{
  "code": "US-CA",
  "name": "California",
  "last_reviewed": "2026-07",
  "confidence": "high",
  "black_letter": "California Family Code \u00a7 7613: (b)(1) semen provided to a licensed physician/sperm bank for assisted reproduction by a non-spouse \u2192 donor is not a natural parent (unless writing says donor would be a parent). (b)(2) if semen is not provided that way, donor is still not a natural parent if there is a pre-conception written non-parent agreement (or clear-and-convincing evidence of a qualifying oral agreement) and conception by assisted reproduction. \u00a7 7613.5 publishes optional California Statutory Forms for Assisted Reproduction that intended parents may (but need not) use; those forms satisfy \u00a7 7613 writings when applicable, do not apply to surrogacy, and Form 1 warns that signing the intended-parent form alone does not terminate a sperm donor\u2019s parentage claim\u2014donor non-parentage still requires \u00a7 7613(b). NI/sexual intercourse is outside assisted-reproduction design.",
  "ai_informal": "statute_protects",
  "ni": "not_recognized",
  "physician_or_clinic_for_safe_harbor": "no",
  "agreement_effect": "statutory_sample_or_strong_intent_evidence",
  "key_citations": [
    {
      "label": "Cal. Fam. Code \u00a7 7613 (donor / assisted reproduction)",
      "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=FAM&sectionNum=7613",
      "quote": "If the semen is not provided to a licensed physician and surgeon or a licensed sperm bank as specified in paragraph (1), the donor of semen for use in assisted reproduction by a woman other than the donor\u2019s spouse is treated in law as if the donor is not the natural parent of a child thereby conceived if either: (A) the donor and the woman signed a written agreement before conception that the donor would not be a parent; or (B) a court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the child was conceived through assisted reproduction and that, prior to conception, the woman and the donor had an oral agreement that the donor would not be a parent."
    },
    {
      "label": "Cal. Fam. Code \u00a7 7613.5 \u2014 statutory forms for assisted reproduction (official text; forms in (e))",
      "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=FAM&sectionNum=7613.5"
    },
    {
      "label": "\u00a7 7613.5 alternate LegInfo view",
      "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=7613.5.&nodeTreePath=14.3.2&lawCode=FAM"
    }
  ],
  "emerging_law_note": "\u00a7 7613.5 forms are optional templates in the Code itself\u2014not Judicial Council PDF packets. Always use current LegInfo text. Chronology: Jhordan C. v. Mary K. (1986) applied former Civ. Code \u00a7 7005(b) (physician-only gate) and is not current CA black letter; Fam. Code \u00a7 7613(b)(2) later added a non-clinic path with a qualifying pre-conception non-parent agreement, overturning Jhordan\u2019s practical result for properly documented informal AI.",
  "page": "/Pages/US/CA/ca.html#statutory-forms",
  "region_group": "US",
  "status_badges": {
    "AI-Single": "Statute",
    "AI-Married": "Statute",
    "NI": "Banned",
    "Contract": "Statute"
  }
}