Private Cemeteries
What California law says about private cemeteries, ownership transfer, and removing a dedication — and an open question worth confirming before a sale.
Yearly Archives: 2023
Letter of Intent: 5 Critical Risks Before You Sign
Most Letters of Intent say they aren’t binding — but California courts don’t always agree. Here’s what actually determines whether a Letter of Intent can be enforced against your church, and how to protect yourself before you sign.
Service Animals
Why the ADA doesn’t require churches to admit service animals, how California’s Unruh Act is narrower but not absolute, and why most churches welcome them anyway.
Perfecting a Mechanics Lien
How to perfect a mechanics lien in California. Learn about preliminary notice requirements, filing deadlines with the county recorder, lien enforcement through foreclosure, and the difference between conditional and unconditional lien releases for contractors and suppliers.
Banking Beneficiaries: Who Gets Your Money When You Die
Who inherits your bank account has almost nothing to do with your will. Banking beneficiaries, set through POD, Totten trust, joint, or trust accounts, pass outside probate, and in California a designation can beat your will entirely. Here’s how each works.
California California Proposition 19: Critical Property Tax Rules
California Proposition 19 lets seniors carry a low tax base to a new home, but sharply limits the parent-child inheritance exclusion and caps it at a set dollar amount. Here’s what families and property owners need to know.
Religious Employment and Discrimination: What Churches Can and Can’t Do
Religious employment gives churches real freedom over who fills their faith-based roles, but that freedom has limits. Here’s how Title VII’s exemption and the ministerial exception protect a church’s decisions, and exactly where they stop.
Incidental Use of Church Property: Weddings, Fairs, and Garage Sales
Renting the sanctuary for a wedding or running a garage sale can raise a real tax question for a church. Here’s how the incidental use of church property interacts with UBIT, and the exceptions that keep most church fundraisers tax-free.
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