{
  "section": "5235",
  "code": "California Civil Code",
  "law_code": "CIV",
  "citation": "California Civil Code § 5235",
  "heading": "Member Action to Enforce Inspection Rights",
  "heading_is_editorial": true,
  "effective": "2013-01-01",
  "amended_by": "AB 805 (2012)",
  "official_credit_line": "Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 180, Sec. 2. (AB 805) Effective January 1, 2013. Operative January 1, 2014, by Sec. 3 of Ch. 180.",
  "official_url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&sectionNum=5235.",
  "page_url": "https://quoroom.org/records",
  "pending_amendment": null,
  "verified": "two sources agree",
  "verification_note": "Text taken verbatim from the Legislative Counsel of California official code database and checked word for word against an independent publisher.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "url": "https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zip",
      "accessed": "2026-10-10",
      "name": "leginfo (Legislative Counsel official bulk code database, LAW_SECTION_TBL)",
      "note": "Authoritative. Retrieved with tools/fetch.py, which reads the archive's central directory by HTTP range request and fetches only this section's member."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://california.public.law/codes/ca_civ_code_section_5235",
      "accessed": "2026-10-10",
      "name": "California Public Law (Public.Law)",
      "note": "Independent publisher, used to check the text word for word."
    }
  ],
  "subdivisions": [
    {
      "id": "a",
      "label": "(a)",
      "text": "A member may bring an action to enforce that member’s right to inspect and copy the association records. If a court finds that the association unreasonably withheld access to the association records, the court shall award the member reasonable costs and expenses, including reasonable attorney’s fees, and may assess a civil penalty of up to five hundred dollars ($500) for the denial of each separate written request.",
      "anchor": "https://quoroom.org/records#s5235-a"
    },
    {
      "id": "b",
      "label": "(b)",
      "text": "A cause of action under this section may be brought in small claims court if the amount of the demand does not exceed the jurisdiction of that court.",
      "anchor": "https://quoroom.org/records#s5235-b"
    },
    {
      "id": "c",
      "label": "(c)",
      "text": "A prevailing association may recover any costs if the court finds the action to be frivolous, unreasonable, or without foundation.",
      "anchor": "https://quoroom.org/records#s5235-c"
    }
  ]
}