Civil Code: Numerous sections of the current Civil Code can be traced to the 1872 Codification of the Civil Code. Stephen Field, appointed in 1863 to be a United States Supreme Court Associate Justice, brought with him during the 1849 gold rush drafts of the New York Civil Code that were prepared by his brother, New York Code Commissioner David Dudley Field. While New York did not adopt the Commissioner’s drafts, California’s Code Commissioners, Creed Haymond, John Burch, and John McKune, adapted the New York drafts for the new California Code. The 1872 Civil Code contained within its scope those divisions of the law that were defined by Blackstone at that time as “The Rights of Persons” and “The Rights of Things.”
Legislative Research: Each section listed below is a link to a PDF document that sets forth the enactment history for that section. The history cited for each section below is intended to be used for information purposes only and should not be relied upon without confirmation. For questions or sections not listed, Contact Us.
Civil Code Sections
Section 43.99: Added in 2002 and amended once in 2012.
Section 47: Derived from former New York Civil Code § 31, enacted in 1872.
Section 48.5: Enacted in 1949.
Section 48a: Enacted in 1931.
Section 51: The Unruh Civil Rights Act, derived from former uncodified § 1, enacted in 1897.
Section 51.5: The Unruh Civil Rights Act, enacted in 1976; amended on seven occasions.
Section 52: The Unruh Civil Rights Act, derived from former uncodified § 1 of 1897.
Section 52.1: Enacted in 1987.
Section 54: Added in 1968.
Section 54.3: Enacted in 1968.
Section 55: Added in 1974.
Section 55.56: Added in 2008.
Section 56.10: Derived from former Civil Code § 56.15, enacted in 1979.
Section 56.20: Derived from former Civil Code § 56.25, enacted in 1979.
Section 56.36: Derived from former Civil Code § 56.31, enacted in 1979.
Former Section 137: Derived from former Civil Code § 137, enacted in 1872.
Section 682.1: Added in 2000 and amended in 2016.
Section 717: Derived from former uncodified § 1 (based on Field’s Draft New York Civil Code § 203), enacted in 1851.
Section 718: Derived from former uncodified § 1 (based on Field’s Draft New York Civil Code § 203), enacted in 1851.
Section 798.11: Enacted in 1978.
Section 798.21: Originally enacted in 1996.
Section 798.23: Added in 1993 and amended in 1994 and 2002.
Section 798.31: Derived from former Civil Code § 789.7, enacted in 1971.
Section 798.60: Derived from former Civil Code § 789.5, enacted in 1969.
Section 798.61: Originally enacted in 1986.
Section 798.75: Derived from former Civil Code § 789.15, enacted in 1977.
Section 798.78: Enacted in 1979.
Sections 798 through 798.14 and 798.84 through 798.88: Comprises Articles 1 and 8 of the Mobilehome Residency Law, originally added in 1975.
Sections 798.84, 798.15(f) and 798.53: Part of the Mobilehome Residency Law, derived from former Civil Code § 798.7, enacted in 1971.
Section 798.86: Derived from former Civil Code § 789.13, enacted in 1975.
Section 801.5: Enacted in 1978.
Section 845: Added in 1939 and amended in 1985, 1993 and 2012.
Sections 880.010 through 887.090: The Marketable Record Title Act, derived in part from former §§ 1213.5, enacted in 1965.
Sections 895 through 945.5: Requirements for Actions for Construction Defects Act, enacted in 2002.
Section 911: Enacted in 2002 and amended in 2003.
Section 986: Enacted by Chapter 1228, Statutes of 1976.
Section 1007: Based on 1872 Civil Code codification.
Section 1009: Enacted in 1971.
Section 1090.5: Added in 2007 and amended in 2009 and 2011.
Section 1098: Enacted in 2007.
Section 1098.5: Enacted in 2007.
Section 1214: Enacted in 1872.
Section 1353: Derived from former Civil Code § 1351, enacted in 1963.
Section 1354: Derived from former Civil Code § 1355, enacted in 1963.
Section 1356: Enacted in 1985.
Section 1363.03(e): Enacted in 2005.
Section 1363.05: Enacted in 1995.
Section 1365.2: Enacted in 2003.
Section 1366: Derived from former Civil Code §§ 1356 and 1725, enacted in 1963.
Section 1366.1: Enacted in 1986.
Former Section 1367: Derived from former Civil Code § 1356, enacted in 1963.
Section 1374: Added in 1994 and amended in 2005.
Section 1378: Enacted in 2004.
Section 1395.9: Enacted in 1994.
Section 1471: Enacted in 1995.
Section 1550.5: Added in 2017 and amended in 2018.
Section 1632: Enacted in 1974.
Section 1670.5: Enacted in 1979.
Section 1671: Derived from former Civil Code §§ 1670 and 1671, enacted in 1872.
Section 1689.5 through 1689.13: Based on former Civil Code §§ 1689.5, 1689.6, 1689.7 and 1689.13, originally enacted in 1971.
Section 1692: Enacted in 1961.
Section 1695 through 1695.17: Enacted in 1979.
Section 1708.6: Enacted in 2002.
Section 1714.9: Enacted in 1982.
Section 1714.10: Enacted in 1988.
Section 1714.21: Added in 1999 and amended twice thereafter.
Section 1717: Enacted in 1968; amended five times thereafter.
Sections 1738.10 through 1738.17: Comprises the Independent Wholesale Sales Representatives Act, enacted in 1990.
Section 1745.45: Added in 1987 and amended three more times.
Section 1747.08: Enacted in 1990.
Section 1747.09: Enacted in 1999 as Civil Code § 1747.9.
Section 1747.80: Added in 1971 and amended in 2007.
Section 1749.5: Enacted in 1996.
Sections 1750 et seq.: Comprises the Consumers Legal Remedies Act, enacted in 1970.
Section 1761: Enacted in 1970.
Section 1770: Enacted in 1970.
Sections 1770 through 1784: Comprises the Consumer Legal Remedies Act, enacted in 1970.
Section 1780: Enacted in 1970.
Section 1782: Added in 1970 and amended in 1999.
Section 1783: Enacted in 1970.
Section 1785.25: Enacted in 1992.
Section 1785.31: Derived from former Civil Code § 1785.30, enacted in 1975.
Section 1785.34: Added in 1975 and amended in 1976.
Section 1786.16: Added in 1975.
Section 1786.18: Added in 1975.
Section 1786.50: Added in 1975.
Sections 1786 through 1786.60: The Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act, enacted in 1975.
Section 1788.2: Enacted in 1977.
Sections 1789 through 1789.9: Electronic Commerce, enacted in 1984.
Sections 1790 through 1795.8: Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, enacted in 1970.
Section 1791.2: Added in 1970 and amended in 1978.
Section 1792.3: Enacted in 1970.
Section 1792.4: Enacted in 1970.
Section 1793.1(a)(2): Enacted in 1970.
Section 1793.2: Enacted in 1970.
Section 1794: Derived from former Civil Code § 1794, enacted in 1970.
Section 1795.5: Enacted in 1971.
Section 1795.6: Enacted in 1974.
Section 1798.24: Added in 1977 and amended numerous times thereafter.
Sections 1798.80 through 1798.84: Enacted in 2000 and amended 11 times thereafter.
Section 1798.82: Enacted and 2002.
Section 1798.83: Enacted in 2003.
Section 1798.84: Enacted in 2000.
Sections 1798.92 and 1798.93: Enacted in 2001.
Section 1798.100 et seq.: California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, added in 2018.
Section 1812.600: Derived from former Business and Professions Code §§ 5760, 5761, 5763 and 5764, enacted in 1982.
Section 1812.84: Enacted in 1961.
Section 1812.86: Added in 1961 and amended four times thereafter.
Section 1812.98: Derived from former Civil Code § 1812.97, added in 2005.
Section 1812.92: Enacted in 1961.
Sections 1882 through 1882.6: Enacted in 1981.
Section 1936: Derived from former Civil Code § 1936, enacted in 1988.
Section 1939.37: Derived from former Civil Code § 1936.5, enacted in 2012.
Section 1940.2: Added in 2003 and amended in 2017.
Section 1942.1: Enacted in 1970.
Section 1942.4: Added in 1985; and amended four times thereafter.
Section 1942.5: Derived from former Civil Code § 1942.5, enacted in 1970.
Section 1950.5. Derived from former Civil Code § 1951, enacted in 1970.
Sections 1954.50 through 1954.535: The Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, enacted in 1995.
Section 2080: Derived from former Civil Code § 1864, enacted in 1872.
Section 2782: Enacted in 1967.
Section 2782.05: Enacted in 2011.
Section 2782.1: Enacted in 1968 by Chapter 466.
Section 2782.5: Enacted in 1967.
Section 2845: Enacted in 1872.
Section 2860: Added to the Civil Code in 1987.
Section 2923.5: Added in 2008 and amended in 2009.
Sections 2924 et seq.: Derived from former Civil Code § 2924, enacted in 1872.
Section 2924i: Added in 1983 and amended in 1986.
Section 2924k: Added in 1990 and amended in 1999.
Section 2924m: Added in 2020 and amended in 2021.
Section 2932.5: Derived from former Civil Code § 895, enacted in the 1872 codification of the Civil Code.
Section 2938: Derived from former Civil Code §§ dating back to 1991.
Section 2941: Enacted in 1872.
Section 2943: Enacted in 1961.
Section 2944: Added in 1963.
Section 2954.1: Added in 1979.
Section 2954.8: Added in 1976 and amended in 1979.
Section 2954.9: Enacted in 1974.
Sections 2981 et seq.: Comprises the Automobile Sales Finance Act, aka the Rees-Levering Act; derived from former Civil Code § 2981, enacted in 1945.
Section 2982: Derived from former Civil Code § 2982, enacted in 1945.
Section 2983: Derived from former Civil Code § 2982, enacted in 1945.
Section 2983.1: Derived from former Civil Code § 2982, added in 1945.
Section 2983.2: Derived from former Civil Code § 2982, enacted in 1945.
Section 2983.4: Added in 1961 and amended in 1976.
Former Section 3128: Derived from former Code of Civil Procedure § 1185, enacted in 1872.
Section 3137: Derived from former Code of Civil Procedure § 1191, enacted in 1872.
Section 3172: Derived from former Code of Civil Procedure § 1184a, enacted in 1919.
Section 3186: Derived from former Code of Civil Procedure § 1184, enacted in 1872.
Section 3260: Derived from former Code of Civil Procedure § 1196, enacted by the 1872 codification of the Code of Civil Procedure.
Section 3260.1: Added in 1991, amended in 1999 and repealed in 2010.
Section 3262: Derived from former Code of Civil Procedure § 1201, enacted in the 1885.
Section 3262.5: Added in 1991 and repealed in 2010.
Section 3287: Based on New York Civil Code Draft § 1835, enacted in 1872.
Section 3295: Enacted in 1979.
Section 3307: Based on Field’s New York Draft § 1847, enacted in 1872.
Section 3333: Based on Field’s Draft New York Civil Code § 1860, enacted in 1872.
Section 3333.2: Added and amended in the 1975 Second Extraordinary Session.
Section 3334: Derived from Field’s Draft New York Civil Code § 1861, enacted in 1872.
Section 3344: Enacted by Chapter 1595, Statutes of 1971.
Section 3344.1: Added in 1984.
Section 3346: Derived from former Civil Code § 3346, enacted in 1872.
Section 3360: Derived from Field’s Draft New York Civil Code § 1879, enacted in 1872.
Section 3369: Added by 1872 codification of Civil Code § 3275.
Section 3390: Derived from Field’s Draft New York Civil Code § 1893, enacted in 1872.
Section 3423: Enacted in 1872.
Section 3425.3: Added in 1955.
Section 3428: Enacted in 1999.
Sections 3439 et seq.: Known as the Uniform Voidable Transactions Act, enacted in 1872.
Section 3439.01: Derived in part from the Uniform Voidable Transactions Act (UVTA), as former Civil Code § 3439.01, enacted in 1939.
Section 3439.07: Derived from former Civil Code §§ 3439.09 and 3439.10, enacted in 1939.
Section 3439.09: Added in 1986.
Section 3482.5: Enacted in 1981.
Section 3482.6: Enacted in 1992 and amended three times thereafter.
Sections 3509 through 3548: Enacted in 1872.
Section 3602: Derived from former uncodified § 3, enacted in 1911.
Sections 4095 and 4145: Derived from former Civil Code §§ 1350 and 1351, enacted in 1963.
Sections 4110 and 4575: Derived from former Civil Code § 1368, enacted in 1985.
Section 4360, 4365, 5605 and 5610: Derived in part from former Civil Code §§, enacted in 1982.
Section 4600: Derived from former Civil Code § 1363.07, enacted in 2005.
Section 4740: Derived from former Civil Code § 1360.2, added in 2011.
Section 4775: Derived from former Civil Code § 1364, enacted in 1985.
Section 4785: Derived from former Civil Code § 1364(c) and (d), enacted in 1985.
Section 4955: Derived from former Civil Code § 1363.09, enacted in 2005.
Section 5215: Derived from former Civil Code § 1365.2, enacted in 2003.
Section 5235: Derived from former Civil Code § 1365.2, enacted in 2003.
Section 5960: Derived from former Civil Code § 1355, enacted in 1963.
Section 5975: Derived from former Civil Code § 1355, enacted in 1963.
Section 5980: Derived from former Code of Civil Procedure § 374, enacted in 1976.
Section 5985: Derived from former Code of Civil Procedure § 383, enacted in 1985.
Section 7100: Derived from former Business and Professions Code §§ 12604.5 and 13300.
Sections 7100 through 7106: Derived in part from former Business and Professions Code § 12615, enacted in 1969.
Sections 8042, 8050, 8452, 8454 and 8458: Mechanics Liens. Derived from former Code of Civil Procedure § 1191, enacted in 1872.
Section 8430: Derived from former Code of Civil Procedure § 1183, enacted in 1872.
Section 8444: Derived from former Code of Civil Procedure § 1192, enacted in 1872.
Section 8456: Derived from former Code of Civil Procedure § 1186, enacted in 1872.
Section 8558: Derived from former Civil Code § 3176, enacted in 1991.
Section 9550: Derived from former uncodified § 1, enacted in 1897.