California Code, Financial Code - FIN § 18211

No charge shall be collected unless a loan is made, except that an industrial loan company may charge, contract for, and receive a fee in connection with making a written commitment to make a loan, secured by real property having a face amount in excess of five thousand dollars ($5,000) whether or not the loan is consummated, or in connection with the purchase, sale, or origination of a lease as lessor and may charge, contract for, and receive an application fee for a loan having an original principal balance in excess of five thousand dollars ($5,000) or for a lease which payments are in excess of five thousand dollars ($5,000), provided, however, that a disclosure statement setting forth the amount of the fee, which may be reviewed by the commissioner as to form and content, shall be provided to each person to whom an application fee is charged. The commitment fee or the loan application fee with respect to a consumer loan shall be limited to the actual expenses incurred.