§ 1504.Property Escheated Under Laws of Another State
Title 10. Unclaimed Property · Chapter 7. Unclaimed Property Law · Article 1. Short Title; Definitions; Application · Enacted 1968 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1504 keeps this chapter from reaching property that another state already escheated before September 18, 1959, and from requiring a holder to hand over property to California if that property was properly escheated and delivered to another state before 1970, without limiting the Controller's own right to recover it from that state.
(1)"Old act" means this chapter as it existed prior to January 1, 1969.
(2)"New act" means this chapter as it exists on and after January 1, 1969.
(3)"Property not subject to the old act" means property that was not presumed abandoned under the old act and would never have been presumed abandoned under the old act had the old act continued in existence on and after January 1, 1969, without change.
(b)This chapter does not apply to any property that was escheated under the laws of another state prior to September 18, 1959.
(c)This chapter does not require the holder to pay or deliver any property not subject to the old act to this state if the property was escheated under the laws of another state prior to January 1, 1969, and was delivered to the custody of that state prior to January 1, 1970, in compliance with the laws of that state. Nothing in this subdivision affects or limits the right of the State Controller to recover such property from the other state.
Plain-English Summary
Two states rarely fight over the same unclaimed property, but the possibility exists, and Section 1504 addresses the transition-era version of that problem. It first excludes property that had already escheated under another state's laws before September 18, 1959, from this chapter's reach entirely. It then goes further for property not covered by the old version of this chapter: if that property escheated under another state's law before January 1, 1969, and reached that state's custody before January 1, 1970, in compliance with that state's own laws, this chapter does not force the holder to hand it over to California instead.
That second protection for holders comes with an important caveat for the state itself. Nothing in this section limits the State Controller's own ability to go after that property from the other state directly. The section settles the holder's obligations, sparing a holder that already complied with another state's law from also having to satisfy California's, while leaving the question of which state ultimately keeps the property to be worked out between the states themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this chapter apply to property another state escheated before 1959?
No. Section 1504 excludes property escheated under another state's laws prior to September 18, 1959.
If a holder already delivered property to another state under that state's law, does California still require delivery here too?
Not if the escheat occurred before January 1, 1969, and delivery to the other state was completed before January 1, 1970, in compliance with that state's laws.
Does that protection for the holder mean California gives up any claim to the property?
No. The section expressly preserves the State Controller's right to recover the property from the other state.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1968, Ch. 356.
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:interstate escheat conflict californiaproperty escheated to another state