When is Out-of-State Property Characterized as Community Property?

According to California community property law, California Family Code section 760, community property is, “all property, real or personal, wherever situated, acquired by a married person during the marriage while domiciled in this [California] is community property.”

The phrase “wherever situated” means that a spouse who lives in California can acquire property that is characterized as community property even if that property is located outside of California.

What are the requirements for out-of-state property to be characterized as separate property?

The key is the spouse him or herself must be living in California, and the property must have been acquired during the marriage. This includes real property such as a home or a lot of land, as well as personal property, such as a car, an antique, jewelry, etc.

Therefore, a court in California will treat out-of-state property as community assets, and can divide the values of such in half according to community property laws, or according to the terms of the parties’ agreement.

Where that authority ends, however, is the California court’s ability to directly affect or transfer the title of the property, unless it’s allowed by the other state’s law.

What is quasi community property?

If a couple lives in a state that does not follow community property rules, and acquires property while married, then moves to California, the property itself will not change to be considered community property. This is because it was acquired during the marriage, while the couple was living in a non-community property state.

But, under the equitable rules of “quasi-community property,” this property acquired during marriage may be treated as community property for purposes of defining marital property debt liability and property division rights upon marriage termination.

Changing the character of property with a transmutation agreement

Another way property can be changed to be considered separate or community property would be by agreement, or as it is referred to in family law, “transmutation.”

This sounds like a science experiment, but it is merely a written agreement. This gives the couple the power to change the characterization of a property from community to separate, or vice versa.

This does not mean that title of a community property house or item is merely “transferred” to one spouse, it must be more than that.

Under Family Code section 852, the agreement must be in writing, signed by the spouse whose interest is adversely affected. This means that the spouse that is giving up an interest in the property must sign the agreement.

For community property in California, where both spouses have an equal and undivided interest in the property, this would mean that the spouse losing his or her one-half interest would need to sign the agreement.

That is not all. Just to make extra sure that a couple intends to change the characterization of property, the agreement must also contain some language that expressly states that the characterization or ownership of the property is being changed.

A valid transmutation agreement need not use the term “transmutation” or any legal or formal terms. It doesn’t even need to mention the terms “community or separation property.”

For example, the agreement may state, “I give to my spouse any interest I have in my house in Malibu.”