CHAPTER 3. Licensing and Notice Filing Requirements of Investment Adviser Representatives and Investment Advisers [25230. - 25238.]

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP 3.

in effect

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 25230. Section 25230.

(a) It is unlawful for any investment adviser to conduct business as an investment adviser in this state unless the investment adviser has first applied for and secured from the commissioner a certificate, then in effect, authorizing the investment adviser to do so or unless the investment adviser is exempted by the provisions of Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 25200) of this part or unless the investment adviser is subject to Section 25230.1. (b) No person, on behalf of an investment adviser that has obtained a certificate pursuant to Section 25231, may, in this state: offer or negotiate for the sale of investment advisory services of the investment adviser; determine which recommendations shall be made to, make recommendations to, or manage the accounts of, clients of the investment adviser; or determine the reports or analyses concerning securities to be published by the investment adviser, unless the investment adviser and that person have complied with rules that the commissioner may adopt for the qualification and employment of those persons. (c) The commissioner may, consistent with Section 25232.1, review the disciplinary history of an investment adviser representative upon the filing of notice of any of the following: (1) The employment, association, or transfer of the investment adviser representative. (2) An amendment to the information filed by the investment adviser representative at the time of employment, association, or transfer. (3) The termination of employment or association of the investment adviser representative.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 25230.1. Section 25230.1.

(a) A person that is registered under Section 203 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 as an investment adviser is not subject to the requirement of obtaining a certificate under Section 25230, but may not conduct business in this state unless the person has fewer than six clients as specified in Section 25202 or unless the person first complies with subdivision (b). An investment adviser representative that has a place of business in this state may be required to obtain a certificate pursuant to Section 25231. (b) A person subject to subdivision (a) shall: (1) File with the commissioner an annual notice, consisting of those documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the securities laws that the commissioner by rule or order deems appropriate or, in lieu thereof, a form prescribed by the commissioner, and a consent to service of process under Section 25240. (2) Pay the notice filing fee provided for in subdivision (d) of Section 25608.1. (c) No investment adviser representative, on behalf of an investment adviser subject to subdivision (a), may, in this state: offer or negotiate for the sale of investment advisory services of the investment adviser; determine which recommendations shall be made to, make recommendations to, or manage the accounts of, clients of the investment adviser; or determine the reports or analysis concerning securities to be published by the investment adviser, unless the investment adviser representative has complied with rules that the commissioner may adopt for the qualification and employment of investment adviser representatives. (d) Subdivision (a) does not prohibit the commissioner from investigating and bringing enforcement actions with respect to fraud or deceit, including and without limitation, fraud or deceit under Section 25235 and the rules of the commissioner adopted thereunder, against an investment adviser or an investment adviser representative.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 25231. Section 25231.

(a) Any investment adviser, or any person who contemplates becoming an investment adviser, may apply for a certificate to act as an investment adviser by filing with the commissioner an application. The application shall be accompanied by the consent to service of process specified in Section 25240 and shall contain information, in such form and detail, as the commissioner may by rule prescribe. (b) Unless otherwise provided by rule or order of the commissioner, all investment adviser and investment adviser representative applications, amendments, reports, notices, related filings, and fees required to be filed with the commissioner pursuant to this title shall be filed electronically with and transmitted to the Web-based Investment Adviser Registration Depository operated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 25232. Section 25232.

The commissioner may, after appropriate notice and opportunity for hearing, by order censure, deny a certificate to, or suspend for a period not exceeding 12 months or revoke the certificate of, an investment adviser, if the commissioner finds that the censure, denial, suspension, or revocation is in the public interest and that the investment adviser, whether prior or subsequent to becoming such, or any partner, officer or director thereof or any person performing similar functions or any person directly or indirectly controlling the investment adviser, whether prior or subsequent to becoming such, or any employee of the investment adviser while so employed has done any of the following: (a) Has willfully made or caused to be made in any application for a certificate or any report filed with the commissioner under this division, or in any proceeding before the commissioner, any statement which was at the time and in the light of the circumstances under which it was made false or misleading with respect to any material fact, or has willfully omitted to state in the application or report any material fact which is required to be stated therein. (b) Has been either (1) convicted of or has pled nolo contendere to any felony or misdemeanor, or (2) held liable in a civil action by final judgment of a court based upon conduct showing moral turpitude, and the commissioner finds that the felony, misdemeanor or civil action (A) involved the purchase or sale of any security, (B) arose out of the conduct of the business of a broker-dealer or investment adviser, (C) involved theft, or (D) involved the violation of Section 1341, 1342, or 1343 of Title 18 of the United States Code. (c) Is permanently or temporarily enjoined by order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction from acting as an investment adviser, underwriter or broker-dealer or as an affiliated person or employee of any investment company, bank, or insurance company, or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with that activity, or in connection with the purchase or sale of any security. (d) Is or has been subject to (1) any order of the Securities and Exchange Commission or the securities administrator of any other state denying or revoking or suspending his or her registration as an investment adviser, or investment adviser representative, or as a broker or dealer or agent, (2) any order of any national securities association or national securities exchange (registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) suspending or expelling him or her from membership in that association or exchange or from association with any member thereof, or (3) any other order of the commission or any administrator, association, or exchange referred to in this subdivision which is or has been necessary for the protection of any investor. (e) Has willfully violated any provision of the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Commodity Exchange Act, or Title 4 (commencing with Section 25000), including the Franchise Investment Law, Division 5 (commencing with Section 31000), or the California Commodity Law of 1990, Division 4.5 (commencing with Section 29500), or of any rule or regulation under any of those statutes, or any order of the commissioner which is or has been necessary for the protection of any investor. (f) Is or has been subject to (1) any order of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission denying registration to, or revoking or suspending the registration of, that person under the Commodity Exchange Act, (2) any order of any board of trade or commodity exchange, including, but not limited to, the New York Mercantile Exchange, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Chicago Board of Trade, or the Chicago Board Options Exchange, suspending or expelling that person from membership in the board of trade or commodity exchange or from association with any member thereof, or (3) any other order of the commission or any board or exchange referred to in this subdivision which is or has been necessary for the protection of any investor. (g) Has aided, abetted, counseled, commanded, induced, or procured the violation by any other person of any statute or rule or regulation referred to in subdivision (e). (h) Has violated any provision of this division or the rules thereunder or, in the case of an applicant only, any similar regulatory scheme of the State of California or a foreign jurisdiction.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 25232.1. Section 25232.1.

The commissioner may, after appropriate notice and opportunity for hearing, by order censure, or suspend for a period not exceeding 12 months, or bar from any position of employment, management or control of any investment adviser, broker-dealer or commodity adviser, any officer, director, partner, employee of, or person performing similar functions for, an investment adviser, or any other person, if he or she finds that the censure, suspension or bar is in the public interest and that the person has committed any act or omission enumerated in subdivision (a), (e), (f), or (g) of Section 25232 or has been convicted of any offense or held liable in any civil action specified in subdivision (b) of Section 25232 or is enjoined from any act, conduct or practice specified in subdivision (c) of Section 25232 or is subject to any order specified in subdivision (d) of Section 25232.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 25232.2. Section 25232.2.

(a) It is unlawful for any person, as to whom an order suspending or revoking the person’s certificate as an investment adviser is in effect pursuant to Section 25232 or as to whom an order suspending or barring employment is in effect pursuant to Section 25232.1, willfully to become or to be employed by any investment adviser, broker-dealer or commodity adviser, without the consent of the commissioner, and it is unlawful for any investment adviser to permit a person as to whom an order is in effect pursuant to Section 25212.1 or 25232.1 to become or to remain employed by the investment adviser, without the consent of the commissioner, if such investment adviser knew, or in the exercise of reasonable care should have known, of such order. (b) Any person as to whom an order suspending or barring employment with or participation is issued pursuant to Section 25232.1 may petition the commissioner for reinstatement or reduction of penalty as provided in and subject to the provisions of Section 11522 of the Government Code.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 25232.3. Section 25232.3.

The commissioner may immediately revoke the certificate of any investment adviser if the investment adviser fails to comply with any currently effective order of the commissioner which is necessary for the protection of any investor, unless the investment adviser secures a court order restraining the enforcement of the commissioner’s revocation order within 10 days of the date the order is issued.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 25233. Section 25233.

No order may be entered under Section 25232, 25232.1, or 25252 except after notice to the person affected thereby of the intention of the commissioner to enter that order and of the reasons therefor and that upon receipt of a request the matter shall be set down for hearing to commence within 15 business days after that receipt unless the person affected consents to a later date. If no hearing is requested within 30 days after the mailing of that notice and none is ordered by the commissioner, the order may be entered without hearing to remain in effect until it is modified or vacated by the commissioner. In the case of an original application for a certificate, such a hearing shall be set down to commence within 15 business days after receipt of a written request by the applicant made 30 days or more after the filing of the application, even though no such notice by the commissioner has been given, unless the applicant consents to a later date. If a hearing is requested or ordered, it shall be held in accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), and the commissioner shall have all of the powers granted thereunder.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 25234. Section 25234.

(a) No investment adviser licensed under this chapter shall in this state enter into, extend or renew any investment advisory contract, or in any way perform any investment advisory contract entered into, extended or renewed on or after the effective date of this law, if that contract: (1) Provides for compensation to the investment adviser on the basis of a share of capital gains upon or capital appreciation of the funds or any portion of the funds of the client, except as may be permitted by rule or order of the commissioner; (2) Fails to provide, in substance, that no assignment of the contract shall be made by the investment adviser without the consent of the other party to the contract; (3) Fails to provide, in substance, that the investment adviser, if a partnership, will notify the other party to the contract of any change in the membership of the partnership within a reasonable time after the change. (b) As used in this section, “investment advisory contract” means any contract or agreement whereby a person agrees to act as investment adviser or to manage any investment or trading account for a person other than an investment company. Paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of this section does not prohibit an investment advisory contract that provides for compensation based upon the total value of a fund averaged over a definite period, or as of definite dates, or taken as of a definite date.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 25235. Section 25235.

It is unlawful for any investment adviser, directly or indirectly, in this state: (a) To employ any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud any client or prospective client. (b) To engage in any transaction, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon any client or prospective client. (c) Acting as principal for his own account, knowingly to sell any security to or purchase any security from a client for whom he is acting as investment adviser, or, acting as broker for a person other than such client, knowingly to effect any sale or purchase of any security for the account of such client, without disclosing to such client in writing before the completion of the transaction the capacity in which he is acting and obtaining the written consent of the client to such transaction. (d) To engage in any act, practice, or course of business which is fraudulent, deceptive, or manipulative. The commissioner shall, for the purpose of this subdivision, by rule define and prescribe means reasonably designed to prevent such acts, practices, and courses of business as are fraudulent, deceptive, or manipulative. (e) To represent that he is an investment counsel or to use the name “investment counsel” as descriptive of his business unless his principal business consists of acting as investment adviser and a substantial part of his business consists of rendering investment advisory services on the basis of the individual needs of his clients.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 25236. Section 25236.

(a) No investment adviser licensed under this chapter shall conduct any business as such investment adviser in this state unless the investment adviser and all natural persons associated with such investment adviser meet such specified and appropriate standards with respect to training, experience and other qualifications as the commissioner finds necessary or desirable. The commissioner may establish such standards by rule, which may (1) Appropriately classify investment advisers and persons associated with investment advisers; (2) Specify that all or any portion of such standards shall be applicable to any such class; and (3) Require persons in any such class to pass examinations prescribed in accordance with such rules. (b) In addition to the fees imposed by Section 25608, the commissioner may prescribe by rule reasonable fees and charges to defray the costs of carrying out this section, including, but not limited to, fees for any examination administered by him or under his direction.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 25237. Section 25237.

The commissioner shall prescribe rules with respect to investment advisers licensed under this chapter who have custody of their clients’ securities or funds or who have any power of attorney from their clients to execute transactions as he or she finds to be necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors. The rules may require a minimum capital for those investment advisers or prescribe a minimum ratio between net capital and aggregate indebtedness or both, and may require a fidelity bond.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 25238. Section 25238.

No investment adviser licensed under this chapter and no natural person associated with the investment adviser shall engage in investment advisory activities, or attempt to engage in investment advisory activities, in this state in contradiction of such rules as the commissioner may prescribe designed to promote fair, equitable and ethical principles.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026