Can a Self-Storage Facility Email Me Notices in California?

​Short answer: Yes, but only if the storage facility strictly complies with California law. A storage operator cannot simply decide to send lien notices by email because it has your email address. The California Self-Service Storage Facility Act imposes specific requirements that must be satisfied before email notice is legally effective. If those requirements are not met, an attempted lien sale based on email notice may be vulnerable to challenge.

California Allows Email Notice, But Only Under Certain Conditions

California Business and Professions Code section 21712 permits self-storage operators to send certain lien-related notices by email. However, the statute does not authorize email notice by default.

Before a facility may send lien notices electronically, both of the following conditions must be satisfied:
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1. The rental agreement must expressly state that lien notices may be sent by email; and
2. The occupant must provide a written signature consenting to receive lien notices by email. 

If either requirement is missing, the facility may not rely on email notice under the statute.

​Which Notices Can Be Sent By Email?

Section 21712 specifically applies to the notice provisions contained in Business and Professions Code sections 21703 and 21705, which govern the lien enforcement process. These are critical notices because they alert the tenant that the facility intends to enforce a lien against the stored property and potentially conduct a lien sale.
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For that reason, California requires more than merely pressing "send."

Sending an Email Is Not Necessarily Enough

One of the most overlooked parts of the statute is that email notice is not deemed effective merely because the facility transmitted an email.

Instead, the owner must be able to demonstrate actual delivery and receipt through one of several statutorily authorized methods, including:
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• The renter electronically signs an acknowledgment of receipt.
• The facility has evidence that the renter downloaded, printed, viewed, opened, or otherwise acknowledged the document.
• The notice is delivered through a secure online portal and there is evidence that the renter logged in and viewed or acknowledged it.
• The renter replies to the email, creating evidence that the message was received. 

This is a significant distinction from ordinary email communications. California's storage statute requires evidence that the recipient actually received or interacted with the notice.

What Happens If the Facility Cannot Prove Receipt?

If the storage operator cannot demonstrate actual delivery and receipt through one of the statutory methods, the law requires the operator to resend the notice by mail to the occupant's last known mailing address in the manner otherwise required by the statute.

​In other words, the facility does not get to simply shrug and proceed with a lien sale because an email was sent. The statute anticipates failed electronic delivery and requires a fallback to traditional mail.

Don't Forget the Alternative Contact Requirement

California law contains another unusual safeguard that many people do not know about.

The rental agreement must request the name and mailing address or email address of an alternative contact who may receive lien notices. If the agreement fails to request this information, the Self-Service Storage Facility Act generally does not apply, and the statutory lien may not attach.

Moreover, when both the occupant and alternative contact information are provided, required lien notices generally must be sent to both addresses.
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This requirement exists because California recognizes that people move, change email providers, overlook messages, lose access to accounts, and experience other communication issues. The alternative contact serves as an additional layer of protection before a person's property is sold.

Practical Questions to Ask

If your property was sold or disposed of and the facility claims it provided notice by email, consider asking:
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• Does the rental agreement specifically authorize email lien notices?
• Did the renter sign a consent allowing email notice?
• Can the facility prove actual delivery and receipt?
• Was notice sent to the alternative contact identified in the rental agreement?
• If receipt could not be demonstrated, was notice resent by mail as required by statute?

The answers to these questions may determine whether the lien process complied with California law.

The Bottom Line

California does allow self-storage facilities to send certain lien notices by email. But the law imposes substantial safeguards. The facility must obtain written consent, include appropriate language in the rental agreement, and be able to prove actual delivery and receipt. When it cannot do so, the statute generally requires a return to traditional mail notice.
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For consumers, the key takeaway is simple: the legal question is not merely whether the facility sent an email. The question is whether the facility complied with all of the statutory requirements that make email notice legally effective.