California · Commercial Code

COM §7104: (a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (c), a document of title is negotiable if by its terms the goods are to be delivered to bearer or to the order of a named person.

What this law says, in plain English

A document of title becomes negotiable when it states goods will be delivered to a bearer or to a named person's order, unless other rules apply.

Read the full statutory text

(a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (c), a document of title is negotiable if by its terms the goods are to be delivered to bearer or to the order of a named person. (b) A document of title other than one described in subdivision (a) is nonnegotiable. A bill of lading that states that the goods are consigned to a named person is not made negotiable by a provision that the goods are to be delivered only against an order in a record signed by the same or another named person. (c) A document of title is nonnegotiable if, at the time it is issued, the document has a conspicuous legend, however expressed, that it is nonnegotiable.

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