It is the purpose of this title to provide for the receipt, custody, investment, management, disposal, escheat and permanent escheat of various classes of unclaimed property, to the possession of which the State is, or may become, entitled under the provisions of this title or under other provision of law.
§ 1305.Purpose
Title 10. Unclaimed Property · Chapter 1. General Provisions · Article 2. Purpose and Scope · Enacted 1708 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1305 states that Title 10 exists to govern the receipt, custody, investment, management, disposal, escheat, and permanent escheat of unclaimed property the state is or may become entitled to possess.
Full Text of § 1305
Plain-English Summary
This section is Title 10's mission statement. It does not create any specific right, duty, or procedure on its own -- it explains why the rest of the Title exists. The state, from time to time, ends up holding money or property nobody has claimed. This Title provides the rules for handling it, from the moment it first comes into the state's hands through however it eventually gets resolved.
The list of functions is deliberately broad: receiving the property, keeping custody of it, investing it where that makes sense, managing it, disposing of it, and moving it through escheat or permanent escheat when no owner appears. Later chapters fill in the mechanics for each of those functions; this section just marks out the territory they cover.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this section itself require anyone to do anything specific?
No -- it states the Title's overall purpose rather than imposing a particular obligation or procedure.
What kinds of property does this purpose statement cover?
Any unclaimed property the state is, or may become, entitled to possess under this Title or any other provision of law.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1951, Ch. 1708.
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
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