The closest thing in California that I can think of is in our State Business and Professions Code which regulates private investigators to licensing standards.  However, despite a long list of things covered by the PI portion of the code, the last section of the code bears explicit exemption for research in public records.

   It is  hard to imagine that I cannot own a parcel of land in a state and be qualified to research my own public records, which are maintained by my own tax dollars.  The various Public Records Acts of many states cover the openness of public records for public use, so I doubt that creating a research report which abstracts a title chain would be prevented.  Whether the abstract should be relied upon by an insurance firm seems to be more of a commercial call than one that should be made by a legislative body, especially for long-term professionals who are engaged with the industry, have good "Better Business Bureau" / Commerce Chamber rrelations and reviews, adhere explicitly to our industry standards and practices, comply with all reasonable laws, and bear liability insurance.

  Sounds like a money grab.