(a) This section provides an alternative method of attaching farm products or inventory of a going business in the possession or under the control of the defendant, but this section does not apply to property described in Section 488.325. This section applies if the plaintiff instructs the levying officer to attach the farm products or inventory under this section.

(b) To attach under this section farm products or inventory of a going business in the possession or under the control of the defendant, the levying officer shall file a notice of attachment with the Secretary of State.

(c) Except as provided in subdivisions (d) and (e), the filing of the notice of attachment gives the plaintiff an attachment lien on all of the following:

(1) The farm products or inventory described in the notice.

(2) Identifiable cash proceeds (as that term is used in Section 9315 of the Commercial Code).

(3) If permitted by the writ of attachment or court order, after-acquired property.

(d) The attachment lien created by the filing of the notice of attachment under this section does not extend to either of the following:

(1) A vehicle or vessel required to be registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles or a mobilehome or commercial coach required to be registered pursuant to the Health and Safety Code.

(2) The inventory of a retail merchant held for sale except to the extent that the inventory of the retail merchant consists of durable goods having a unit retail value of at least five hundred dollars ($500). For the purposes of this paragraph, “retail merchant” does not include (A) a person whose sales for resale exceeded 75 percent in dollar volume of the person’s total sales of all goods during the 12 months preceding the filing of the notice of attachment or (B) a cooperative association organized pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 54001) of Division 20 of the Food and Agricultural Code (agricultural cooperative associations) or Part 3 (commencing with Section 13200) of Division 3 of Title 1 of the Corporations Code (Fish Marketing Act).

(e) If property subject to an attachment lien under this section becomes a fixture (as defined in paragraph (41) of subdivision (a) of Section 9102 of the Commercial Code), the attachment lien under this section is extinguished.

(f) The notice of attachment shall be in the form prescribed by the Secretary of State and shall contain all of the following:

(1) The name and mailing address of the plaintiff.

(2) The name and last known mailing address of the defendant.

(3) The title of the court where the action is pending and the cause and number of the action.

(4) A description of the farm products and inventory attached.

(5) A statement that the plaintiff has acquired an attachment lien on the described property and on identifiable cash proceeds (as that term is used in Section 9315 of the Commercial Code) and, if permitted by the writ of attachment or court order, on after-acquired property.

(g) Upon presentation of a notice of attachment under this section for filing and tender of the filing fee to the office of the Secretary of State, the notice of attachment shall be filed, marked, and indexed in the same manner as a financing statement. The fee for filing in the office of the Secretary of State is the same as the fee for filing a financing statement in the standard form.

(h) Upon the request of any person, the Secretary of State shall issue a certificate showing whether there is on file in that office on the date and hour stated therein any notice of attachment filed against the farm products or inventory of a particular person named in the request. If a notice of attachment is on file, the certificate shall state the date and hour of filing of each such notice of attachment and any notice affecting any such notice of attachment and the name and address of the plaintiff. Upon request, the Secretary of State shall furnish a copy of any notice of attachment or notice affecting a notice of attachment. The certificate shall be issued as part of a combined certificate pursuant to Section 9528 of the Commercial Code, and the fee for the certificate and copies shall be in accordance with that section.

(i) The fee for filing, indexing, and furnishing filing data for a notice of extension of attachment is the same as the fee for a continuation statement under Section 9525 of the Commercial Code. The fee for filing, indexing, and furnishing filing data for a notice of release of attachment is the same as the fee for a statement of release under Section 9519 of the Commercial Code.

(Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 991, Sec. 14. Effective January 1, 2000. Operative July 1, 2001, by Sec. 75 of Ch. 991.)