APHIS Expands the Sweet Orange Scab Quarantined Area in California

FOR INFORMATION AND ACTION
DA-2026-18 
April 28, 2026

Subject: APHIS Expands the Sweet Orange Scab Quarantined Area in California

To: State, Tribal, and Territory Agricultural Regulatory Officials

Effective immediately, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), is expanding the area quarantined for sweet orange scab (SOS) in the Irvine area of Orange County and in the La Puente area of Los Angeles County in California. SOS is a disease caused by the fungus Elsinöe australis. APHIS is expanding the quarantined area by 43 square miles in Orange County and 66 square miles in Los Angeles County. APHIS is taking this action because of SOS detections in plant tissue samples collected from residential properties in Orange and Los Angeles Counties. This expansion does not impact commercial citrus.

APHIS is applying safeguarding measures outlined in Federal Order DA-2024-34 pertaining to the interstate movement of regulated articles from the quarantined areas in California. This measure parallels the intrastate quarantines that CDFA established on April 3 and April 8, 2026. This action is necessary to prevent the spread of SOS to non-infested areas of the United States.

The APHIS Sweet Orange Scab website has information on this disease, Federal Orders, APHIS approved packinghouse procedures, and a description of current Federal SOS quarantined areas.

For additional information you may contact: 

Abby R. Stilwell 
Agriculturalist 
(919) 323 -6296 
abby.r.stilwell@usda.gov

/s/

Matthew A. Rhoads 
Deputy Administrator 
Plant Protection and Quarantine