(1)(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, any person violating any provision of this chapter or any rule or regulation adopted hereunder is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(b) A second or subsequent violation is a gross misdemeanor. Any offense committed more than five years after a previous conviction shall be considered a first offense.

(2) Whenever the director finds that a person has committed a violation of any of the provisions of this chapter, and that violation has not been punished pursuant to subsection (1) of this section, the director may impose upon and collect from the violator a civil penalty not exceeding one thousand dollars per violation per day. Each violation shall be a separate and distinct offense.

Intent—Effective date—2003 c 53: See notes following RCW 2.48.180.