Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all unclaimed money or other property belonging to any person who dies while confined in any state institution subject to the jurisdiction of the Director of Corrections, which is paid or delivered to the State or any officer or employee thereof under the provisions of Section 5061 of the Penal Code, or under any amendment thereof adopted after the effective date of this section, shall be deemed to be paid or delivered for deposit in the State Treasury under the provisions of this article, and shall be transmitted, received, accounted for, and disposed of, as provided in this part.
§ 1446.Unclaimed Money Or Other Property Belonging to Person Who Dies While Confined In State Institution Subject to Jurisdiction of Director of Corrections
Title 10. Unclaimed Property · Chapter 6. Disposition of Unclaimed Property · Article 1. Estates of Deceased Persons · Enacted 1708 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1446 provides that unclaimed money or property belonging to a person who dies while confined in a state institution under the Director of Corrections, and which is paid or delivered to the state under Penal Code Section 5061, is deemed paid under this article and handled by this part's transmission and disposition rules.
Full Text of § 1446
Plain-English Summary
People sometimes die while incarcerated, leaving behind belongings or money nobody comes to collect. This section makes sure that property funnels into the same disposition system as any other unclaimed estate asset. When a person confined in a state institution under the jurisdiction of the Director of Corrections dies and leaves unclaimed money or property, and that property gets paid or delivered to the state under Penal Code Section 5061, or any later amendment of that section, it counts as paid under this article.
That classification pulls the property into this part's ordinary rules for receiving, accounting for, and disposing of unclaimed estate assets, rather than leaving it to be handled under a separate, ad hoc procedure just because of where the person happened to die.
Frequently Asked Questions
What triggers this section's coverage?
The death of a person confined in a state institution under the Director of Corrections, leaving unclaimed money or property that is paid or delivered to the state under Penal Code Section 5061.
Does this section cover future amendments to Penal Code Section 5061?
Yes. It reaches property delivered under that section or any amendment of it adopted after this section's effective date.
How is this property handled once it's deemed paid under this article?
It is transmitted, received, accounted for, and disposed of according to the rules set out elsewhere in this part.
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
Also known as: unclaimed property deceased inmate californiapenal code 5061 unclaimed money deposit