If a person recover damages for a forcible or unlawlful entry in or upon, or detention of any building or any cultivated real property, judgment may be entered for three times the amount at which the actual damages are assessed.
§ 735.Damages For Forcible Or Unlawful Entry Or Detention of Building Or Cultivated Property
Title 10. Actions In Particular Cases · Chapter 2. Actions for Nuisance, Waste, and Willful Trespass, in Certain Cases, on Real Property · Enacted 1872 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 735 lets a court enter judgment for three times the assessed actual damages when a person recovers for a forcible or unlawful entry into, or detention of, a building or cultivated real property.
Full Text of § 735
Plain-English Summary
Forcing your way into a building or cultivated land, or refusing to leave it, carries an enhanced remedy under § 735. When a person recovers damages for a forcible or unlawful entry in or upon, or detention of, any building or cultivated real property, the judgment can be entered for three times the amount the actual damages are assessed at.
Like §§ 732 and 733, this treble-damages structure is meant to discourage self-help intrusions onto property that belongs to, or is occupied by, someone else, by making the wrongdoer's exposure significantly larger than the bare harm caused.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of conduct does § 735 penalize with enhanced damages?
A forcible or unlawful entry into, or detention of, a building or cultivated real property.
How much can a court award once actual damages are assessed?
Judgment may be entered for three times the amount at which the actual damages are assessed.
Amendment History
Enacted 1872.
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: forcible entry damages californiatreble damages unlawful detainer building