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§ 1255.440.Conditions Specified In Order Not Satisfied

Title 7. Eminent Domain Law · Chapter 6. Deposit and Withdrawal of Probable Compensation; Possession Prior to Judgment · Article 3. Possession Prior to Judgment · Enacted 1975 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026

In one sentenceSection 1255.440 requires the court to vacate a possession order it previously issued under § 1255.410 if it later determines that the conditions the statute demands for that order were not satisfied after all.

Full Text of § 1255.440

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If an order has been made under Section 1255.410 authorizing the plaintiff to take possession of property and the court subsequently determines that the conditions specified in Section 1255.410 for issuance of the order are not satisfied, the court shall vacate the order.

Plain-English Summary

A possession order isn't the end of the inquiry into whether it should have issued. If the court made an order under § 1255.410 letting the plaintiff take possession, and later determines the conditions § 1255.410 requires weren't met, the court has no discretion about what comes next -- it must vacate the order.

This section works as a safety valve for the whole early-possession scheme: if it later turns out the plaintiff wasn't entitled to take the property by eminent domain, or the deposit didn't satisfy Article 1 after all, the property owner or occupant isn't stuck with a possession order that was never properly earned.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a possession order be undone after it's already issued?

Yes. If the court later determines the conditions § 1255.410 requires for that order weren't satisfied, it must vacate the order.

Is vacating the order discretionary, or does the court have to do it?

It's mandatory -- § 1255.440 says the court shall vacate the order once it makes that determination.

Amendment History

Added by Stats. 1975, Ch. 1275.

Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature. Last verified July 29, 2026. · Official source
Also known as: vacate possession order eminent domain california