国务院关于贯彻实施《中华人民共和国行政处罚法》的通知

Circular of the State Council Regarding the Implementation of Law of the People’s Republic of China on Administrative Punishments

《中华人民共和国行政处罚法》（以下简称行政处罚法）将于１９９６年１０月１日起施行。

The Law of the People’s Republic of China on Administrative Punishments (hereinafter referred to as the Law on Administrative Punishments) shall go into effect on October 1, 1996. 

这是我国社会主义民主与法制建设的一件大事，对于规范行政机关行为、促进依法行政、改进行政管理工作、加强廉政建设、维护社会秩序和公共利益，对于保护公民、法人和其他组织的合法权益，都有重要意义。

This is a great event in China’s socialist democracy and legal system construction, and of great importance in standardizing administrative organs’ acts, promoting the legality of administrative acts, improving the government administration, strengthening the construction of an honest and clean government, maintaining the social order, safeguarding the public interests and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of citizens, legal persons and other organizations. 

保证行政处罚法全面、正确地实施并以此促进各级政府和政府各部门严格依法行政，是各级行政机关的一项重要职责，也是政府法制建设的一项重要任务。

It is an important duty for all administrative organs to ensure a complete and correct implementation of the Law on Administrative Punishments and so as to impel the governments at various levels and all government departments to conduct administration in strict accordance with the law, which is also a major task in the government legal system construction. 

地方各级人民政府、国务院各部门对行政处罚法的施行要予以高度重视，切实做好各项准备工作。为此，特作如下通知：

Local people’s governments at various levels and all departments of the State Council shall attach great importance to the implementation of the Law on Administrative Punishments and be sure to make the preparations well. This Circular are hereby issued for that purpose.

一、认真学习行政处罚法，充分认识实施行政处罚法对行政机关产生的影响。

1. Seriously Study the Law on Administration Punishments and Fully Realize the Effects Brought to the Administrative Organs by the Law on Administrative Punishments.

行政处罚法是规范政府行为的一部重要法律，与行政机关的关系重大。

The Law on Administrative Punishments is an important law for standardizing the government administration and has an important bearing on administrative organs.

其所确立的行政处罚设定权制度、实施行政处罚的主体资格制度、相对集中行政处罚权制度、听证制度、罚款决定与罚款收缴相分离制度、政府对行政处罚的监督制度等，是对现行行政处罚制度的重大改革，对改革政府机构、转变政府职能和加强政府法制建设都将产生深远影响。

With the establishment of the systems about the power of setting administrative punishments, qualifications for implementing administrative punishments, relative concentration of the authority of administrative punishments, hearing, separation of the decision and collection of a fine and the government’s supervision over administrative punishments, the Law on Administrative Punishments shall bring about a significant reform in the existing administrative punishment system and have a profound significance in the reform of government organs, transformation of government functions and the strengthening of the government legal system construction. 

各级行政机关工作人员、特别是领导干部，都要以积极的态度认真学习行政处罚法，充分认识实施行政处罚法的重要意义。

Personnel, especially the leaders, of administrative organs at various levels shall conscientiously and seriously study the Law on Administrative Punishments, fully realize the importance of the implementation of the Law on Administrative Punishments. 

各地方、各部门要本着学用结合的原则，抓紧对行政执法人员的培训，使行政执法人员掌握行政处罚法的规定。

All localities and departments shall, in line with the principle of combining study with practice, pay close attention to the training of administrative law-enforcing personnel, making the personnel have a good grasp of the Law on Administrative Punishments. 

政府法制工作机构要在本级政府或者本部门的统一领导下，具体组织本地方、本部门的培训工作。

The government’s office of legislative affairs shall, under the unified leadership of the government at the same level or the central government’s office of legislative affairs, organize the training within their own locality and department. 

同时，各地方、各部门要利用宣传舆论工具，采取生动有效的形式，向人民群众宣传行政处罚法，形成学法、知法、守法和人民群众依法维护自己合法权益的舆论和环境。

Various localities and departments shall, through the media and means of publicity and in vivid and effective forms, publicize the Law on Administrative Punishments among the masses of the people, so as to form an opinion and environment in favor of people’s learning, knowing and observing laws and safeguarding their own legitimate rights and interests according to law.

二、抓紧做好规章的修订工作。

2. Pay Close Attention to the Revision of Regulations.

根据行政处罚法的规定，行政处罚只能由法律、法规或者规章设定，其他规范性文件不得设定行政处罚；规章只能设定警告或者一定数量的罚款；

According to the provisions of the Law on Administrative Punishments, administrative punishments may only be set by laws, regulations and rules, no other regulatory documents may set administrative punishments; rules may only set warnings and fines of certain amount; 

对违法行为给予行政处罚的规定必须公布，未经公布的，不得作为行政处罚的依据。

provisions imposing administrative punishments on illegal acts must be published, otherwise, they may not be taken as legal basis for administrative punishments. 

据此，现行许多规章都要依照行政处罚法的规定予以修改或者废止，许多规范性文件设定的行政处罚将要失去效力。

Accordingly, a lot of rules currently in effect shall be amended or annulled in accordance with the Law on Administrative Punishments, and many administrative punishments set by regulatory documents shall become invalid. 

各地方、各部门要从维护国家法制的统一和尊严的高度，抓紧清理规章，对确实需要制定行政法规或者地方性法规的，要抓紧总结经验，依法上升为行政法规或者地方性法规；

Various localities and departments shall, in view of guarding the unity and sanctity of the country’s legal system, hasten to check up the rules and, if there is a need to formulate administrative regulations or local regulations, sum up experience and raise them up to administrative regulations or local regulations; 

对规章中个别行政处罚条款超过行政处罚法规定而行政管理又需要的，应当报经国务院批准或者省、自治区、直辖市人大常委会批准。

specific articles concerning administrative punishments in rules which go beyond the bounds of the Law on Administrative Punishments but are necessary for the administration shall be submitted to the State Council or the standing committee of the people’s congress of the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the central government for approval. 

其他规范性文件设定的行政处罚，自行政处罚法施行之日起，一律无效。

Administrative punishments set by other regulatory documents shall all become invalid starting the effective date of the Law on Administrative Punishments.

修订规章的工作要在１９９７年１２月３１日前完成。

The work of revision of rules shall be completed before December 31, 1997.

在这之前，现行规章已规定的行政处罚仍然有效。

Administrative punishments provided for in existing rules shall remain in force until that day. 

但是，行政处罚法施行后制定的规章新设定行政处罚，必须依照行政处罚法的规定执行。

However, administrative punishments newly set by rules formulated after the implementation of the Law on Administrative punishments must be in conformity with the provisions of the Law on Administrative Punishments. 

国务院各部门制定的规章对非经营活动中的违法行为设定罚款不得超过１０００元；

Fines set by rules of departments of the State Council for illegal acts in non-profit-seeking activities may not exceed 1,000 yuan;

对经营活动中的违法行为，有违法所得的，设定罚款不得超过违法所得的３倍，但是最高不得超过３００００元，没有违法所得的，设定罚款不得超过１００００元；超过上述限额的，应当报国务院批准。

 with regard to illegal acts in profit-seeking activities, the fine may not exceed three times the illegal earnings, if any, with a maximum of 30,000 yuan, or may not exceed 10,000 yuan, if there is no illegal earning; those going beyond the aforesaid limits shall be submitted to the State Council for approval. 

地方政府规章设定罚款的限额，由省、自治区、直辖市人大常委会规定，可以不受上述规定的限制。

The limits for fines set by rules of local governments shall be determined by the standing committee of the people’s congress of the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the central government with no subjection to the above-mentioned limits.

三、依法清理行政执法机构，高度重视行政执法队伍建设。

3. Check up Administrative Law-Enforcing Institutions According to Law and Attach Great Importance to the Building of Administrative Law-Enforcing Contingent.

根据行政处罚法规定，行政处罚原则上只能由行政机关实施；

According to the provisions of the Law on Administrative Punishments, administrative punishments may only be implemented by administrative organs in principle. 

非行政机关的企业、事业单位未经法律、法规授权，不得行使行政处罚权；

Enterprises and institutions as non-administrative organizations may not exercise the power of administrative punishments except authorized by laws or regulations; 

没有法律、法规或者规章的明确规定，行政机关不得委托事业组织实施行政处罚。

without explicit provisions by laws, regulations or rules, no administrative organs may authorize institutional organizations to implement administrative punishments. 

各地方、各部门对这一规定要高度重视，抓紧清理现行各类行政执法机构，凡是行政机关内设机构以自己名义实施行政处罚的，或者法律、法规以外的其他规范性文件授权组织实施行政处罚的，或者没有法律、法规、规章依据行政机关自行委托组织实施行政处罚的，都要尽快予以纠正。

All localities and departments shall attach great importance to those provisions, pay close attention to the work of checking up the existing administrative lawenforcing institutions of various types, and as early as possible rectify the cases where administrative organs set up inner establishments to implement administrative punishments on their own behalf, regulatory documents other than laws and regulations authorize any organization to implement administrative punishments, or, without legal basis provided by laws, regulations or rules, administrative organs entrust organizations by themselves to implement administrative punishments. 

今后，各地方、各部门设立新的执法机构，必须符合法定条件，哪个地方、哪个部门出现不符合法定条件的机关或者组织实施行政处罚的情况，要追究哪个地方或者部门领导的责任。

From now on, lawenforcing institutions newly established by various localities and departments must be lawfully qualified, or if any locality or department has disqualified organs or organizations implement administrative punishments, the leaders of the locality or department shall be investigated for responsibility.

当前，行政执法队伍中，有些人员的素质不高，有的以权谋私，不给好处不办事，给了好处乱办事，有的甚至贪赃枉法，走上了犯罪道路；

Some persons in the administrative law-enforcing contingent are low in quality at present. Some of them abuse power for personal gains, refusing to provide service without personal gains or misusing power just for personal gains. Some of them even pervert justice for bribes and break the criminal law. 

有的地方、部门聘用合同工、临时工从事执法工作，经费和其他保障条件又不具备，导致执法人员的整体素质下降，影响政府形象。

Some localities and departments employ contract or temporary workers to carry out the work of law-enforcement without necessary funds and other necessary conditions, resulting in a decline in the general quality of the law-enforcing personnel and a damage to the image of the government. 

各地方、各部门对此必须引起高度注意，把建立高效、廉洁的执法队伍，作为贯彻实施行政处罚法、提高依法行政水平的关键工作来抓，切实抓出成效。

All localities and departments must pay close attention to that problem, regard the building of an efficient and honest and clean law-enforcing contingent as the key point of the work of implementing the Law on Administrative Punishments and raising the level of administration, and make the work effectively accomplished. 

要对执法人员加强党性教育、法制教育，使其增强工作责任心和依法办事的自觉性；

Strengthen the education of law-enforcing personnel in the Party spirit and legality, making them enhance their sense of responsibility and consciousness of acting according to law.

加强对执法人员的资格、证件和着装管理，停止合同工、临时工从事行政处罚工作。

Strengthen the control over the qualifications, certifications and clothing of law-enforcing personnel, and stop the situation that contract and temporary workers implement the administrative punishments.

四、加强对行政处罚的监督工作。

4. Strengthen the Supervision over Administrative Punishments.

行政处罚法明确规定，行政机关应当建立、健全对行政处罚的监督制度；县级以上人民政府应当加强对行政处罚的监督检查。

The Law on Administrative Punishments clearly stipulates that administrative organs shall establish and improve the system of supervision over administrative punishments, and the people’s governments at and above county level shall strengthen the supervision over and inspection on administrative punishments.

各地方、各部门要结合本地区、本部门的实际情况落实这一规定，建立和健全规范性文件、重大行政处罚的备案制度以及公民、法人和其他组织对行政处罚的申诉和检举制度、行政处罚决定制度、行政处罚统计制度等。

All localities and departments shall, in accordance with the actual situation of their own locality or department, implement those stipulations, establish and improve the filing system for regulatory documents and major cases of administrative punishments, the system for citizens, legal persons and other organizations to make appeals and accusation with regard to administrative punishments, the system for deciding administrative punishments and statistical system for administrative punishments, etc.. 

同时，要严格执行规章备案制度和行政复议条例，及时纠正违法设定和实施行政处罚的行为。

At the same time, the rules filing system and the Regulations on Administrative Consideration must be strictly implemented and the acts of illegally setting and implementing administrative punishments shall be rectified without delay.

县级以上地方人民政府加强对行政处罚的监督检查，是上级政府对下级政府、政府对其所属各部门行使监督权的重要形式，也是政府的一项重要责任。

The supervision and inspection by people’s governments at and above county level on administrative punishments is an important way by which people’s governments at higher levels exercise supervision over people’s governments at lower levels and government exercise supervision over its departments, and is also an important duty of the government.

县级以上地方人民政府要把对行政处罚的监督检查作为政府工作的一项重要内容，切实抓紧、抓好，务必抓出成效。

Local people’s governments at and above county level shall take the supervision and inspection on administrative punishments as an important content of the government’s work, pay close attention to it and be sure to obtain actual effect. 

要把行政处罚的设定权、实施行政处罚的主体资格、当场处罚、罚款决定与罚款收缴的分离等制度的执行情况作为重点进行检查。

The inspection shall lay emphasis on inspecting the situation of the implementation of systems as regarding the power of setting administrative punishments, qualifications for implementing administrative punishments, on-the-spot punishments and separation of decision and collection of fines, etc.. 

对检查中发现的问题，要采取有力措施，坚决予以纠正。

Problems discovered in the inspection shall be resolutely corrected by adopting energetic measures. 

各级地方人民政府及其各部门的法制工作机构要根据本级政府或者本部门的统一部署，具体组织、承担对行政处罚的监督检查工作。

The office of legislative affairs under either local people’s governments at various levels or their various departments shall, in accordance with the unified plan of the government at the same level or their own department, organize and undertake the supervision and inspection of administrative punishments.

五、积极探索建立有利于提高行政执法的权威和效率的行政执法体制。

5. Take Vigorous Action to Seek and Establish an Administrative Law Enforcement System Which Can Help Improve the Authority and Efficiency of Administrative Law-Enforcement.

各省、自治区、直辖市人民政府要认真做好相对集中行政处罚权的试点工作，结合本地方实际提出调整行政处罚权的意见，报国务院批准后施行；

People’s governments of various provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government shall conduct experiments in relatively centralizing the power to make administrative punishments and, in accordance with the local conditions, put forward a proposal on adjusting the power to make administrative punishments and implement it after submitted to and approved by the State Council. 

国务院各部门要认真研究适应社会主义市场经济要求的行政执法体制，支持省、自治区、直辖市人民政府做好相对集中行政处罚权工作。

Various departments of the State Council shall research an administrative punishment system that is compatible with the socialist market economy, and give support to people’s governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government in the work of relatively centralizing the power to make administrative punishments. 

各地方、各部门都要认真执行听证制度、调查取证与处罚决定分开制度、罚款决定与罚款收缴分离制度。

All localities and departments shall seriously implement the system of hearing, separation of investigation for evidence and decision of punishment, and separation of decision and collection of fines. 

要根据行政处罚法的规定确定听证的范围，明确主持听证的人员，制定听证规则；确定行政机关内部比较超脱的机构对调查结果进行初步审查；改革行政执法机关经费管理体制，改变行政处罚与行政执法机关及其执法人员的利益直接挂钩的做法。

They shall, in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Administrative Punishments, define the scope of hearing, determine persons taking charge of the hearing, formulate hearing rules, choose a relative detached institution in the administrative organ for conducting preliminary examination on the investigation results, reform the system for managing the funds of administrative law-enforcing organs and check the way of making the administrative punishments directly contacted with the interests of the administrative law-enforcing organs and personnel.

六、以贯彻实施行政处罚法为契机，把政府法制工作提高到新的水平。

6. Grasp the Moment when the Law on Administrative Punishments Is to Be Implemented and Raise the Legal Work of the Government to a New Level.

经八届全国人大四次会议批准的《国民经济和社会发展“九五”计划和２０１０年远景目标纲要》明确提出：“依法治国，建设社会主义法制国家。”

The Ninth Five-Year Plan and the Long-Term Target Program for the Year 2010 of the National Economy and Social Development approved by the Fourth Session of the Eighth National People’s Congress calls for managing state affairs according to law and building China into a country of socialist legal system. 

这是实现国家长治久安的重要保证，对政府法制工作也提出了新的更高要求。

That is an important guarantee for the country’s lasting political stability and it also ask more of the legal work of the government. 

各级政府和政府各部门都要充分认识做好新时期政府法制工作的重要性，切实加强对政府法制工作的领导，把加强政府法制建设真正提到政府工作的重要位置，列入重要议程。

Governments at all levels and all their departments shall fully realize the importance of effectively carrying out the government legal work in the new period, strengthen the leadership over the government legal work, put the construction of the government legal system to an important place in the work of the government and place it on the agenda as an important item. 

当前，要通过实施行政处罚法，使政府的立法工作、执法工作和执法监督工作等再上一个新台阶，提高依法行政的水平。

What is important at present is to lift the work concerning the government legislative affairs, law-enforcement and supervision over the law-enforcement up to a new step and raise the level of administration through the implementation of the Law on Administrative Punishments.

加强政府法制工作，实施行政处罚法，必须有一支政治素质和业务素质较高的政府法制工作专业队伍。

For strengthening the government legal work and implementing the Law on Administrative Punishments, there must be a special contingent with relatively high political and professional qualities. 

县级以上地方人民政府及其各部门，都要采取切实有效的措施加强政府法制工作机构，使政府法制工作机构的设置和人员配备同本地区、本部门的政府法制工作任务相适应，为他们开展工作创造必要条件，充分发挥他们在政府工作中的参谋、助手作用。

People’s governments at and above county level and all their departments shall take effective actions to reinforce the institutions for government legislative affairs, make the establishments and the personnel meet the demands of the tasks of government legislative affairs of their own locality or department, create necessary conditions for them to develop the work and give full play to their role as an advisor and assistant in the government operation.

各地方、各部门接到本通知后，要结合本地方、本部门的实际情况，认真研究、落实。

All localities and departments shall, in accordance with the actual situation of their own locality and department, seriously study and implement this Circular after receiving it. 

有关重要情况和问题及时告之国务院法制局。

Important events and problems shall be reported to the Bureau of Legislative Affairs of the State Council without delay