All property has an owner, whether that owner is the State, and the property public, or the owner an individual, and the property private. The State may also hold property as a private proprietor.
OwnershipOwners
Section § 669
Every piece of property must belong to someone. It can be owned by the government, which makes it public property, or by private individuals, which makes it private property. Interestingly, the government can also own property in the same way a private person does.
property ownership public property private property
Section § 670
This law states that California owns all the land below the tide and high-water marks along its coasts, the land under navigable lakes and rivers, any property the state has lawfully claimed for itself, any property given to the state, and any property that doesn't have another owner.
Section Six Hundred and Seventy. The State is the owner of all land below tide water, and below ordinary high-water mark, bordering upon tide water within the State; of all land below the water of a navigable lake or stream; of all property lawfully appropriated by it to its own use; of all property dedicated to the State; and of all property of which there is no other owner.
state-owned land tide water land high-water mark
Section § 671
This law allows anyone, no matter where they come from or what their citizenship status is, to own, buy, and sell property in California. This includes both real estate like land and buildings, as well as personal property like cars or jewelry.
Any person, regardless of their citizenship status, may take, hold, and dispose of property, real or personal, within this state.
citizenship status property ownership real property
