Title 10. Unclaimed Property · Chapter 7. Unclaimed Property Law · Article 1. Short Title; Definitions; Application · Last amended 2008 · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1502 keeps this chapter from applying to certain property already held by government entities, including municipal utility district funds, local agency funds transferable to a general fund under other statutes, and court funds movable to the Trial Court Operations Fund, along with any property governed by the six earlier chapters of this title.
(a)This chapter does not apply to any of the following:
(1)Any property in the official custody of a municipal utility district.
(2)Any property in the official custody of a local agency if such property may be transferred to the general fund of such agency under the provisions of Sections 50050- 50053 of the Government Code.
(3)Any property in the official custody of a court if the property may be transferred to the Trial Court Operations Fund under Section 68084.1 of the Government Code.
(b)None of the provisions of this chapter applies to any type of property received by the state under the provisions of Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 1300) to Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 1440), inclusive, of this title.
Plain-English Summary
Not every government-held fund needs a second layer of unclaimed-property rules on top of the statute that already governs it, and Section 1502 draws that boundary. This chapter does not apply to property in the official custody of a municipal utility district, to local agency property that other Government Code provisions already let the agency sweep into its own general fund, or to court property that Government Code Section 68084.1 already routes to the Trial Court Operations Fund.
The section adds a second, broader exclusion: none of this chapter applies to property the state receives under Chapters 1 through 6 of this same title. Those earlier chapters set out their own distinct disposition schemes, covering things like estates of deceased persons and other categories of abandoned property, and Section 1502 keeps this chapter's rules from overlapping or conflicting with rules that already exist elsewhere in Title 10.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this chapter apply to unclaimed money held by a municipal utility district?
No. Section 1502 excludes property in the official custody of a municipal utility district entirely.
Does this chapter apply to court funds that another statute already sends to the Trial Court Operations Fund?
No. Section 1502 excludes property transferable under Government Code Section 68084.1.
Why does this chapter avoid overlapping with the earlier chapters of Title 10?
Because Chapters 1 through 6 already set out their own disposition rules for the property they cover, and Section 1502 keeps this chapter from duplicating or conflicting with those separate schemes.
Amendment History
Amended by Stats 2007 ch 738 (AB 1248),s 6, eff. 1/1/2008. Amended by Stats 2004 ch 227 (SB 1102),s 13, eff. 8/16/2004.
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 law exclusions californiachapter inapplicable government funds