Chowchilla · Foreclosure & auctions

Foreclosure and auctions in Chowchilla

Chowchilla requires a beneficiary or trustee holding a deed of trust to register a defaulted property within 10 days of an inspection that finds it vacant or showing signs of vacancy. Foreclosure timelines and auction rules come from state law.

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Key points

Registration: A beneficiary or trustee holding a deed of trust must register property found vacant or showing vacancy signs within 10 days of the inspection.
Annual fee: Later annual registrations and fees are due January 1 and received by January 31; the fee is set by city council resolution.
Local manager: A corporation, entity or out-of-area beneficiary or trustee must contract a local property management company to inspect monthly.
Upkeep and signs: Registered property must be free of weeds and graffiti and locked; corporation or out-of-area owners post a sign at least 18 by 24 inches.
State timeline: State law: notice of sale comes at least 3 months after notice of default is recorded and at least 20 days before the sale.
State sale window: Under state law, a 1–4 unit trustee's sale is not final for 15 days; eligible bidders who give notice may bid within 45 days.

Each rule below is marked Chowchilla code or CA state law and links to the section it comes from (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

Registering vacant and foreclosed homes

Chowchilla code What Chowchilla's code adds
Local contact	A local property management company is required. Applies: Applies to a corporation, entity or out-of-area beneficiary or trustee. § 8.03.050 · code text in the case of a corporation, entity, or out-of-area beneficiary/trustee, the local property management company responsible for the security, maintenance, and marketing of the property. Contract a local property management company to inspect monthly. Applies: Applies to property owned by a corporation, entity or out-of-area beneficiary, trustee or owner. § 8.03.070 · code text A local property management company shall be contracted to perform, at a minimum, monthly inspections to verify that the requirements of this section, and any other applicable laws, are being met.
Upkeep duties	Keep property free of weeds, dry brush, dead vegetation, trash, junk, debris, building materials, accumulated publications and notices, discarded personal items, and other items suggesting abandonment; remove graffiti; landscape and maintain visible yards to neighborhood standards; maintain pools or drain and keep them dry; eliminate standing water. Applies: Property subject to registration (vacant, in default or foreclosed) § 8.03.060 · code text In comparison to the neighborhood standard, the property shall be kept free of weeds, dry brush, dead vegetation, trash, junk, debris, building materials, any accumulation of newspapers, circulars, flyers, notices, except those required by federal, state or local law, discarded personal items, including but not limited to, furniture, clothing, large and small appliances, printed material or any other items that give the appearance that the property is abandoned. Keep the property secure by closing and locking windows, doors, gates and other openings. Reglaze or board broken windows. Applies: Applies to property that must be registered: vacant, in default or foreclosed. § 8.03.070 · code text The property shall be maintained in a secure manner so as not to be accessible to unauthorized persons. Secure manner includes, but is not limited to, the closure and locking of windows, doors (walk-through, sliding, and garage), gates, and any other opening of such size that may allow a child to access the interior of the property and/or structure(s). Post a sign at least 18 by 24 inches, readable from 45 feet, with the local manager's name, 24-hour phone and required wording. Applies: Applies to property owned by a corporation, entity or out-of-area beneficiary, trustee or owner. § 8.03.070 · code text The property shall be posted with the name and twenty-four-hour contact phone number of the local property management company.
Deadline to register	Within 10 days of the inspection. Applies: Applies to a beneficiary or trustee holding a deed of trust, when the property is found vacant or shows signs of vacancy. § 8.03.050 · code text the beneficiary/trustee shall, within ten days of the inspection, register the property with the community development director or his or her designee on forms provided by the city. Within 10 days of the inspection. Applies: Beneficiary or trustee holding a deed of trust; property in default was occupied, then found vacant or showing signs of vacancy. § 8.03.050 · code text the trustee shall, within ten days of that inspection, register the property with the city administrator, community development director, or his/her designee, on forms provided by the city. Due January 1 each year and must be received by January 31. Applies: Applies to a beneficiary or trustee holding a deed of trust, for later annual registrations and fees. § 8.03.050 · code text Subsequent registrations and fees are due January 1 of each year and must be received no later than January 31 of the year due.
Registration fee	Set, and amended from time to time, by city council resolution. Applies: Applies to registering an abandoned residential property. § 8.03.100 · code text The fee for registering an abandoned residential property shall be set and amended from time to time by resolution of the city council. An annual registration fee, paid with the registration form. Applies: Beneficiary or trustee registering a vacant property. Valid for the calendar year or the rest of it. § 8.03.050 · code text An annual registration fee shall accompany the registration form. The fee and registration shall be valid for the calendar year, or remaining portion of the calendar year, in which the registration was initially required.
Registration	Registration is required. Applies: Beneficiary or trustee holding a deed of trust; property in default found vacant or showing signs of vacancy is deemed abandoned. § 8.03.050 · code text If the property is found to be vacant or shows evidence of vacancy, it is, by this chapter, deemed abandoned and the beneficiary/trustee shall, within ten days of the inspection, register the property Registration is required. Applies: Beneficiary or trustee holding a deed of trust; property in default was occupied, then found vacant or showing signs of vacancy. § 8.03.050 · code text It is found to be vacant or shows evidence of vacancy, at which time it is deemed abandoned and the trustee shall, within ten days of that inspection, register the property with the city administrator, community development director, or his/her designee Registration is required. Applies: Beneficiary or trustee; property sold at foreclosure with title to the beneficiary, or transferred by deed in lieu of foreclosure or sale. § 8.03.050 · code text This section shall also apply to properties that have been the subject of a foreclosure sale where the title was transferred to the beneficiary of a deed of trust involved in the foreclosure and any properties transferred under a deed in lieu of foreclosure or sale.

Foreclosure steps and deadlines

CA state law California law sets this statewide. Time between notice of default and sale: At least three months after the notice of default is recorded before notice of sale; the sale itself no earlier than three months and 20 days after the notice of default (Civ. Code § 2924(a)(2), (a)(4)). Notice of trustee's sale: Posted, published and recorded at least 20 days before the sale (Civ. Code § 2924f(b)). California foreclosure rules — the full state rule →

Homeowner protections

CA state law California law sets this statewide. No foreclosure while a loan modification is pending: If a complete first-lien modification application is submitted at least five business days before a sale, the servicer may not record a notice of default or sale, or hold the sale, while it is pending (Civ. Code § 2923.6(c)). California foreclosure rules — the full state rule →

The trustee's sale (auction)

CA state law California law sets this statewide. When and where sales are held: At public auction in the county where the property is, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on a business day (Civ. Code § 2924g(a)(1)). Tenant and owner-occupant priority after a sale (SB 1079): On 1–4 unit property, a trustee's sale is not final for 15 days; eligible tenant buyers and eligible bidders who give notice of intent may bid within 45 days (Civ. Code § 2924m(c)). California foreclosure rules — the full state rule →

Tenants in a foreclosed home

CA state law California law sets this statewide. Tenants in a foreclosed property: A month-to-month tenant must get at least 90 days' written notice to quit; a tenant with a fixed-term lease signed before the sale may stay to the end of the lease (Code Civ. Proc. § 1161b(a), (b)). California foreclosure rules — the full state rule →

Debt after the sale

CA state law California law sets this statewide. No deficiency after a trustee's sale: After a nonjudicial trustee's sale, the lender cannot collect any shortfall from the borrower (Code Civ. Proc. § 580d(a)). California foreclosure rules — the full state rule →

Who this affects

Homeowners behind on a loanBuyers of bank-owned homesLenders and servicers

Frequently asked questions

Must a lender or owner register a vacant or foreclosed home in Chowchilla?

A beneficiary or trustee holding a deed of trust must register property found vacant or showing vacancy signs within 10 days of the inspection. Later annual registrations and fees are due January 1 and received by January 31; the fee is set by city council resolution. A corporation, entity or out-of-area beneficiary or trustee must contract a local property management company to inspect monthly. Registered property must be free of weeds and graffiti and locked; corporation or out-of-area owners post a sign at least 18 by 24 inches.

General information, not legal advice.

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