California · state portion

Free California Property Ownership and Land Use Controls and Regulations practice questions

10 original questions with full explanations. 22 of the 150 scored exam questions (about 15%) come from this area.

1. 1

   Which lien attaches to all property of a debtor rather than one identified parcel?

   • A. A mechanic's lien
   • B. A trust deed lien
   • C. A property tax lien
   • D. A judgment lien
   Show answer & explanation

   Answer: D

   A judgment lien is general, reaching the debtor's property in the county. Mechanic's, tax and trust deed liens are specific to a parcel.

2. 2

   A mobile home park resident owns the coach but rents the space. What governs that tenancy?

   • A. The Mobilehome Residency Law
   • B. The Davis-Stirling Act
   • C. The standard residential lease law
   • D. The Subdivision Map Act
   Show answer & explanation

   Answer: A

   Space rental in a mobile home park is governed by the Mobilehome Residency Law rather than ordinary landlord-tenant rules.

3. 3

   A zoning change leaves an existing gas station as the only non-residential use. What is it now?

   • A. A legal nonconforming use
   • B. A spot-zoned parcel
   • C. An illegal use subject to closure
   • D. A conditional use
   Show answer & explanation

   Answer: A

   Pre-existing lawful uses that no longer conform are 'grandfathered' as legal nonconforming.

4. 4

   A naturally occurring radioactive gas seeps into a home through the foundation. Which hazard is it?

   • A. Asbestos
   • B. Methane
   • C. Radon
   • D. Formaldehyde
   Show answer & explanation

   Answer: C

   Radon is a naturally occurring gas that enters through foundations and is measured by testing rather than by inspection.

5. 5

   A recorded declaration of restrictions caps all homes at 2,800 square feet. A later buyer builds larger. Who may enforce?

   • A. No one, since restrictions expire at first resale
   • B. Only the city through code enforcement
   • C. Other owners benefiting from the common plan of restrictions
   • D. Only the original subdivider personally
   Show answer & explanation

   Answer: C

   Covenants under a common plan are mutually enforceable by the benefited owners in the tract.

6. 6

   Two neighbours have treated a fence line as the boundary for decades though the survey differs. Which doctrine may apply?

   • A. Eminent domain
   • B. Adverse possession by grant
   • C. Agreed boundary
   • D. Escheat
   Show answer & explanation

   Answer: C

   Where owners have long accepted a line as the boundary in the face of uncertainty, courts may fix it by the agreed boundary doctrine.

7. 7

   Which characteristic of a 'conditional use permit' distinguishes it from a variance?

   • A. It allows a use the zoning contemplates but requires review
   • B. It requires a ballot measure
   • C. It rezones the parcel permanently
   • D. It excuses a hardship from dimensional rules
   Show answer & explanation

   Answer: A

   CUPs authorise listed conditional uses subject to conditions; variances relieve hardship from standards.

8. 8

   A property owner grants a conservation easement to a land trust, forever barring subdivision of the parcel. The owner later sells. Is the buyer bound?

   • A. Yes — but only if the land trust re-records the easement after every sale
   • B. No — the easement was personal to the granting owner and ended at the sale
   • C. No — conservation easements expire after thirty years under California law
   • D. Yes — a recorded conservation easement runs with the land and binds all successors
   Show answer & explanation

   Answer: D

   Conservation easements are perpetual recorded interests that bind successors.

9. 9

   A homeowner's CC&Rs prohibit solar panels. Under California law, what is the position?

   • A. Such outright bans are void; reasonable restrictions only
   • B. Solar is banned unless the state issues a permit
   • C. The CC&Rs control completely
   • D. Solar is allowed only with HOA approval
   Show answer & explanation

   Answer: A

   The Solar Rights Act voids unreasonable HOA prohibitions on solar energy systems.

10. 10

    An easement holder paves and widens a dirt path beyond its historical use. What is the concern?

    • A. Abandonment of the easement
    • B. Creation of a licence
    • C. Overburdening the servient tenement
    • D. Merger of the estates
    Show answer & explanation

    Answer: C

    An easement may not be expanded beyond its scope; excessive use burdens the servient owner.