LawWiki
HomeCodesSearchGlossaryAPIAbout
LawWiki

Plain English summaries of California law with zero-hallucination AI. Every summary is verified against official source text.

Product

  • Search
  • Codes
  • About

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Disclaimer

© 2026 LawWiki. All rights reserved.

HomeCivil CodeDiv. 2Pt. 4Ch. 1Art. 2§ 1045 Nontransferable Mere Possibilities

§ 1045 Nontransferable Mere Possibilities

Civil Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 1045 Nontransferable Mere Possibilities

This law says you can't give away something that's only a chance or hope; you must actually own it to transfer it.

Key Takeaways

  • •Only something you truly own can be passed to another person.
  • •A simple chance or hope cannot be transferred.
  • •To move ownership, you need a real legal interest in the property.

Example

A person says they might inherit a house someday and tries to sell that hope to a friend.

Because the person only has a possibility of getting the house and no real ownership yet, they cannot legally transfer that hope to someone else.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 1045 Nontransferable Mere Possibilities

A mere possibility, not coupled with an interest, cannot be transferred. (Enacted 1872.)

Last verified: January 9, 2026

Key Terms

mere possibilityinteresttransferred

Related Statutes

  • § 1044 Transferable Property Exceptions
  • § 3287 Prejudgment Interest Recovery
  • § 1046 Transferable Reentry Rights
  • § 1047 Adverse Possession Transfers
  • § 1791 Consumer Goods Definitions

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Civil Code. Section 1045.
View Official Source