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California Civil Code Section 1786.20

Legal Research Home > California Lawyer > Civil Code > California Civil Code Section 1786.20

(a) An investigative consumer reporting agency shall
maintain reasonable procedures designed to avoid violations of
Section 1786.18 and to limit furnishing of investigative consumer
reports for the purposes listed under Section 1786.12.  These
procedures shall require that prospective users of the information
identify themselves, certify the purposes for which the information
is sought and that the information will be used for no other
purposes, and make the certifications described in paragraph (4) of
subdivision (a) of Section 1786.16.  From the effective date of this
title, the investigative consumer reporting agency shall keep a
record of the purposes for which information is sought, as stated by
the user.  The investigative consumer reporting agency may assume
that the purpose for which a user seeks information remains the same
as that which a user has previously stated.  The investigative
consumer reporting agency shall inform the user that the user is
obligated to notify the agency of any change in the purpose for which
information will be used.  An investigative consumer reporting
agency shall make a reasonable effort to verify the identity of a new
prospective user and the uses certified by the prospective user
prior to furnishing the user any investigative consumer reports.  An
investigative consumer reporting agency may not furnish an
investigative consumer report to a person unless it has a written
agreement that the investigative consumer reports will be used by
that person only for purposes listed in Section 1786.12.
   (b) Whenever an investigative consumer reporting agency prepares
an investigative consumer report, it shall follow reasonable
procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy of the information
concerning the individual about whom the report relates.  An
investigative consumer reporting agency shall retain the
investigative consumer report for two years after the report is
provided.
   (c) An investigative consumer reporting agency may not make an
inquiry for the purpose of preparing an investigative consumer report
on a consumer for employment purposes if the making of the inquiry
by an employer or prospective employer of the consumer would violate
applicable federal or state equal employment opportunity law or
regulation.

Last modified: January 12, 2009