The Law, the Data and the Rules We Follow
The statutes that govern recovery fees, the file the State publishes, and the standard the Controller holds firms like ours to. Check any of it.
Last reviewed Written from State Controller, State Controller data Everything here is checkable without asking us.
The Statutes
Recovery in California is governed by the Unclaimed Property Law at Code of Civil Procedure section 1500 and following. Three sections do most of the work, and they are short enough to read.
- Code of Civil Procedure §1582 — caps recovery fees at ten per cent, requires the agreement in writing, and forbids any fee before the Controller has paid
- Code of Civil Procedure §1577 — charges holders twelve per cent a year on property reported late, and waives it for those who come forward voluntarily
- Government Code §8211 — sets the maximum a California notary may charge
The Standard We Are Held To
The State Controller’s term for a firm that searches for unclaimed property and files claims on an owner’s behalf is investigator. It publishes the rules openly, which means you can hold us to them without taking our word for anything.
- Investigators — the Controller’s guidance, including the fee rules and the probate exception
- Investigator Handbook (PDF) — the operating standard we work to
- Standard Investigator Agreement (PDF) — the State’s own contract form, which is the one we use
Where Our Figures Come From
Every number on this site is counted from the State Controller’s published files rather than estimated. We index 14.8 million property records and 37,166 probated estates, and we say when each was last rebuilt.
- Downloadable property records — the full database, republished weekly
- Estates of Deceased Persons File — the separate probate file, refreshed in April and October
Reporting Fraud
If you receive a solicitation about unclaimed property from anyone — including someone claiming to be us — that asks for money up front or for your Social Security number, the Controller wants to hear about it.
- Consumer fraud alerts, and CSUResearch@sco.ca.gov to report one
How You Are Protected
Our fee is capped at ten per cent of what is recovered by Code of Civil Procedure §1582, and nothing is owed until the State Controller has paid you. If we recover nothing, you owe nothing. Our recovery fee is never asked for up front — it comes out of money the Controller has already paid you. A booking deposit on an in-person appointment is a separate thing, and is credited back against anything you are charged.
California Unclaimed Property Services is a private asset recovery firm. We are not the California State Controller’s Office.
Sources
This page is written from the public record. Read the originals rather than taking our summary of them.
We are a private firm. We are not the State Controller’s office, not affiliated with it, and not endorsed by it.
From the knowledge base
How This Actually Works
- 16 Oct 2026 Unclaimed Property Records: What Holders Must Keep California does not state a fixed retention period in the statute text we rely on, but a holder that cannot produce the…
- 15 Oct 2026 When Your Company’s EIN Changed: Finding Property Under the Old Name When a company is acquired, the State Controller's unclaimed property records stay filed under the legal name reported at the time, not…
- 15 Oct 2026 Why California Requires Notarized Unclaimed Property Claims California requires notarization for any cash claim of $1,000 or more, and for every securities or safe deposit box claim regardless of…
- 14 Oct 2026 The Two-Sided Business Audit for Unclaimed Property A California business can turn up twice in the State's unclaimed property records: once as the rightful owner of old refunds, dividends…
- 14 Oct 2026 Suspended California Corporations and Unclaimed Property A suspended California corporation may still appear on the State Controller's unclaimed property file, but the Controller will not release payment until…
- 13 Oct 2026 Owner of Record vs. Actual Owner: What the Name Really Means Owner of record is the name a company or bank reported when it handed unclaimed property to California, not a verified current…
- 13 Oct 2026 The Unclaimed Property Liability You Inherit in an Acquisition When a company acquires another, it also acquires that company's unclaimed property history: uncashed checks, dormant accounts, and any unreported liability now…
- 12 Oct 2026 California’s Two Unclaimed Property Reporting Calendars California holders follow one of two reporting calendars. Life insurance companies file their notice report before 1 May and remit property between…
- 12 Oct 2026 Table of Heirship: What It Is and When You Need One A Table of Heirship lists each heir's relationship to a deceased owner and their proportional share of an estate. It matters most…
- 11 Oct 2026 What California Does With Your Money While It Waits California does not spend, invest, or time-limit unclaimed property. The State Controller holds it in custody under the property's reported dollar value,…
Find out in About Thirty Seconds
Give us a name and we will check the State Controller’s records under every reasonable variant of it. Asking costs nothing and commits you to nothing.