Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 21701. Section 21701.
As used in this article, “animal” includes:
(a)
A bovine animal.
(b)
The carcass of a bovine animal from which the hide has not been removed.
(c)
The hide of a bovine animal.
ARTICLE 1. Bills of Sale [21701. - 21710.]
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC 1.
in effectCal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 21702. Section 21702.
No person shall buy, sell, or accept any animal, unless the seller or donor gives, and the buyer or donee receives, at the time of the delivery of the animal, a written bill of sale or written instrument from the owner, or his or her agent, that gives the number, kind, breed, and sex, and, if branded, the brand and location of the brand on each animal.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 21702.1. Section 21702.1.
Any person who sells or otherwise transfers title to any cattle or calves to another person shall remit to the director within 30 days of that sale, the beef council fees required under Section 64691, together with a copy of the bill of sale, unless these fees have been collected pursuant to a brand inspection as provided for in Section 64691.7.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 21703. Section 21703.
Except as provided in Section 21058, bills of sale or consignment required by any provision of Division 9 (commencing with Section 16301) or Division 10 (commencing with Section 20001) shall be made on the “Bill of Sale or Consignment” form approved by the director, and shall state all of the following information for animals sold or consigned:
(a)
The date of sale or consignment.
(b)
The loading point.
(c)
The name and address of the owner or the consignor, or both.
(d)
The destination.
(e)
The number and description of the animals including their brands, if any.
(f)
The name and address of the buyer or consignee, or both.
(g)
The name of the transporter or carrier and the license number of the vehicle used to transport the animals.
(h)
The signature of the owner or his authorized agent.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 21704. Section 21704.
The failure of the seller or donor to give a written bill of sale or written instrument to the buyer or donee has no effect upon the validity of any sale or contract of sale or gift of an animal nor upon the rights of either the buyer, donee, seller, or donor.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 21705. Section 21705.
If by any provision of this division a certificate, bill of sale, or other document is required to accompany any shipment of animals, nothing in this division shall be construed to make the carrier, driver, or any person other than the shipper responsible for the accuracy of the information required in the document.
The person transporting is, however, responsible for having the documents required by this division in possession during shipment, and the driver shall deliver such document to the person receiving the cattle at destination so it can be presented to the inspector prior to inspection.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 21706. Section 21706.
Any invoice of sale or bill of sale which has been altered, defaced or changed is void. An inspector may, however, indicate on a bill of sale any number of cattle which are sold by the holder of the bill of sale, if he initials and dates such alterations on the bill of sale.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 21707. Section 21707.
Except as otherwise provided in Section 21706, it is unlawful for any person to alter, deface or change any invoice of sale or bill of sale.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 21708. Section 21708.
An auctioneer shall not offer any milking cow for sale at any auction sale of cattle unless the milking cow has been milked out and stripped within 12 hours of the time such offer to sell the cow takes place.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 21709. Section 21709.
Except as otherwise provided in Section 21706, it is unlawful for any person to possess, or to present to an inspector or peace officer, any invoice of sale or bill of sale that has been altered, defaced, or otherwise changed.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 21710. Section 21710.
It is unlawful for any person to falsify any of the bill of sale information required by Sections 21702 and 21703, or to present such falsified documents to an inspector or peace officer.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026