Cal. Corporations Code § 31104

There shall be exempted from the provisions of Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 31110) of this part the offer and sale of a franchise if the franchisor: (a) Is a petroleum corporation or distributor who is a wholesale distributor or marketer of petroleum products; doing business continuously for the past five years and who does not require an advance of funds in the nature of a fee or lease for such franchise agreements; not engaged in the production or the refining of petroleum; and (b) Complies with the provisions of subdivisions (c) and (d) of Section 31101. (c) For the purposes of subdivision (a) of this section: (1) A “wholesale distributor” or “marketer” means any entity which, for wholesale, purchases or receives through transfer, or otherwise obtains, by consignment or otherwise, refined petroleum products and resells or otherwise transfers such products, without substantially changing their form, to other purchasers. (2) An “advance of funds” means (A) a fee or lease for a franchise agreement, and (B) does not mean rent for the possession or use, or both, of premises or property, the purchase of inventory for resale or supplies, utility deposits, and other consideration or expenditures for the formation or operation, or both, of a wholesale distributor or marketer entity.