A gratuitous deposit occurs when someone stores something for someone else without being paid or receiving anything in return, other than having the item in their possession.

This law explains that if someone is in charge of someone else's possessions without having agreed to it, they won’t get paid for taking care of them. But if it involves a live animal, and the owner has offered a reward, they can accept the reward.

This law describes the responsibilities of someone who takes care of someone else's property for free, known as a 'gratuitous depositary'. If the item is a living animal, the caretaker must ensure the animal receives necessary medical care, food, water, and shelter, and be treated humanely. If the animal has an ID, the caretaker needs to try to contact the owner. If the caretaker can't or won’t provide this care, they must quickly pass the animal to a suitable facility. Public animal shelters and humane societies must also follow additional rules related to animal holding as stated in other codes.

This section explains when the responsibilities of a gratuitous depositary—someone holding property without charging for it—come to an end. The responsibilities end when the depositary returns the item to its owner or when they give the owner a reasonable notice to retrieve it but the owner does not do so within a reasonable time. If the depositary is holding the item due to a situation beyond their control (like an emergency), they cannot ask the owner to remove it until the emergency has passed. However, this rule doesn't apply to animal shelters, which must keep caring for animals until they are legally no longer responsible for them.