As used in this chapter:

(a) “Public entity” includes the state, the Regents of the University of California, a county, city, city and county, district, public authority, public agency, and any other political subdivision or public corporation in the state or any entity acting on behalf of these agencies when acquiring real property, or any interest therein, in any city or county for public use, and any person who has the authority to acquire property by eminent domain under state law.

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(b) “Person” means any individual, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, or association.

(c) (1) “Displaced person” means both of the following:

(A) Any person who moves from real property, or who moves his or her personal property from real property, either:

(i) As a direct result of a written notice of intent to acquire, or the acquisition of, the real property, in whole or in part, for a program or project undertaken by a public entity or by any person having an agreement with, or acting on behalf of, a public entity.

(ii) As a direct result of the rehabilitation, demolition, or other displacing activity, as the public entity may prescribe under a program or project undertaken by a public entity, of real property on which the person is a residential tenant or conducts a business or farm operation, if the public entity determines that the displacement is permanent. For purposes of this subparagraph, “residential tenant” includes any occupant of a residential hotel unit, as defined in subdivision (b) of § 50669 of the Health and Safety Code, and any occupant of employee housing, as defined in § 17008 of the Health and Safety Code, but does not include any person who has been determined to be in unlawful occupancy of the displacement dwelling.

(B) Solely for the purposes of Sections 7261 and 7262, any person who moves from real property, or moves his or her personal property from real property, either:

(i) As a direct result of a written notice of intent to acquire, or the acquisition of, other real property, in whole or in part, on which the person conducts a business or farm operation for a program or project undertaken by a public entity.

(ii) As a direct result of the rehabilitation, demolition, or other displacing activity as the public entity may prescribe under a program or project undertaken by a public entity, of other real property on which the person conducts a business or farm operation, in any case in which the public entity determines that the displacement is permanent.

(2) This subdivision shall be construed so that persons displaced as a result of public action receive relocation benefits in cases where they are displaced as a result of an owner participation agreement or an acquisition carried out by a private person for, or in connection with, a public use where the public entity is otherwise empowered to acquire the property to carry out the public use.

(3) Except for persons or families of low and moderate income, as defined in § 50093 of the Health and Safety Code, who are occupants of housing that was made available to them on a permanent basis by a public agency and who are required to move from the housing, a “displaced person” shall not include any of the following:

(A) Any person who has been determined to be in unlawful occupancy of the displacement dwellings.

(B) Any person whose right of possession at the time of moving arose after the date of the public entity’s acquisition of the real property.

(C) Any person who has occupied the real property for the purpose of obtaining assistance under this chapter.

(D) In any case in which the public entity acquires property for a program or project (other than a person who was an occupant of the property at the time it was acquired), any person who occupies the property for a period subject to termination when the property is needed for the program or project.

(E) Any person who donates or willingly sells his or her property for the purposes of protecting fish and wildlife habitat, providing recreational areas, or preserving cultural or agricultural resources and open space, or any person who occupies that property on a rental basis. This subparagraph does not apply when a sale is in response to an eminent domain proceeding.

(d) “Business” means any lawful activity, except a farm operation, conducted for any of the following:

(1) Primarily for the purchase, sale, lease, or rental of personal and real property, and for the manufacture, processing, or marketing of products, commodities, or any other personal property.

(2) Primarily for the sale of services to the public.

(3) Primarily by a nonprofit organization.

(4) Solely for the purpose of Section 7262 for assisting in the purchase, sale, resale, manufacture, processing, or marketing of products, commodities, personal property, or services by the erection and maintenance of an outdoor advertising display, whether or not the display is located on the premises on which any of the above activities are conducted.

(e) “Farm operation” means any activity conducted solely or primarily for the production of one or more agricultural products or commodities, including timber, for sale or home use, and customarily producing these products or commodities in sufficient quantity to be capable of contributing materially to the operator’s support.

(f) “Affected property” means any real property that actually declines in fair market value because of acquisition by a public entity for public use of other real property and a change in the use of the real property acquired by the public entity.

(g) “Public use” means a use for which real property may be acquired by eminent domain.

(h) “Mortgage” means classes of liens that are commonly given to secure advances on, or the unpaid purchase price of, real property, together with the credit instruments, if any, secured thereby.

(i) “Comparable replacement dwelling” means any dwelling that is all of the following:

(1) Decent, safe, and sanitary.

(2) Adequate in size to accommodate the occupants.

(3) In the case of a displaced person who is a renter, within the financial means of the displaced person. A comparable replacement dwelling is within the financial means of a displaced person if the monthly rental cost of the dwelling, including estimated average monthly utility costs, minus any replacement housing payment available to the person, does not exceed 30 percent of the person’s average monthly income, unless the displaced person meets one or more of the following conditions, in which case the payment of the monthly rental cost of the comparable replacement dwelling, including estimated average monthly utility costs, minus any replacement housing payment available to the person, shall not exceed 25 percent of the person’s average monthly income:

(A) Prior to January 1, 1998, the displaced person received a notice to vacate from a public entity, or from a person having an agreement with a public entity.

(B) The displaced person resides on property that was acquired by a public entity, or by a person having an agreement with a public entity, prior to January 1, 1998.

(C) Prior to January 1, 1998, a public entity, or a person having an agreement with a public entity, initiated negotiations to acquire the property on which the displaced person resides.

(D) Prior to January 1, 1998, a public entity, or a person having an agreement with a public entity, entered into an agreement to acquire the property on which the displaced person resides.

(E) Prior to January 1, 1998, a public entity, or a person having an agreement with a public entity, gave written notice of intent to acquire the property on which the displaced person resides.

(F) The displaced person is covered by, or resides in an area or project covered by, a final relocation plan that was adopted by the legislative body prior to January 1, 1998, pursuant to this chapter and the regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter.

(G) The displaced person is covered by, or resides in an area or project covered by, a proposed relocation plan that was required to have been submitted prior to January 1, 1998, to the Department of Housing and Community Development or to a local relocation committee, or for which notice was required to have been provided to occupants of the property prior to January 1, 1998, pursuant to this chapter and the regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter.

(H) The displaced person is covered by, or resides in an area or project covered by, a proposed relocation plan that was submitted prior to January 1, 1998, to the Department of Housing and Community Development or to a local relocation committee, or for which notice was provided to the public or to occupants of the property prior to January 1, 1998, pursuant to this chapter and the regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter, and the person is eventually displaced by the project covered in the proposed relocation plan.

(I) The displaced person resides on property for which a contract for acquisition, rehabilitation, demolition, construction, or other displacing activity was entered into by a public entity, or by a person having an agreement with a public entity, prior to January 1, 1998.

(J) The displaced person resides on property where an owner participation agreement, or other agreement between a public entity and a private party that will result in the acquisition, rehabilitation, demolition, or development of the property or other displacement, was entered into prior to January 1, 1998, and the displaced person resides in the property at the time of the agreement, provides information to the public entity, or person having an agreement with the public entity, showing that he or she did reside in the property at the time of the agreement and is eventually displaced by the project covered in the agreement.

(4) Comparable with respect to the number of rooms, habitable space, and type and quality of construction. Comparability under this paragraph shall not require strict adherence to a detailed, feature-by-feature comparison. While a comparable replacement dwelling need not possess every feature of the displacement dwelling, the principal features shall be present.

(5) In an area not subject to unreasonable adverse environmental conditions.

(6) In a location generally not less desirable than the location of the displaced person’s dwelling with respect to public utilities, facilities, services, and the displaced person’s place of employment.

(j) “Displacing agency” means any public entity or person carrying out a program or project which causes a person to be a displaced person for a public project.

(k) “Appraisal” means a written statement independently and impartially prepared by a qualified appraiser setting forth an opinion of defined value of an adequately described property as of a specific date, supported by the presentation and analysis of relevant market information.

(l) “Small business” means a business as defined in Part 24 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(m) “Lead agency” means the Department of Housing and Community Development.

(Amended by Stats. 2009, Ch. 220, Sec. 1. (AB 94) Effective January 1, 2010.)