Section 7: Violations & Penalties
Common Penalties
- Offside: 5 yards — same as NFL
- Procedure (false start): 5 yards — same as NFL
- Holding (offensive): 10 yards — same as NFL
- Pass interference (defensive): Spot foul — same as NFL (unlike NCAA's 15-yard maximum)
- Pass interference (offensive): 15 yards — same as NFL
- Rough play: 25 yards — CFL uses a 25-yard penalty for roughing the passer and other rough play infractions. NFL uses 15 yards.
- No yards: 15 yards if the ball is caught within the 5-yard zone; 5 yards if the ball is not caught. This penalty has no NFL equivalent since the NFL uses the fair catch.
- Time count violation: 5 yards (equivalent to delay of game in the NFL, but with the 20-second play clock)
- Too many players on the field: 10 yards — both teams must have exactly 12 players. This is called more frequently in the CFL because the extra player creates more opportunities for confusion.
- Illegal contact: 10 yards. Defenders cannot contact receivers beyond 5 yards from the line of scrimmage — same as NFL.
Objectionable Conduct
- Penalty: 25 yards — CFL uses a 25-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct and objectionable behavior, harsher than the NFL's 15 yards
- Taunting: 15 yards + possible ejection
- Disqualification: 2 objectionable conduct penalties = ejection from the game
Coach's Challenge
- Each team receives 1 challenge per game
- If the challenge is successful, the team retains its challenge (similar to NFL's system)
- In the last 3 minutes of each half, all reviews are initiated by the Command Centre in Toronto