54-05.1-07. Penalty

54-05.1-07. Penalty Any person who violates any provisions of this chapter is guilty of a class B misdemeanor except that a violation of section 54-05.1-02 or 54-05.1-03 is an infraction. Whether a person is subjected to criminal prosecution under this section, and in addition to the registration fee that may be assessed when the person submits the registration to the secretary of state, the person may be assessed a civil penalty by the secretary of state, following written notice to the person of an intent to assess the penalty, in an amount not to exceed two times the amount set forth in subdivision e of subsection 1 of section 54-05.1-03 which is chargeable to a lobbyist. Any civil penalty must be assessed and collected before a person is issued a certificate of registration. The assessment of a civil penalty may be appealed to the district court of the person's county of residence or Burleigh County, but only on the basis that the secretary of state's administrative determination that the person acted as a lobbyist when not registered as a lobbyist was clearly erroneous.