Church Property Tax Exemption
Understand California church property tax exemptions, including Church, Religious, and Welfare Exemptions, filing deadlines, and eligibility requirements.
Author Archives: admin_rcb
Community Property: Rules for Your Will or Trust
Community property is the rule of the land in California, and it controls what you can actually leave in a will or trust. Here’s how §760, separate property, commingling, transmutation, and death shape your estate plan.
General Plan vs. Zoning
How a General Plan and zoning ordinance legally relate under California law, and how RLUIPA gives churches specific federal protection in zoning disputes.
Endowments
Endowments are money or property given to a church with the understanding that the principal stays invested rather than being spent, while the investment earnings support the church’s programs or operations over time. That basic idea is simple. What trips churches up is that endowments aren’t just a financial arrangement — they’re a legal one, governed by a specific California statute that limits how and when the church can actually spend the money. The Law Behind Endowments: California’s UPMIFA California governs institutional endowments through the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional […]
ADA Deficiencies in Churches
Churches are exempt from ADA Title III, but California’s Building Code is not — what that means for construction, tenants, and accessibility upgrades.
Evicting Church Tenants: Critical Rules in California
Evicting church tenants in California means following strict commercial unlawful detainer rules. Learn the process and the self-help traps to avoid.
Clouds on Title And Ways They Threaten a Sale
Clouds on title are one of the most overlooked threats to a property’s marketability. Here’s what actually creates one, the difference between marketable and merely insurable title, and how to clear a defect before it costs you a sale.
Clergy-Penitent Privilege in California
What clergy-penitent privilege actually covers under California law, who can waive it, and where the line sits against mandatory child-abuse reporting requirements.
Eminent Domain: 5 Things Churches Must Know
Eminent domain gives the government the power to take private property for public use — and church property isn’t exempt. Here’s how just compensation is calculated, why churches are especially hard to appraise, and what to do if your church is approached.
Cell Towers at Churches
Considering a cell tower lease at your California church? Learn the key risks — from lost tax exemptions to UBIT — before you sign.