Turning a California judgment into actual money.

The enforcement framework#

California's judgment-enforcement statutes live in the Code of Civil Procedure §§680.010–724.260 — collectively the Enforcement of Judgments Law (EJL). The EJL gives judgment creditors a comprehensive set of tools (writ of execution, levies, liens, garnishments, debtor exams, turnover orders, charging orders) and equally comprehensive procedural rules for using them.

Enforcement isn't automatic. The court entered a judgment; collecting on it is a separate effort with its own filings, fees, and risks. Judgments that aren't actively enforced often go unpaid even when the debtor has assets — the bar to acting is procedural, not substantive.

How long the judgment is valid#

10 years from entry, renewable for additional 10-year terms (CCP §683.020). Renewal isn't automatic — it requires a filed application before the 10-year mark. A lapsed judgment has to be renewed before further enforcement; an unrenewed expired judgment is unenforceable.

Interest#

California post-judgment interest accrues at 10% per year on money judgments (Cal Const Art XV §1, CCP §685.010). Interest is recoverable as part of enforcement and meaningfully compounds over a 10-year window.

Step one: locate the assets#

Enforcement starts with knowing where the debtor's assets are. Three main tools:

Judgment debtor examination (CCP §708.110)#

The single most useful enforcement tool. A subpoenaed examination under oath about the debtor's assets, income, accounts, and transfers. Failure to appear is contempt of court. The debtor exam is often where enforcement breaks open — a debtor who's been ignoring demand letters can't ignore a court order to appear and answer.

Post-judgment discovery (CCP §708.020)#

Written interrogatories, requests for production, requests for admission — all available post-judgment. Less common than debtor exams because exams are faster and more confrontational, but useful when document evidence (bank statements, tax returns, contracts) is what's needed.

Public-records investigation#

County recorder for real estate, Secretary of State for entity ownership and UCC filings, DMV for vehicles, court records for other lawsuits naming the debtor. A skip-trace through a commercial database surfaces accounts and addresses that other tools miss.

Step two: the writ of execution#

The writ of execution (CCP §699.510) is the foundational enforcement document. Issued by the court clerk on application by the judgment creditor, the writ authorizes the sheriff or marshal to seize the debtor's non-exempt property anywhere in California. One writ; one county per writ.

Filing a writ doesn't, by itself, collect anything. The writ is the precondition for the next step — a levy. Levies happen at specific assets: bank accounts, wages, real property, vehicles, business inventory.

Levies#

Bank levy#

The most direct enforcement move when the debtor's bank is known. Sheriff serves the levy on the bank, which freezes the account up to the writ amount. Funds in the account at service are captured (subject to exemption claims). California's automatic exemption protects $1,826 in deposit accounts (per CCP §704.220, adjusted periodically for inflation) — the rest is subject to seizure.

Wage garnishment#

An Earnings Withholding Order (CCP §706.020) directs the debtor's employer to withhold a percentage of disposable earnings — typically up to 25% under federal CCPA limits, with California-specific carve-outs. Wage garnishments continue until the judgment is satisfied or the order is released.

Real property levy#

An Abstract of Judgment (CCP §674) recorded in the county where real property is located creates a judgment lien on the debtor's real estate. The lien attaches to existing property and to property later acquired in the county. Forced sale through writ of execution is available, though equity over senior liens (mortgages, tax liens) is often the binding constraint on practical recovery.

Personal property levy#

Vehicles, equipment, business inventory, accounts receivable — all leviable. Practical recovery is often constrained by exemptions, condition, and the cost of the levy/sale process. Levying a $20,000 inventory line that costs $8,000 to liquidate is rarely worth doing without volume.

Liens#

Beyond the abstract-of-judgment real property lien, California recognizes several other lien mechanisms:

Judgment lien on personal property (CCP §697.510) — filed with the Secretary of State, attaches to specified personal property of the debtor.

Charging order against LLC interest (Cal Corp Code §17705.03) — when the debtor owns an LLC interest, the charging order entitles the creditor to distributions that would otherwise go to the debtor. Doesn't transfer the LLC interest itself but redirects the cash flow.

ORAP lien (Order to Appear and Produce; CCP §708.205) — the debtor exam itself can produce a lien on personal property identified during the exam, encumbering the assets pending levy.

Turnover orders#

When the debtor controls assets that aren't easy to levy in the ordinary course — a partnership interest, a beneficial interest in a trust, items located in storage, contractual rights — a turnover order (CCP §699.040) compels the debtor to deliver the asset to the levying officer. Useful for assets that the sheriff can't simply walk in and take, or that require active cooperation to transfer.

Common debtor obstacles#

Asset concealment#

Assets in spouse's name, child's name, sibling's name, friend's name. The Uniform Voidable Transactions Act (Cal Civ Code §§3439–3439.14) provides the framework to unwind transfers made with intent to hinder or delay creditors — but unwinding requires a separate adversary action and often a tracing analysis.

Out-of-state assets#

California judgments require domestication in the asset state (sister-state judgment registration under CCP §1710 et seq. or the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act in the asset state). Practical impact: enforcement against out-of-state assets adds time and cost.

Bankruptcy#

A debtor's bankruptcy filing triggers an automatic stay (11 U.S.C. §362) that halts most enforcement immediately. Some judgments survive bankruptcy (fraud-based, intentional torts under §523(a)) but require specific objection in the bankruptcy proceeding. Many judgments do not.

When enforcement isn't worth it#

Not every judgment is collectable. Judgment-proof debtors — no real property, exempt income, minimal accounts, no employment subject to garnishment — produce judgments that can't be enforced regardless of effort. Honest assessment of debtor-asset profile before enforcement work begins saves more in fees than aggressive enforcement of an empty judgment ever produces.

The right enforcement scope depends on judgment size, debtor profile, and time horizon. A $50,000 judgment against a debtor with a single bank account and W-2 wages enforces differently than a $500,000 judgment against a debtor with multiple LLCs and out-of-state real estate. Phase pricing makes the cost-benefit conversation transparent at each stage.