Storage Unit Lien Sales — publication for Riverside County facilities
Under the California Self-Service Storage Facility Act (B&P §21700-21716), after the 14-day preliminary and final lien notices to the occupant, the sale must be advertised once a week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation — and the auction can't happen sooner than 10 days after the first publication (B&P §21707). Get the advertisement wrong and the sale is voidable; the occupant can sue.
📰 Publish your lien sale — $150 flat →Both weekly runs + signed affidavit · Tuesday-noon cutoff publishes Thursday · batch billing for monthly auctionsThe timeline that keeps a sale bulletproof
- Day 0: rent 14 days delinquent → send the preliminary lien notice.
- Day 14+: lien attaches → notice of lien sale to the occupant's last known address (and email if the rental agreement allows), with the declaration-in-opposition form.
- No opposition: submit the advertisement — unit/space number, occupant name, general description of goods, and sale date/location. We publish two consecutive Thursdays.
- Sale: no sooner than 10 days after the first publication. Your signed affidavit of publication is emailed for the file.
What about the online-advertising alternative?
Since 2022, §21707(b) lets facilities advertise "in any other commercially reasonable manner" instead of a newspaper — but the sale is then valid only if at least three independent bidders attend, a fact you must be able to prove later. Newspaper publication remains the safe harbor that never depends on turnout, which is why most operators and all the major auction platforms still recommend it. At $150 flat for both runs, it's cheap insurance against unwinding a sale.
Monthly auctions?
Facilities running recurring lien sales batch-submit at newfbn.com/bulk-submit — one consolidated invoice, every affidavit delivered electronically, and the same $150 per notice covering as many units as fit in one facility's sale ad.
Frequently asked questions
- How many times must a storage lien sale be advertised in California?
- Once a week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation, and the sale can't be held sooner than 10 days after the first publication (B&P §21707). At the Hemet Chronicle both runs plus the signed affidavit are $150 flat for Riverside County facilities.
- Can I advertise a storage auction online instead of a newspaper?
- B&P §21707(b) allows a 'commercially reasonable' alternative, but the sale is only valid if at least three independent bidders attend — which you must be able to prove. Newspaper publication remains the safe harbor that doesn't depend on turnout.
- What must a storage lien sale advertisement contain?
- A general description of the goods, the name of the occupant, the unit or space number, and the date, time, and place of the sale. We format it correctly from your facility's list — multiple units in one facility's sale run in a single $150 notice.
- How fast can my storage lien ad start publishing?
- Submit by Tuesday at noon and the first of the two weekly runs is that Thursday, entirely online at legals.hsjchronicle.com — with batch submission and consolidated billing for facilities that run monthly auctions.
The Hemet Chronicle and San Jacinto Chronicle are court-adjudicated newspapers of general circulation for Riverside County (Superior Court Cases MCC2001316 / MCC2001738). We are a newspaper, not a law firm; this page is general information, not legal advice.