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Cal. CIV § 996

This is the official text of Cal. CIV § 996, part of California’s Civil Code — covers contracts, property ownership, personal rights, and other general civil obligations between private parties.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

Official statutory text

Whenever fur bearing animals, which are by their nature known as wild animals, have been brought into, or born in, restraint or captivity upon any farm or ranch for the purpose of cultivating or pelting their furs, such animals, together with their offspring or increase, shall be the subjects of ownership, lien, and all kinds of absolute and other property rights, the same as purely domestic animals, in whatever situation, location, or condition such fur bearing animals may thereafter come or be, and regardless of their remaining in or escaping from such restraint or captivity. Such fur bearing animals shall receive the same protection of law, and in the same way and to the same extent shall be the subject of trespass or larceny as other personal property and shall be considered and classified as domestic animals for the purpose of and within the meaning of any statute or law relating generally to domestic animals, other than dogs and cats or other pets, or relating to farming, to animal husbandry, or to the encouragement of agriculture, unless any such statute or law is impossible of application to such fur bearing animals.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

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About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.