Notwithstanding any other law, all unclaimed money or other property belonging to a person who dies while confined in a state institution subject to the jurisdiction of the State Department of State Hospitals, which is paid or delivered to the state or an officer or employee thereof under the provisions of Section 166 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, or under any amendment thereof adopted after the effective date of Chapter 1708 of the Statutes of 1951 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.
§ 1447.Money Or Other Property Belonging to Person Who Dies While Confined In State Institution Subject to Jurisdiction of State Department of State Hospitals
Title 10. Unclaimed Property · Chapter 6. Disposition of Unclaimed Property · Article 1. Estates of Deceased Persons · Last amended 2015 · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1447 deems unclaimed money or property belonging to a person who dies while confined in a state institution under the State Department of State Hospitals, and paid or delivered to the state under Welfare and Institutions Code Section 166, to have been paid under this article and subject to this part's disposition rules.
Full Text of § 1447
Plain-English Summary
This section is the State Department of State Hospitals counterpart to Section 1446's rule for the Department of Corrections. When a person confined in a state institution under the jurisdiction of the State Department of State Hospitals dies leaving unclaimed money or property, and that property is paid or delivered to the state under Welfare and Institutions Code Section 166, or a later amendment, it's deemed paid under this article.
As with the parallel provisions covering other state institutions, that classification means the same transmission, accounting, and disposition rules that apply to any other unclaimed estate property under this part apply here too, keeping the handling of these funds consistent no matter which state institution the person died in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which institutions does this section cover?
State institutions subject to the jurisdiction of the State Department of State Hospitals.
What Welfare and Institutions Code section does this rely on?
Section 166, or any amendment of it adopted after the effective date of the enacting legislation.
How does this section relate to Section 1446?
Section 1446 covers people who die in institutions under the Director of Corrections; this section covers the parallel situation for institutions under the State Department of State Hospitals.
Amendment History
Amended by Stats 2014 ch 144 (AB 1847),s 7, eff. 1/1/2015.
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 state hospital patientwelfare and institutions code 166 unclaimed money