Whenever, under any law of this State or under any rule, regulation, order or requirement made pursuant to law, an oath is required to be taken by a person appointed to discharge specific duties in a particular action, proceeding or matter, whether or not pending in court, including but not limited to a person appointed as executor, administrator, guardian, conservator, appraiser, receiver, or elisor, an unsworn written affirmation may be made and executed, in lieu of such oath. Such affirmation shall commence “I solemnly affirm,” shall state the substance of the other matter required by the oath, the date and place of execution and shall be subscribed by him.
§ 2015.6.Affirmation in lieu of oath
Title 3. Of the Production of Evidence · Chapter 3. Manner of Production · Article 2. Affidavits · Enacted 1961 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 2015.6 permits an unsworn written affirmation, beginning with the words I solemnly affirm, to replace an oath required of a person appointed to discharge specific duties, such as an executor, administrator, guardian, conservator, appraiser, receiver, or elisor.
Full Text of § 2015.6
Plain-English Summary
Certain roles come with an oath of office attached: an executor or administrator settling an estate, a guardian or conservator taking on responsibility for someone else's affairs, an appraiser, a receiver, or an elisor, a person a court appoints to carry out a specific act, such as signing a document, when a party who should sign refuses or is unable to. This section lets a person stepping into any of those roles use a written affirmation instead of a sworn oath.
The affirmation has a required form: it must begin with the words I solemnly affirm, go on to state the substance of whatever the oath itself would have required, give the date and place of execution, and be subscribed by the person making it. Meeting that form gives the affirmation the same legal effect as the oath it replaces.
This section covers a narrower category than Section 2015.5. Where 2015.5 lets a declaration under penalty of perjury substitute for sworn statements and affidavits generally, 2015.6 is aimed specifically at the oath of office a court or appointing authority requires before someone takes up fiduciary or court-appointed duties, and it is that category of oath that 2015.5 itself expressly excludes from its own broader substitute.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Section 2015.6 for?
Replacing the oath required of a person appointed to discharge specific duties, in or out of court, with an unsworn written affirmation.
Who commonly uses this affirmation?
People appointed as an executor, administrator, guardian, conservator, appraiser, receiver, or elisor, among other appointed roles requiring an oath.
What must the affirmation state to be valid?
It must commence with the words I solemnly affirm, state the substance the oath would otherwise require, give the date and place of execution, and be subscribed by the person making it.
How does this section relate to Section 2015.5?
Section 2015.5 excludes an oath of office from its general declaration-under-penalty-of-perjury substitute; Section 2015.6 fills that gap with its own affirmation mechanism for appointed fiduciary and court-appointed duties.
Amendment History
(Added by Stats.1961, c. 1364, p. 3140, § 1.)
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the West's Annotated California Codes / Thomson Reuters. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 29, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: ccp 2015.6 unsworn affirmation oath of officei solemnly affirm california executor guardianaffirmation in lieu of oath appointed fiduciary