2023 California Code › Health and Safety Code - HSC › DIVISION 20 - MISCELLANEOUS HEALTH AND SAFETY PROVISIONS › CHAPTER 6.96 - Hazardous Materials Liability of Lenders and Fiduciaries › Section 25548.4.

25548.4. This chapter does not do any of the following:
(a)  Affect any rights, defenses, or immunities that are available to any lender or fiduciary under any applicable law.
(b)  Create any liability for any lender or fiduciary.
(c)  Create any private right of action against any lender or fiduciary.
(d)  Exempt or excuse a lender or fiduciary who operates or directs the operation, or maintains the operation, of the property from compliance with the operational requirements of applicable laws. Those operational requirements include, but are not limited to, permitting, reporting, monitoring, emission limitation, corrective action, financial responsibility and assurance requirements, requirements to take removal or remedial action to respond to a release or threatened release of hazardous materials caused by the lender or fiduciary and the requirements of Division 26 (commencing with Section 39000) of this code or of Division 7 (commencing with Section 13000) of the Water Code. Operational requirements include the payment of fees, fines, and penalties, and compliance with any other enforcement provisions that are applicable as a result of the operation, or the direction of the operation, or the maintenance of the operation, of the property by the lender or fiduciary.
(e)  Affect any liability of a fiduciary to a beneficiary of a fiduciary estate for breach of trust under Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 16400) of Part 4 of Division 9 of the Probate Code.
(f)  Affect any liabilities of a fiduciary estate.
(g)  Exempt a lender from liability imposed by Part 2 (commencing with Section 78000) of Division 45 for a removal or remedial action or the recovery of damages relating to a release or threatened release of hazardous material, to the extent that the lender is a responsible party pursuant to Section 107(a)(3) or (4) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 9607(a)(3) or (4)).
(h)  Exempt a lender or fiduciary from any liability imposed by Chapter 6.5 (commencing with Section 25100).
(i)  Exempt or excuse a lender from liability under any state or local statute, regulation, or ordinance for a known or suspected release or known or suspected threatened release of hazardous materials caused by events or conditions occurring prior to foreclosure or its equivalent, unless, after taking possession of the property, the lender promptly takes each of the following actions in accordance with applicable law:
(1)  Suspends operations with respect to that portion of the property where the known or suspected release or known or suspected threatened release occurred or may occur.
(2)  Removes from the suspended operations and affected areas on the property, all hazardous material not released into the environment and secures the suspended operations.
(3)  Reports any known or suspected releases of hazardous material.
(j)  Limit the application or enforcement of Article 2 (commencing with Section 78675) or Article 4 (commencing with Section 78720) of Chapter 4 of Part 2 of Division 45 or other state or local fencing, posting, securing, notification, or reporting laws with regard to property that is acquired by a lender through foreclosure or its equivalent, to the extent that those requirements are otherwise applicable to the property.
(k)  Exempt a lender from compliance with an administrative order requiring immediate and temporary measures to prevent, abate, or minimize an emergency caused by a release or threatened release of hazardous material at, from, or in connection with, any property that has been acquired by the lender through foreclosure or its equivalent, when all of the following circumstances exist:
(1)  The release or threatened release presents an imminent and substantial endangerment to the public health or welfare or the environment.
(2)  No other person who is viable and potentially responsible for the release or threatened release has been identified and located by the agency issuing the order, following a reasonable effort by the agency to identify and locate any person who is viable and potentially responsible.
(3)  The costs and expenses incurred by the lender to comply with the administrative order do not exceed twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000).
(4)  If the lender complies with the administrative order, the compliance would not, in and of itself, subject the lender to liability for a removal or remedial action or damages, fines, penalties, impositions, or assessments relating to the release or threatened release under any federal law.
(l)  (1)  Exempt a lender who has acquired title to property through foreclosure or its equivalent from operation and maintenance requirements that were established on the property as a result of a removal or remedial action conducted on the property.
(2)  “Operation and maintenance requirements” include, but are not limited to, deed restrictions and requirements to maintain passive exposure controls and to perform monitoring. If there are requirements other than operation and maintenance requirements, which are applicable to the property to maintain the effectiveness of the removal or remediation action, the lender shall comply with those requirements unless the lender, upon foreclosure or its equivalent, notifies the appropriate agency that it does not intend to comply with the requirements and the agency concurs.
(m)  Require a lender to conduct, or require a lender to direct the taking of, an inspection of the property after foreclosure or its equivalent to qualify for the exemption provided by this chapter, and the liability of a lender shall not be based on, or affected by, the lender not conducting, or not requiring, an inspection of the property after foreclosure or its equivalent.
(n)  Require a fiduciary to conduct or require an inspection of the property in a fiduciary estate to qualify for the exemption provided by this chapter and the liability of the fiduciary shall not be based on, or affected by, the fiduciary not conducting or not requiring an inspection prior to holding the property as part of the fiduciary estate.
(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 258, Sec. 102. (AB 2327) Effective January 1, 2023. Operative January 1, 2024, pursuant to Sec. 130 of Stats. 2022, Ch. 258.)