WarrantsDuplicate Warrants
Section § 29850
If you lose or destroy a warrant issued by the county auditor before it's cashed by the treasurer, you can still get the money. To do this, file an affidavit with the auditor, or their designee, that explains the details of the loss, including the warrant's number, date, amount, and payee's name. Make sure to file it before the warrant becomes void, and you can do this at any time before then.
Section § 29851
If a check (or warrant) issued by the county is lost or destroyed, the auditor can issue a duplicate check for the full or remaining amount. If the check was lost after reaching a bank, the treasurer can pay based on a copy of the check, as long as the bank agrees to cover any losses the county might face from this payment.
Section § 29852
This law states that if a duplicate warrant is not given to the county treasurer for payment within the same time period that the original warrant was valid for, it becomes invalid.
Section § 29853
This law explains that a warrant is deemed lost if the person it's addressed to hasn't received it within 20 days of it being mailed. Local authorities, like the board of supervisors, can set a shorter timeframe for when a warrant is considered lost.
Section § 29853.5
This law explains how counties in California must handle situations where public assistance checks are lost, stolen, or damaged. If the check is lost in the mail, the claimant needs to wait five working days before filing an affidavit, unless the county sets a shorter time. If lost for other reasons, they can file the affidavit immediately. Counties must help with the affidavit and issue replacement checks within five working days. If the recipient has moved, they can file the affidavit in their new county and that should notify the original county to issue a new check in a timely manner. If a person gets both the original and replacement checks, they must return the original. The state will work with county associations to create a standard form for this process.
Section § 29854
If a government warrant (a type of payment authorization) is lost or destroyed, the auditor and treasurer must update their records to show this and note that a new one has been issued.