Megan's Law Database Notice
Reviewed by Jimi (James) Allyn · Founder, Verity NHD · 37-year real estate professional
Statutory notice language that must appear in every residential purchase agreement and lease, pointing the buyer or tenant to the state's sex offender database.
What it is
Civil Code section 2079.10a requires a specific block of notice language in every contract for the sale of residential real property, and in every residential lease. The notice tells the buyer or tenant that information about registered sex offenders is made available to the public via the Department of Justice website at meganslaw.ca.gov, and that depending on the offender's criminal history the information will show either the address or the ZIP code of the residence.
Two things make this disclosure unusual. First, the statute prescribes the language — you are reproducing text, not describing a condition of the property. Second, the notice is the entire obligation. Once the statutory notice is given, neither the seller nor any agent has a duty to search the database or to disclose what a search would show.
That second point is the one worth internalizing. The legislature deliberately made this a pointer, not a report. An agent who volunteers database results is stepping outside the statutory framework and into territory with real fair housing and defamation exposure. The correct answer to "can you look that up for me?" is to hand the client the website.
In practice the notice arrives inside the C.A.R. purchase agreement or lease form rather than as a standalone document.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Confirm the current statutory language with C.A.R.
Who signs it
There is no separate signature. The notice is included in the purchase agreement or lease that the parties are already signing, so the contract signatures carry it. Agents should verify that the current C.A.R. form revision in use contains the notice — this is a case where using an outdated form template is the realistic failure mode.
For leases, the landlord or property manager carries the obligation. It applies to residential leases generally, not only to sales.
When it's due
At contract. The notice must be contained in the purchase agreement or lease itself, which means it is delivered when the agreement is presented — not as a later disclosure package item.
Because it lives inside the contract, there is no separate delivery step to schedule and no separate rescission clock tied to it. The practical timing task is simply confirming, before you send an offer or a lease for signature, that the form you are using includes the current statutory text.
If it's missed
A contract missing the notice is out of compliance with section 2079.10a. Courts and commentators have generally treated the omission as not voiding the contract by itself, but it is a compliance defect that a party can raise, and for a licensee it is a straightforward DRE exposure — the statute is clear and the fix is free.
The more realistic harm is reputational and procedural: a buyer who learns after closing that a required statutory notice was omitted has reason to question everything else in the file. Consistency in the paperwork is part of how you earn trust in a disclosure-heavy transaction.
Common mistakes
Running the search for a client. Do not. Provide the notice and the website; let the client search.
Paraphrasing the language. It is statutory text. Reproduce it.
Using an old form template. Old templates are how this notice goes missing. Use the current C.A.R. revision.
Forgetting leases. The obligation covers residential leases, not only sales — property managers included.
Volunteering opinions about a neighborhood. Speculation here creates fair housing risk with no upside to your client.
Statute
- Cal. Civ. Code § 2079.10a (Megan's Law notice)
- California Department of Justice — Megan's Law website
This page is general information, not legal advice. Confirm current forms with C.A.R. and the DRE.