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HomeGovernment CodeDiv. 5Pt. 3Ch. 12Art. 1§ 21061 Local Safety Member Retirement

§ 21061 Local Safety Member Retirement

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

§ 21061 Local Safety Member Retirement

Key Takeaways

  • •If you work in local safety (like police or firefighters) and are not under special rules, you can retire at age 55 if you have worked for the state for at least 5 years.
  • •Some older work contracts might say you have to be older than 55 to retire. If your job has one of these old contracts, you have to follow that age rule unless your boss changes the contract.
  • •To retire, you must fill out a form and send it to the board.

Example

A firefighter who started working at age 30 wants to retire.

If the firefighter is now 55 and has worked for the state for at least 5 years, they can fill out a form to retire. But if their job has an old contract saying they must be 60 to retire, they have to wait until they are 60 unless the contract is updated.

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

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 21061 Local Safety Member Retirement

(a) A local safety member, other than one subject to Section 21362 or 21362.2, shall be retired for service upon the member’s written application to the board if the member has attained the age of 55 years, and is credited with five years of state service. (b) Subdivision (a) does not apply to the employees of any contracting agency having a contract with the board made prior to September 5, 1945, which contract specifies an age greater than the age of 55 years as the minimum age for voluntary retirement for service for local safety members, until the agency elects to make subdivision (a) applicable to its employees, by amendment to its contract made in the manner prescribed for the approval of contracts, except that an election among the employees is not required. Until the contracting agency elects to make subdivision (a) applicable to its employees, a local safety member employed by the contracting agency shall be retired for service upon the member’s written application to the board if the member has attained the minimum age for voluntary retirement specified in the contract between his or her employer and the board, and is credited with five years of state service. (Amended by Stats. 2001, Ch. 21, Sec. 8. Effective June 25, 2001. Applicable from January 1, 2000, by Sec. 37 of Ch. 21.)

Last verified: January 22, 2026

Key Terms

local safety memberretired for servicewritten applicationfive years of state servicecontracting agency

Related Statutes

  • § 21062 Early Retirement Pension Reduction
  • § 21060 Service Retirement Eligibility
  • § 21093 Local Member Retirement Eligibility
  • § 21157 Local Safety Member Determination
  • § 21063 Employee Compensation Reporting Meeting

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Government Code. Section 21061.
View Official Source