2023 California Code › Commercial Code - COM › DIVISION 9 - SECURED TRANSACTIONS › CHAPTER 3 - Perfection and Priority › Section 9317.

9317. (a) A security interest or agricultural lien is subordinate to the rights of both of the following:
(1) A person entitled to priority under Section 9322.
(2) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (e), a person that becomes a lien creditor before the earlier of the time the security interest or agricultural lien is perfected, or one of the conditions specified in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 9203 is met and a financing statement covering the collateral is filed.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (e), a buyer, other than a secured party, of goods, instruments, tangible documents, or a certificated security takes free of a security interest or agricultural lien if the buyer gives value and receives delivery of the collateral without knowledge of the security interest or agricultural lien and before it is perfected.
(c) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (e), a lessee of goods takes free of a security interest or agricultural lien if the lessee gives value and receives delivery of the collateral without knowledge of the security interest or agricultural lien and before it is perfected.
(d) Subject to subdivisions (f) to (i), inclusive, a licensee of a general intangible or a buyer, other than a secured party, of collateral other than electronic money, goods, instruments, tangible documents, or a certificated security takes free of a security interest if the licensee or buyer gives value without knowledge of the security interest and before it is perfected.
(e) Except as otherwise provided in Sections 9320 and 9321, if a person files a financing statement with respect to a purchase money security interest before or within 20 days after the debtor receives delivery of the collateral, the security interest takes priority over the rights of a buyer, lessee, or lien creditor which arise between the time the security interest attaches and the time of filing.
(f) A buyer, other than a secured party, of chattel paper takes free of a security interest if, without knowledge of the security interest and before it is perfected, the buyer gives value and both of the following conditions are satisfied:
(1) The buyer receives delivery of each authoritative tangible copy of the record evidencing the chattel paper.
(2) If each authoritative electronic copy of the record evidencing the chattel paper can be subjected to control under Section 9105, the buyer obtains control of each authoritative electronic copy.
(g) A buyer of an electronic document takes free of a security interest if, without knowledge of the security interest and before it is perfected, the buyer gives value and, if each authoritative electronic copy of the document can be subjected to control under Section 7106, obtains control of each authoritative electronic copy.
(h) A buyer of a controllable electronic record takes free of a security interest if, without knowledge of the security interest and before it is perfected, the buyer gives value and obtains control of the controllable electronic record.
(i) A buyer, other than a secured party, of a controllable account or a controllable payment intangible takes free of a security interest if, without knowledge of the security interest and before it is perfected, the buyer gives value and obtains control of the controllable account or controllable payment intangible.
(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 210, Sec. 47. (SB 95) Effective January 1, 2024.)