California · Commercial Code
COM §9513: (a) A secured party shall cause the secured party of record for a financing statement to file a termination statement for the financing statement if the financing statement covers consumer goods and e
What this law says, in plain English
A secured party must file a termination statement for a financing statement that covers consumer goods.
Read the full statutory text
(a) A secured party shall cause the secured party of record for a financing statement to file a termination statement for the financing statement if the financing statement covers consumer goods and either of the following conditions is satisfied: (1) There is no obligation secured by the collateral covered by the financing statement and no commitment to make an advance, incur an obligation, or otherwise give value. (2) The debtor did not authorize the filing of the initial financing statement. (b) To comply with subdivision (a), a secured party shall cause the secured party of record to file the termination statement in accordance with either of the following rules: (1) Within one month after there is no obligation secured by the collateral covered by the financing statement and no commitment to make an advance, incur an obligation, or otherwise give value. (2) If earlier, within 20 days after the secured party receives a signed demand from a debtor. (c) In cases not governed by subdivision (a), within 20 days after a secured party receives a signed demand from a debtor, the secured party shall cause the secured party of record for a financing statement to send to the debtor a termination statement for the financing statement or file the termination statement in the filing office if any of the following conditions is satisfied: (1) Except in the case of a financing statement covering accounts or chattel paper that has been sold or goods that are the subject of a consignment, there is no obligation secured by the collateral covered by the financing statement and no commitment to make an advance, incur an obligation, or otherwise give value. (2) The financing statement covers accounts or chattel paper that has been sold but as to which the account debtor or other person obligated has discharged its obligation. (3) The financing statement covers goods that were the subject of a consignment to the debtor but are not in the debtor’s possession. (4) The debtor did not authorize the filing of the initial financing statement. (d) Except as otherwise provided in Section 9510, upon the filing of a termination statement with the filing office, the financing statement to which the termination statement relates ceases to be effective. Except as otherwise provided in Section 9510, for purposes of subdivision (g) of Section 9519, subdivision (a) of Section 9522, and subdivision (c) of Section 9523, the filing with the filing office of a termination statement relating to a financing statement that indicates that the debtor is a transmitting utility also causes the effectiveness of the financing statement to lapse.
Verify at the official source: California legislative text
Facing this? Know exactly what happens next.
MOFRD turns this code section into your situation: the deadlines that apply to you, the forms your county uses, and the resolution paths people in your position actually take. Free for 3 days — no card required.
This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.