"Inventory" means tangible personal property in the possession of a defendant who holds it for sale or lease or to be furnished under contracts of service.
§ 511.050.Inventory
Title 7. Other Provisional Remedies In Civil Actions · Chapter 2. Claim and Delivery of Personal Property · Article 1. Words and Phrases Defined · Enacted 1973 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 511.050 defines inventory as tangible personal property a defendant possesses for sale, for lease, or to be furnished under a contract of service, distinguishing it from property a defendant merely uses in a business.
Full Text of § 511.050
Plain-English Summary
Inventory, for purposes of this chapter, means goods a defendant is holding to move on to someone else — through a sale, a lease, or delivery under a service contract — rather than goods the defendant keeps and uses. A retailer's stock on the shelf is inventory; the shelving itself typically is not.
As § 511.040 makes clear, this definition and the definition of farm products never overlap: property that qualifies as a farm product is excluded from inventory even if it would otherwise fit this description. The inventory classification carries forward into § 513.020, where a temporary restraining order aimed at preserving property pending a writ of possession may not stop a defendant from transferring inventory in the ordinary course of business, though the order can still restrict what happens to the proceeds of that sale.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes property inventory rather than some other kind of asset?
The defendant's purpose in holding it — property held for sale, for lease, or to be furnished under a contract of service qualifies as inventory under § 511.050.
Can farm products also count as inventory?
No. Section 511.040 excludes farm products from the inventory definition entirely.
Does a temporary restraining order stop a defendant from selling inventory?
Not in the ordinary course of business — § 513.020 lets that continue, though the order may restrict the proceeds from the sale.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1973, Ch. 526.
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: inventory definition california claim and deliverywhat counts as inventory ccp