The judgment shall:
§ 751.60.Judgment Generally
Title 10. Actions In Particular Cases · Chapter 3.6. Cullen Earthquake Act · Enacted 1972 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 751.60 requires the judgment to determine each parcel's land boundaries as fixed by the disaster and equitably readjusted, determine each entity's estates or interests in every parcel, and approve and direct the filing of an official map for the entire area as a substitute for plat maps the disaster made inaccurate.
Full Text of § 751.60
(a) Determine the land boundaries of each parcel of land located within the entire area of real property sought to be affected by the action, whether owned publicly or privately, as fixed by the disaster, except as these boundaries have been judicially and equitably readjusted and as liberalized by judicial equitable allocation of lands voluntarily vacated by a city, county or the state under this act.
(b) Determine the entity or entities having estates, rights, titles, interests and claims in and to each parcel, whether legal or equitable, present or future, vested or contingent, or whether they consist of mortgages or liens of any description.
(c) Approve and direct the proper filing of an official map covering the entire area of real property sought to be affected by the action, as a substitute for the plat maps previously filed, but rendered inaccurate by the disaster.
Plain-English Summary
This section describes the three things a Cullen Earthquake Act judgment has to accomplish. First, under subdivision (a), it determines the land boundaries of every parcel within the affected area, publicly or privately owned, as those boundaries were fixed by the disaster — except to the extent the court has equitably readjusted them, or liberalized them through the judicial allocation of land voluntarily vacated under § 751.58.
Second, under subdivision (b), the judgment determines which entity or entities hold estates, rights, titles, interests, and claims in each parcel, whether legal or equitable, present or future, vested or contingent, or resting on a mortgage or other lien — the same comprehensive scope of resolution Chapter 3.5's § 751.15 requires for its own judgment.
Third, under subdivision (c), the judgment approves and directs the filing of an official map covering the entire affected area, replacing the plat maps that the disaster made inaccurate. That official map is the practical end product for surveyors, title companies, and property owners going forward — the new authoritative record of where the boundaries sit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What three things must the judgment in a Cullen Earthquake Act action determine or accomplish?
The land boundaries of each parcel as fixed and equitably readjusted, the ownership interests in each parcel, and the approval of an official replacement map for the entire area.
Does the judgment reinstate the pre-disaster boundaries as they used to be?
No. It gives effect to the boundaries as the disaster fixed them, adjusted only as equity requires or as liberalized by the allocation of voluntarily vacated land under § 751.58.
What happens to the old plat maps once judgment is entered?
The judgment approves and directs the filing of a new official map for the entire area, which substitutes for the plat maps the disaster rendered inaccurate.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1972, Ch. 936.
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: judgment cullen earthquake act california boundaries