§ 701.540 Notice of sale of interest in real property; service, mailing and posting; publication; notice to lienholders

§ 701.540. Notice of sale of interest in real property; service, mailing and posting; publication; notice to
lienholders

(a) Notice of sale of an interest in real property shall be in writing, shall state the date, time, and place of sale, shall describe the interest to be sold, and shall give a legal description of the real property and its street address or other common designation, if any. If the real property has no street address or other common designation, the notice of sale shall include a statement that directions to its location may be obtained from the levying officer upon oral or written request or, in the discretion of the levying officer, the notice of sale may contain directions to its location. Directions are sufficient if information as to the location of the real property is given by reference to the direction and approximate distance from the nearest crossroads, frontage road, or access road. If an accurate legal description of the real property is given, the validity of the notice and sale is not affected by the fact that the street address or other common designation, or directions to its location, are erroneous or omitted.

(b) Not less than 20 days before the date of sale, notice of sale of an interest in real property shall be served, mailed, and posted by the levying officer as provided in subdivisions (c), (d), (e), and (f).

(d) Notice of sale shall be posted in the following places:

(1) One public place in the city in which the interest in the real property is to be sold if it is to be sold in a city or, if not to be sold in a city, one public place in the county in which the interest in the real property is to be sold.

(2) A conspicuous place on the real property.

(e) At the time notice is posted pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (d), notice of sale shall be served or service shall be attempted on one occupant of the real property. Service on the occupant shall be made by leaving the notice with the occupant personally or, in the occupant's absence, with any person of suitable age and discretion found upon the real property at the time service is attempted who is either an employee or agent of the occupant or a member of the occupant's household. If the levying officer is unable to serve such an occupant at the time service is attempted, the levying officer is not required to make any further attempts to serve an occupant.

(f) If the property described in the notice of sale consists of more than one distinct lot, parcel, or governmental subdivision and any of the lots, parcels, or governmental subdivisions lies with relation to any of the others so as to form one or more continuous, unbroken tracts, only one service pursuant to subdivision (e) and posting pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) need be made as to each continuous, unbroken tract.

(g) Notice of sale shall be published pursuant to Section 6063 of the Government Code, with the first publication at least 20 days prior to the time of sale, in a newspaper of general circulation published in the city in which the real property or a part thereof is situated if any part thereof is situated in a city or, if not, in a newspaper of general circulation published in the judicial district in which the real property or a part thereof is situated. If no newspaper of general circulation is published in the city or judicial district, notice of sale shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the real property or a part thereof is situated.

(h) Not earlier than 30 days after the date of levy, the judgment creditor shall determine the names of all persons having liens on the real property on the date of levy that are of record in the office of the county recorder and shall instruct the levying officer to mail notice of sale to each such person at the address used by the county recorder for the return of the instrument creating the person's lien after recording. The levying officer shall mail notice to each such person, at the address given in the instructions, not less than 20 days before the date of sale.