(a) Whenever this division or a local ordinance authorizes or requires the furnishing of security in connection with the performance of any act or agreement, if the developer is not a nonprofit corporation described in subdivision (c) of Section 66499.3, the security shall be one of the following at the option of and subject to the approval of the local agency and if the developer is a nonprofit corporation described in subdivision (c) of Section 66499.3, the security shall be one of the following, subject to the approval of the local agency:

(1) Bond or bonds by one or more duly authorized corporate sureties.

(2) A deposit, either with the local agency or a responsible escrow agent or trust company, at the option of the local agency, of money or negotiable bonds of the kind approved for securing deposits of public moneys.

(3) An instrument of credit from an agency of the state, federal, or local government when any agency of the state, federal, or local government provides at least 20 percent of the financing for the portion of the act or agreement requiring security, or from one or more financial institutions subject to regulation by the state or federal government and pledging that the funds necessary to carry out the act or agreement are on deposit and guaranteed for payment, or a letter of credit issued by such a financial institution.

(4) A lien upon the property to be divided, created by contract between the owner and the local agency, if the local agency finds that it would not be in the public interest to require the installation of the required improvement sooner than two years after the recordation of the map.

(5) Any form of security, including security interests in real property, which is acceptable to the local agency and specified by ordinance thereof.

(b) Any contract or security interest in real property entered into as security for performance pursuant to paragraph (4) or paragraph (5) of subdivision (a) shall be recorded with the county recorder of the county in which the subject real property is located. From the time of recordation of the written contract or document creating a security interest, a lien shall attach to the real property particularly described therein and shall have the priority of a judgment lien in an amount necessary to complete the agreed to improvements. The recorded contract or security document shall be indexed in the Grantor Index to the names of all record owners of the real property as specified on the map and in the Grantee Index to the local agency approving the map.

The local agency may at any time release all or any portion of the property subject to any lien or security interest created by this subdivision or subordinate the lien or security interest to other liens or encumbrances if it determines that security for performance is sufficiently secured by a lien on other property or that the release or subordination of the lien will not jeopardize the completion of agreed upon improvements.

(Amended by Stats. 1988, Ch. 1308, Sec. 2.)