Cal. Commercial Code § 9311

(a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (d), the filing of a financing statement is not necessary or effective to perfect a security interest in property subject to any of the following: (1) A statute, regulation, or treaty of the United States whose requirements for a security interest’s obtaining priority over the rights of a lien creditor with respect to the property preempt subdivision (a) of Section 9310. (2) (A) The provisions of the Vehicle Code which require registration of a vehicle or boat. (B) The provisions of the Health and Safety Code which require registration of a mobilehome or commercial coach, except that during any period in which collateral is inventory, the filing provisions of Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 9501) apply to a security interest in that collateral. (C) The provisions of the Health and Safety Code which require registration of all interests in approved air contaminant emission reductions (Sections 40709 to 40713, inclusive, of the Health and Safety Code). (3) A statute of another jurisdiction which provides for a security interest to be indicated on a certificate of title as a condition or result of the security interest’s obtaining priority over the rights of a lien creditor with respect to the property. (b) Compliance with the requirements of a statute, regulation, or treaty described in subdivision (a) for obtaining priority over the rights of a lien creditor is equivalent to the filing of a financing statement under this division. Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (d), in Section 9313, and in subdivisions (d) and (e) of Section 9316 for goods covered by a certificate of title, a security interest in property subject to a statute, regulation, or treaty described in subdivision (a) may be perfected only by compliance with those requirements, and a security interest so perfected remains perfected notwithstanding a change in the use or transfer of possession of the collateral. (c) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (d) and in subdivisions (d) and (e) of Section 9316, duration and renewal of perfection of a security interest perfected by compliance with the requirements prescribed by a statute, regulation, or treaty described in subdivision (a) are governed by the statute, regulation, or treaty. In other respects, the security interest is subject to this division. (d) During any period in which collateral subject to a statute specified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) is inventory held for sale or lease by a person or leased by that person as lessor and that person is in the business of selling goods of that kind, this section does not apply to a security interest in that collateral created by that person.