing, damaging, or destroying oil and gas pipeline facilities, electric power and telecommunications facilities, radio and television facilities, water conservancy engineering facilities, public water supply facilities, highways and their affiliated facilities, or hydrological monitoring, measurement, meteorological forecasting, ecological and environmental monitoring, geological monitoring, earthquake monitoring, or other public facilities, thereby endangering public security.
(2) Moving, damaging, or destroying any boundary marker or boundary post along the national border or any other border marker or border facilities, or benchmark marking facilities for territorial land or territorial sea.
(3) Illicitly conducting any activity that may affect the direction of the national border (boundary) line or building any facilities that may obstruct national border (border area) administration.
Article 40 Whoever steals, damages, or moves without authorization any aviation facilities in use, or forcibly enters the cockpit of any aircraft shall be detained for not less than 10 days nor more than 15 days.
Whoever uses any device or tool that may affect the normal functions of the navigation system on an aircraft in use and disregards persuasion shall be detained for not more than five days or fined not more than 1,000 yuan.
Whoever steals, damages, or moves without authorization the facilities or equipment of other means of public transport in use, or interferes with the normal operation of the means of public transport by forcibly controlling the driving control device, pulling or assaulting the driver, or other methods shall be detained for not more than five days or fined not more than 1,000 yuan; and if the circumstances are relatively serious, shall be detained for not less than five days nor more than 10 days.
Article 41 Whoever commits any of the following conduct shall be detained for not less than five days nor more than ten days, and may be fined not more than 1,000 yuan; and if the circumstances are relatively minor, shall be detained for not more than five days or be fined not more than 1,000 yuan:
(1) Stealing, damaging, destroying, or moving without authorization any railway or urban rail transit facilities, equipment, locomotive fittings, or safety signs.
(2) Placing obstacles on railway or urban rail transit lines or intentionally throwing items at trains.
(3) Digging pits, quarrying stones and extracting sand along railway lines, urban rail transit lines, bridges, tunnels, or culverts.
(4) Privately setting up road junctions or level crossings on railway or urban rail transit lines.
Article 42 Whoever enters the railway or urban rail transit protective net without authorization, or walks, sits, or lies down on a railway or urban rail transit line when a train or urban rail transit train is approaching, rushes across the railway or urban rail transit line, thereby endangering traffic safety, shall be warned or fined not more than 500 yuan.
Article 43 Whoever commits any of the following conduct shall be detained for not more than five days or be fined not more than 1,000 yuan; and if the circumstances are serious, shall be detained for not less than ten days nor more than 15 days and may be fined not more than 1,000 yuan:
(1) Installing or using any power grid without approval, or installing or using any power grid in noncompliance with safety requirements.
(2) Failing to place any cover, fence, or warning sign for a pit, well, ridge, or hole in a construction site where vehicles and pedestrians pass, or intentionally damaging, destroying, or moving the cover, fence, or warning sign.
(3) Stealing, damaging, or destroying public facilities, such as well lids and lighting devices on a road.
(4) Releasing ascending items carrying open flames in violation of the provisions of relevant laws and regulations, posing a risk of fire accidents, and disregarding persuasion.
(5) Throwing items from buildings or other heights, posing a danger to the personal safety of any other person, the safety of public or private property, or public security.
Article 44 Whoever holds any sports, cultural, or large-scale mass activities in violation of relevant provisions, posing a risk of safety accidents, and refuses to take corrective action or is unable to take corrective action after being ordered by the public security authority to do so shall be ordered to stop such activities and evacuate immediately. The di......