Guide to California (CPRA/CCPA Regs) Cookie Consent Compliance

Complete technical implementation guide for United States - California privacy regulations. Learn about consent requirements, banner elements, record keeping, and technical specifications.

Opt-out GPC Required Translation Required Children's Privacy Rules

Summary

This guide provides comprehensive technical implementation requirements for California (CPRA/CCPA Regs). Covers 'sharing' for cross-context behavioral advertising.

This jurisdiction follows an opt-out consent model, meaning websites can place certain cookies initially but must provide clear mechanisms for users to opt-out of non-essential tracking. Users must be informed about cookies and given easy options to refuse them.

Additional requirements for this jurisdiction include: recognition and automatic honoring of Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals sent by users' browsers, providing consent banners and privacy information in all required languages, and special protections and consent mechanisms for children's personal data.

Website owners and operators subject to these regulations must implement compliant cookie consent banners, maintain proper consent records, and ensure their tracking technologies respect user privacy choices. This guide outlines all technical requirements needed to achieve compliance.

Key Requirements Overview

Consent Model

Opt-out

Default State

Mixed

Cookie Walls

Discouraged

Technical Requirements

Prior consent for non-essential cookies

Purpose granularity required

Equal prominence for accept/reject buttons

No pre-checked boxes allowed

Dark patterns prohibited

Proof of consent required

Local storage covered by regulation

Implementation Guidance

Colorado AG designated GPC as acceptable universal opt-out mechanism (required by July 1, 2024). Sites must honor browser-level opt-out signals automatically. If not honoring universal signal, must provide "Colorado Request to Opt-Out" link. Dark patterns prohibited per AG rules: opt-out mechanisms must be clear, conspicuous, and not designed to subvert user choice.

Special Protections

Children's Privacy

California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act (2024) requires businesses with online services likely accessed by children to: configure privacy settings to highest level by default for child users, provide prominent privacy information, and not use personal information for purposes that present heightened risk without safeguards. Includes restrictions on profiling and behavioral advertising to minors.

Sensitive Data

Right to limit use/disclosure of sensitive PI.

Record Keeping Requirements

Required Consent Record Fields

For each consent action, you must maintain records containing:

Timestamp ISO
Opt Out Status
Policy Version
Jurisdiction Detected
Gpc Signal Status

Re-consent Trigger: Not Required Generally

CookieChimp handles all of this automatically. Our platform maintains comprehensive consent records including all required fields, timestamps, consent strings, IP addresses, user agents, and more. Records are securely stored and easily exportable for compliance audits. Learn more about our consent management

Legal References & Resources

Official legal documents and regulatory guidance for this jurisdiction:

Cal. Code Regs. tit. 11 § 7025

https://cppa.ca.gov/regulations/

California CPPA Regulations

https://cppa.ca.gov/regulations/

Legal Disclaimer: For engineering implementation guidance only. Not legal advice. This guide provides technical implementation guidance only and should not be considered legal advice. Privacy laws are complex and frequently updated. We recommend consulting with qualified legal counsel to ensure full compliance with applicable regulations.