Cal. Civ. Code § 1952.4
California Civil Code
Operative Text
An agreement for the exploration for or the removal of natural resources is not a lease of real property within the meaning of Sections 1951 to 1952.2, inclusive.
Cal. Civ. Code § 1952.4 establishes that agreements covering the exploration for or removal of natural resources—such as oil, gas, or minerals—fall outside the definition of a real property lease under California's general lease statutes (Sections 1951–1952.2). As a result, the remedies, obligations, and protections that those lease statutes create do not automatically apply to such resource-extraction agreements.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners who enter into natural-resource exploration or extraction agreements should be aware that § 1952.4 places those contracts outside the standard California lease framework, meaning the default landlord-tenant rules in Sections 1951–1952.2 do not govern them. Operators generally structure such agreements under separate bodies of law—such as oil-and-gas contract principles—rather than relying on residential or commercial lease remedies.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Because § 1952.4 removes natural-resource exploration and extraction agreements from the scope of California's standard lease statutes, individuals who hold or are offered such agreements cannot rely on the tenant protections found in Sections 1951–1952.2. Those with questions about what rights and remedies do apply to a resource-extraction agreement may find guidance through a tenant-rights organization or a legal aid office familiar with California property and natural-resources law.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 3, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
Rules and statutes that cite this regulation