There is a newer version of the California Code
2005 California Civil Code Sections 1213-1220 Article 4. Effect of Recording, or the Want Thereof
CIVIL CODESECTION 1213-1220
1213. Every conveyance of real property or an estate for years therein acknowledged or proved and certified and recorded as prescribed by law from the time it is filed with the recorder for record is constructive notice of the contents thereof to subsequent purchasers and mortgagees; and a certified copy of such a recorded conveyance may be recorded in any other county and when so recorded the record thereof shall have the same force and effect as though it was of the original conveyance and where the original conveyance has been recorded in any county wherein the property therein mentioned is not situated a certified copy of the recorded conveyance may be recorded in the county where such property is situated with the same force and effect as if the original conveyance had been recorded in that county. 1214. Every conveyance of real property or an estate for years therein, other than a lease for a term not exceeding one year, is void as against any subsequent purchaser or mortgagee of the same property, or any part thereof, in good faith and for a valuable consideration, whose conveyance is first duly recorded, and as against any judgment affecting the title, unless the conveyance shall have been duly recorded prior to the record of notice of action. 1215. The term "conveyance," as used in Sections 1213 and 1214, embraces every instrument in writing by which any estate or interest in real property is created, aliened, mortgaged, or incumbered, or by which the title to any real property may be affected, except wills. 1216. No power contained in an instrument to convey or execute instruments affecting real property which has been recorded is revoked by any act of the party by whom it was executed, unless the instrument containing such revocation is also acknowledged or proved, certified and recorded, in the same office in which the instrument containing the power was recorded. 1217. An unrecorded instrument is valid as between the parties thereto and those who have notice thereof. 1218. A certified copy of an instrument affecting the title to real property, once recorded, or a certified copy of the record of such instrument may be recorded in any other county, and, when so recorded, the record thereof has the same force and effect as though it was of the original instrument. 1219. Oil and gas leases may be acknowledged or proved, certified and recorded in like manner and with like effect, as grants of real property; provided, however, that an oil and gas lease may be recorded and constructive notice of the same and the contents thereof given in the following manner: Any person may record in the office of county recorder of any county fictitious oil and gas leases. Such fictitious oil and gas leases need not be acknowledged, or proved, or certified, to be recorded or entitled to record. Such oil and gas leases shall have noted upon the face thereof that they are fictitious. The county recorder shall index and record such fictitious oil and gas leases in the same manner as other oil and gas leases are recorded, and shall note on all indices and records of the same that they are fictitious. Thereafter, any of the provisions of any such recorded fictitious oil and gas lease may be included for any and all purposes in any oil and gas lease by reference therein to any such provisions, without setting the same forth in full; provided, such fictitious oil and gas lease is of record in the county in which the oil and gas lease adopting or including by reference any of the provisions thereof is recorded. Such reference shall contain a statement, as to each county in which the oil and gas lease containing such a reference is recorded, of the date such fictitious oil and gas lease was recorded, the county recorder's office wherein it is recorded, and the book or volume and the first page of the records or the recorder's instrument number in the recorder's office wherein and at which any such fictitious oil and gas lease was recorded, and a statement by paragraph numbers or any other method that will definitely identify the same, of the specific provisions of any such fictitious oil and gas lease that are being so adopted and included therein. The recording of any such oil and gas lease which has included therein any such provisions by reference as aforesaid shall operate as constructive notice of the whole thereof including the terms, as a part of the written contents of any such oil and gas lease, of any such provisions so included by reference as though the same were written in full therein. The parties bound or to be bound by provisions so adopted and included by reference shall be bound thereby in the same manner and with like effect for all purposes as though such provisions had been and were set forth in full in any such oil and gas lease. Whenever a document or paper is presented for recordation on which is set forth, apart and separated from any other writing, typing or printing thereon (1) an oil and gas lease that refers to and incorporates therein provisions of a fictitious oil and gas lease as provided herein, or (2) an oil and gas lease that refers to and incorporates therein provisions of some other instrument theretofore recorded in the office of any county recorder, and (3) such oil and gas lease, set forth on such document or paper, is, of itself, entitled to recordation, then any such other writing, typing or printing on such document or paper, whether on the reverse side from where such oil and gas lease is set forth or on the same side thereof or on the following pages, shall not be recorded by the county recorder to whom such document or paper is presented for recordation if such other writing, typing or printing is preceded by the words or clearly marked, "do not record" or "not to be recorded" or the like. In such case the county recorder shall record only the oil and gas lease set forth on such paper or document and shall not be liable for so doing, any other provisions of law to the contrary notwithstanding. 1220. Contracts for the purchase or sale of standing timber or trees, for severance or otherwise, and all instruments in writing by which any estate or interest in, or right to cut, standing timber or trees is created, aliened, mortgaged or encumbered or by which the title to any standing timber or trees may be affected, may be acknowledged or proved, certified and recorded in like manner and with like effect, as grants of real property, and all statutory provisions relating to the recordation or nonrecordation of conveyances of real property and to the effect thereof shall apply to such contracts and instruments with like effect. Any such contracts for purchase and sale or instruments in writing affecting the title to standing timber or trees, executed and delivered before the effective date of the amendment of this section at the 1959 Regular Session of the Legislature but unrecorded before such date, shall become subject to all statutory provisions relating to the recordation or nonrecordation of conveyances of real property and to the effect thereof one year from said effective date.
Disclaimer: These codes may not be the most recent version. California may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google
Privacy Policy and
Terms of Service apply.