(a) The Controller shall establish and conduct a notification program designed to inform owners about the possible existence of unclaimed property received pursuant to this chapter.
§ 1531.5.Notification Program Designed to Inform Owners About Possible Existence of Unclaimed Property
Title 10. Unclaimed Property · Chapter 7. Unclaimed Property Law · Article 3. Identification of Escheated Property · Enacted 2007 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1531.5 requires the Controller to run a notification program that helps owners learn about their unclaimed property, lets state and local agencies share address and location information with the Controller for that purpose even over confidentiality rules, and bars using any elected official's photograph or likeness in the notices sent.
Full Text of § 1531.5
(b) Any notice sent pursuant to this section shall not contain a photograph or likeness of an elected official.
(1) Notwithstanding any other law, upon the request of the Controller, a state or local governmental agency may furnish to the Controller from its records the address or other identification or location information that could reasonably be used to locate an owner of unclaimed property.
(2) If the address or other identification or location information requested by the Controller is deemed confidential under any laws or regulations of this state, it shall nevertheless be furnished to the Controller. However, neither the Controller nor any officer, agent, or employee of the Controller shall use or disclose that information except as may be necessary in attempting to locate the owner of unclaimed property.
(3) This subdivision shall not be construed to require disclosure of information in violation of federal law.
(4) If a fee or charge is customarily made for the information requested by the Controller, the Controller shall pay that customary fee or charge.
(d) Costs for administering this section shall be subject to the level of appropriation in the annual Budget Act.
Plain-English Summary
Section 1531 sets the baseline mailed-notice and publication duties, and Section 1531.5 builds a broader outreach program on top of them. The Controller has to establish and run a notification program aimed at letting owners know their unclaimed property is out there waiting, and any notice sent under this program is barred from carrying a photograph or likeness of an elected official.
To make that outreach effective, the section lets other government agencies pitch in. A state or local agency can hand over address or other identifying and location information from its own records at the Controller's request, even when that information would normally count as confidential, so long as the Controller and staff use it only to try to locate the owner and don't disclose it further. Federal law still controls where it applies, and if an agency normally charges a fee for that information, the Controller pays it. The costs of running this whole program depend on what the annual Budget Act appropriates.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Controller's notification program under this section do?
It's a broader outreach effort, separate from the specific mailed and published notices in Section 1531, designed to inform owners about unclaimed property the state is holding.
Can other government agencies share confidential records with the Controller to help find an owner?
Yes. State and local agencies can furnish address or location information at the Controller's request even if it's otherwise confidential, though it can only be used to try to locate the owner.
Does federal law limit what an agency can share with the Controller?
Yes. Section 1531.5 makes clear it doesn't require disclosure of information that would violate federal law.
Can notices under this program include a photo of a mayor or other elected official?
No. The section bars any notice sent under it from containing a photograph or likeness of an elected official.
Amendment History
Added by Stats 2007 ch 179 (SB 86),s 3, eff. 8/24/2007.
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 notification program californiaagency information sharing locate owner