California Legal Codes and Statutes

§ 196

Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 170, Sec. 1. (AB 392) Effective January 1, 2020.

Homicide is justifiable when committed by peace officers and those acting by their command in their aid and assistance, under either of the following circumstances:

(a)In obedience to any judgment of a competent court.
(b)When the homicide results from a peace officer’s use of force that is in compliance with Section 835a.

Cite this section

Cal. Pen. Code § 196 (2026)
https://ca.codecond.com/codes/pen/part-1-of-crimes-and-punishments/title-8-of-crimes-against-the-person/chapter-1-homicide/section-196

Other sections in Chapter 1 - Homicide

§ 187§ 188§ 189§ 189.1§ 189.5§ 190§ 190.03§ 190.05§ 190.1§ 190.2…§ 193.5§ 193.7§ 193.8§ 194§ 195§ 196§ 197§ 198§ 198.5§ 199

This content is for reference, learning, and study purposes only. All legal text should be verified against the official California Legislative Information website, which is the authoritative source for California law. Data last processed: February 14, 2026.