# Home-address privacy in California, 2026

California distinguishes official Internet-posting restrictions, Safe at Home property requests, CCPA agents and the operational DROP deletion system.

Source: https://golowprofile.com/states/california (updated 2026-10-24)

[States](https://golowprofile.com/states) / California

# Home-address privacy in California, 2026

Last updated October 24, 2026

California has separate mechanisms for an official's Internet-posting protection, Safe at Home records and commercial data deletion. Each mechanism reaches a different recipient and set of information. [[1]](#source-1) [[2]](#source-2) [[3]](#source-3)

General information, not legal advice. Individual eligibility depends on the cited provision.

## Which records and offices are covered?

California record routes and their limits, checked October 24, 2026
| Record or recipient | Published mechanism | Important limit |
| --- | --- | --- |
| State or local agency website | Government Code 7928.205 restricts posting the listed official's home information without prior written permission. | The provision targets public Internet posting and the protected identity-to-parcel association. [[1]](#source-1) |
| Private Internet sale or trade | Civil Code 1798.84.1 addresses the specified contact-information conduct with intent to cause imminent great bodily harm. | AB 1521 repealed the former Government Code written-demand takedown provisions. [[4]](#source-4)[[5]](#source-5) |
| Safe at Home property records | Participants may request substitute-address replacement on specified property instruments. | Governmental exceptions in section 6209.5 remain material. [[2]](#source-2) |
| Confidential voter registration | The program publishes a Confidential Voter Registration Card. | Use the program's procedure rather than assuming ordinary registration is confidential. [[6]](#source-6)[[7]](#source-7) |
| Public-safety voter application | Elections Code 2166.7 applies only with county-board authorization and a qualifying sworn application. | The application is public. A granted period lasts no more than two years, with a new application for renewal. [[7]](#source-7)[[8]](#source-8) |
| CCPA agent request | Section 7063 governs deletion, correction and knowledge requests made by an agent. | Signed permission and direct consumer verification or confirmation may be required. [[9]](#source-9) |
| Registered data brokers | California residents can submit a DROP request; broker processing began August 1, 2026. | The official process uses recurring processing intervals and status updates can take longer. [[3]](#source-3) |

## Which official-record restriction applies?

Government Code 7928.205 addresses what state and local agencies publicly post on the Internet. Its listed information includes a protected official's home address and telephone number. It also reaches the official's name and assessor parcel number associated with the home address. Prior written permission matters under this provision. The text should not be summarized as a universal closure of property records. [[1]](#source-1)

The definition of elected or appointed official is nonexclusive and contains 18 listed categories. The clean current code reflects AB 343's January 1, 2026 expansion. It expressly includes active or retired federal judges and defenders, tribal judges, and court-appointed children's counsel in family or dependency proceedings. The separate voter and DMV statutes use their own eligibility definitions. [[10]](#source-10) [[1]](#source-1) [[5]](#source-5)

AB 1521 repealed the former Government Code written-demand takedown provisions. Current Civil Code 1798.84.1 instead addresses Internet solicitation, sale or trade of covered contact information with intent to cause imminent great bodily harm. That intent-qualified provision should not be described as the former ordinary written-notice deletion route. The agency posting rule also preserves legally required notices and publications. [[4]](#source-4) [[5]](#source-5) [[1]](#source-1)

## What does Safe at Home change?

Safe at Home uses designated enrolling agencies and victim-assistance counselors. Its current eligibility description includes survivor categories and specified healthcare, public-entity and household circumstances. These are application categories rather than individual eligibility decisions. A person should use the enrolling agency's current procedure to establish the required facts and obtain the program's designated address. [[2]](#source-2) [[11]](#source-11)

California also has a property-specific Safe at Home provision. Section 6209.5 permits requests involving deeds, change-of-ownership forms and deeds of trust, subject to its governmental exceptions. That record-level mechanism matters when an ordinary mailing-address change would leave the recorded instrument unchanged. Confidential voter registration has its own published card and should be handled as a separate program step. [[2]](#source-2) [[6]](#source-6) [[7]](#source-7)

## How do CCPA agents and DROP work?

For deletion, correction and knowledge requests, section 7063 permits a business to seek proof of the consumer's signed permission. It can also require direct consumer identity verification or direct confirmation of permission. The power-of-attorney exception has distinct consequences. A business cannot require a power of attorney merely because a consumer chooses an authorized agent. [[9]](#source-9)

The California Data Broker Registry and DROP serve different functions. The registry publishes registration information. DROP lets eligible California residents direct deletion requests to active data brokers. Brokers began required processing on August 1, 2026 and must access the system at least every 45 days. The official guidance allows up to 90 days before a status update appears. Those intervals do not prove any particular broker has completed deletion. [[12]](#source-12) [[3]](#source-3)

[Open the California privacy-rights tool](https://golowprofile.com/tools/state-privacy-rights?state=california). Compare the [home-address laws](https://golowprofile.com/reference/home-address-laws), [address confidentiality programs](https://golowprofile.com/reference/address-confidentiality-programs), [consumer privacy rights](https://golowprofile.com/reference/privacy-rights-by-state) and [voter-record rules](https://golowprofile.com/reference/voter-record-confidentiality) behind this page.

Related state references. [Colorado](https://golowprofile.com/states/colorado) and [New Jersey](https://golowprofile.com/states/new-jersey). Return to the [state directory](https://golowprofile.com/states).

## Which sources were reviewed?

Checked October 24, 2026. Scheduled source review January 24, 2027. Each linked provision governs its own record channel and statutory conditions.

- [Cal. Gov. Code 7928.205](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=7928.205.&lawCode=GOV).
- [www.sos.ca.gov official text](https://www.sos.ca.gov/registries/safe-home/frequently-asked-questions1/).
- [Official DROP, processing every 45 days; status may take 90 days](https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/?trk=public_post_reshare-text).
- [AB1521, Stats. 2025 ch. 200, secs. 18-22](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1521).
- [Cal. Civ. Code 1798.84.1](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=1798.84.1.&lawCode=CIV).
- [California Secretary of State Safe at Home](https://www.sos.ca.gov/registries/safe-home).
- [Cal. Elec. Code 2166.7](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=2166.7.&lawCode=ELEC).
- [Cal. Veh. Code 1808.4](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=1808.4.&lawCode=VEH).
- [11 CCR 7063, effectiveJanuary 1, 2026](https://cppa.ca.gov/regulations/pdf/ccpa_statute_eff_20260101.pdf).
- [Cal. Gov. Code 7920.500](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=7920.500.&lawCode=GOV).
- [www.sos.ca.gov official text](https://www.sos.ca.gov/registries/safe-home/frequently-asked-questions).
- [CPPA 2026 data broker registry](https://cppa.ca.gov/data_broker_registry/).

---
Go Low Profile is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.