How do you become a registered athlete agent in California?

California does not license or register athlete agents at all. The Miller-Ayala Athlete Agents Act (1996) runs a public DISCLOSURE regime instead: before doing business, an agent files a disclosure statement with the Secretary of State ($30, amended within 7 days of any change), maintains $100,000 in insurance or equivalent security, and runs athlete funds through a trust account. 'No registration' does not mean 'no rules': every agency contract must carry a prescribed all-caps warning ('YOU LIKELY WILL IMMEDIATELY AND PERMANENTLY LOSE YOUR ELIGIBILITY'), the athlete has a non-waivable 15-day rescission right, and ANY violation of the chapter is a criminal misdemeanor carrying up to $50,000 and a year in county jail. The act expressly covers elementary and secondary school students and endorsement contracts.

California Athlete Agent Registration & Law

Registration at a glance

Registration required

No

Registering body

California Secretary of State — Special Filings Unit (disclosure filing, not a license)

Fee

$30 disclosure filing; $20 amendment (Gov. Code § 12195(b))

Term

Not established

Surety bond

Yes

Covers high school athletes

Yes

Reaches NIL / marketing-only reps

Yes

Prescribed contract warning

Yes

How to register

File the Athlete Agent Disclosure Statement (form SF-AA1) with the Secretary of State's Special Filings Unit, $30 — this is a public disclosure, not a license
Maintain insurance of at least $100,000 per claim OR equivalent trust/escrow/CD/bond security (§ 18897.87)
Establish a trust account for any athlete funds received (§ 18897.2)
Designate an agent for service of process (§ 18897.83)
File an amendment (SF-AA2, $20) within 7 days of any change
Include the prescribed §§ 18897.1/18897.73 notices in every contract; notify the school (agent: 48 hours; athlete: 72 hours or before next competition)

Official registration page: California Secretary of State — Special Filings Unit (disclosure filing, not a license)

Renewal: No fixed term — revised filing required within 7 days of any change (§ 18896.2(a))

Contract & notification requirements

Mandatory boldface page-1 disclosure notice, at least two points larger than any other type (§ 18897.1)
Prescribed 10-point boldface warning near the signature line (§ 18897.73(a)): 'WHEN YOU SIGN THIS CONTRACT, YOU LIKELY WILL IMMEDIATELY AND PERMANENTLY LOSE YOUR ELIGIBILITY... YOU MAY CANCEL THIS CONTRACT... NOT LATER THAN THE 15TH DAY...'
Written contract with description of services and fee schedule (§ 18897)
Itemized payment reports to the athletic director (§ 18897.74, added 2019)
Agent notifies the school within 48 hours; athlete within 72 hours or before competing (§ 18897.7)

School notification required

Yes

Athlete cancellation right

15 days, non-waivable rescission (§ 18897.77)

Penalties

§ 18897.93(a): "An athlete agent or athlete agent's representative or employee who violates any provision of this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be punished by a fine of not more than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), or imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment."

§ 18897.93(b): mandatory minimum one-year suspension or revocation of the privilege to conduct business as an athlete agent.

§ 18897.8(b): "A plaintiff that prevails in a civil action brought under this section may recover actual damages, or fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), whichever is higher; punitive damages; court costs; and reasonable attorney's fees."

Stated as the statute states it. Read the cited section before relying on this.

Statute

Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 18895-18897.97 (Miller-Ayala Athlete Agents Act, Stats. 1996 ch. 857; last amended Stats. 2019 ch. 222 / AB 1518, eff. Jan. 1, 2020)

'Student athlete' (§ 18895.2(i)(1)) covers a student 'in an elementary or secondary school, college, university, or other educational institution' — high school expressly included. 'Athlete agent' includes anyone recruiting an athlete into an 'endorsement contract' (§ 18895.2(b)(1), (d)) — NIL/marketing reach built in since 1996. Licensed talent agencies have a partial carve-out except where they recruit student athletes.

NIL interaction

No section uses the term 'NIL', but 'endorsement contract' (§ 18895.2(d)) functionally covers it. California's Fair Pay to Play Act (Education Code) is a separate college-NIL statute outside Miller-Ayala.

Sources

Miller-Ayala Athlete Agents Act (full chapter text) (January 1, 2020)
WARNING TO THE STUDENT ATHLETE: WHEN YOU SIGN THIS CONTRACT, YOU LIKELY WILL IMMEDIATELY AND PERMANENTLY LOSE YOUR ELIGIBILITY TO COMPETE IN INTERSCHOLASTIC OR INTERCOLLEGIATE SPORTS.
CA Secretary of State — Special Filings forms (SF-AA1 / SF-AA2) (July 19, 2026)
Gov. Code § 12195 (filing fees) (January 1, 2020)

Change history

July 19, 2026 — Initial publication from primary-source research pass (statute text read directly; penalties quoted verbatim).

Not legal advice. This page documents publicly available rules and is not legal advice. Rules change, and associations do not always announce changes. Confirm anything you rely on with the governing association, your school compliance office, or your own counsel before acting.

Spot an error? Tell us and cite the statute.