A party to an action who asserts a real property claim may record a notice of pendency of action in which that real property claim is alleged. The notice may be recorded in the office of the recorder of each county in which all or part of the real property is situated. The notice shall contain the names of all parties to the action and a description of the property affected by the action.
§ 405.20.Recording Notice In Action Asserting Real Property Claim
Title 4.5. Recording Notice of Certain Actions · Chapter 2. Recordation Service and Filing · Last amended 2004 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 405.20 lets a party asserting a real property claim record a notice of pendency of action, containing the names of all parties and a description of the affected property, in the recorder's office of any county where the property is located.
Full Text of § 405.20
Plain-English Summary
This is the core recording rule of the lis pendens system. Any party to an action who asserts a real property claim -- as defined in § 405.4 -- may record a notice in the office of the county recorder for each county where all or part of the affected real property sits.
The notice itself has modest content requirements: it must name all parties to the action and describe the property the action affects. Those two pieces of information are what put a title searcher, lender, or prospective buyer on notice that a court case could change who owns the property or how it may be used.
Recording under this section is not self-executing -- the signing requirements in § 405.21 and the mailing requirements in § 405.22 both have to be satisfied before the notice is validly recorded, and a notice recorded without meeting them can be void under § 405.23.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can record a notice of pendency of action (lis pendens) in California?
Under § 405.20, any party to the action who asserts a real property claim may record the notice in the recorder's office of each county where all or part of the affected property is located.
What information must a California lis pendens contain?
Section 405.20 requires the notice to state the names of all parties to the action and a description of the real property the action affects.
Is recording a notice under Section 405.20 enough by itself to make it valid?
Amendment History
Amended by Stats 2004 ch 227 (SB 1102),s 10, 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 28, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: how to record a lis pendens in californiarecording notice of pendency of action