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.

HomeGovernment CodeDiv. 3Pt. 2Ch. 5Art. 2§ 37396 Public Property Lease Terms

§ 37396 Public Property Lease Terms

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

§ 37396 Public Property Lease Terms

Key Takeaways

  • •Cities and counties can rent out their land for up to 99 years for things like parks, sports, or fairs.
  • •They can't rent the land for shopping malls, hotels, or motels if the land was added to the city or county after April 24, 2002.
  • •They can rent the land for dorms or medical places, but only for people using the sports or training sites.
  • •They can also rent the land for food stands or selling things that help with the main purpose, like sports or fairs.

Example

A city wants to rent out a big piece of land to a company that wants to build a soccer training center.

The city can rent the land for 50 years for the soccer training center. They can also allow the company to build a small café and a dorm for the players. But they can't let the company build a hotel or a shopping mall on the land.

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

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 37396 Public Property Lease Terms

(a) A city, county, or city and county may lease property owned, held, or controlled by it for not to exceed 99 years, for stadium, park, recreational, fair, exposition, or exhibition purposes, or for general sports purposes such as training and competitive sports. (b) On and after April 24, 2002, a lease executed pursuant to this section on territory annexed pursuant to Section 56472, may not include a shopping center, hotel, motel, or lodging house, but may include a lease for all other purposes authorized under this section, including a lease for either or both of the following purposes: (1) Any dormitory or medical facility that exclusively, except in the case of a medical emergency, serves individuals participating in training or competitions held at the site leased pursuant to subdivision (a). (2) Any food facility, as defined by Section 113785 of the Health and Safety Code, food vending, and sales of goods and services incidental to, and in support of, the purposes of the lease. (c) A lease made by a county pursuant to this section is subject to Article 8 (commencing with Section 25520) of Chapter 5 of Part 2 of Division 2 of Title 3. (Amended by Stats. 2002, Ch. 507, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2003.)

Last verified: January 22, 2026

Key Terms

finesafetyhealthmedicalemergencyleaseportproperty

Related Statutes

  • § 54220 Surplus Land Housing Priority
  • § 25539.1 County Low-Income Home Sales
  • § 37362 Low-Income Home Rehabilitation Sales
  • § 37364 Affordable Housing Land Use
  • § 25351.1 Public Transit Building Location

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Government Code. Section 37396.
View Official Source