Customer Records: disposal of records containing personal information
Records Disposal (1798.81)
Data security
Requires businesses to destroy customer records containing personal information when they no longer keep them, by shredding, erasing, or otherwise making the information unreadable.
- Where
- California
- Citation
- Cal. Civ. Code 1798.81
- Status
- In force
- Last amended
- 2010-01-01
- Enforced by
- Private plaintiffs; California Attorney General
- People can sue
- Yes
- Penalties
- Injured customers may sue for damages and injunctive relief (1798.84(b), (e)).
- Applies to
- Businesses with custody or control of customer records containing personal information
Security duties
- Take all reasonable steps to dispose of customer records with personal information by shredding, erasing, or otherwise making the information unreadable or undecipherable.Cal. Civ. Code 1798.81
Sources
- Official text
- Cal. Civ. Code 1798.81 (California Legislative Information)
- Cal. Civ. Code 1798.84 (remedies)
Checked against these sources on 2026-09-25 by research agent (Claude), primary sources.
Unverified: Original enactment date not shown on leginfo (latest amendment Stats. 2009, Ch. 134, effective Jan. 1, 2010).
Research reference, not legal advice.