(a) Subject to subdivision (b), the effect of a judicial record of a sister state is the same in this state as in the state where it was made, except that it can only be enforced in this state by an action or special proceeding.
§ 1913.Judicial record; foreign state; effect; enforcement; authority of guardian, etc.
Title 2. Of the Kinds and Degrees of Evidence · Chapter 3. Writings · Article 2. Public Writings · Last amended 2016 · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1913 gives a sister state's judicial record the same effect in California as it has where it was made, enforceable here only through an action or special proceeding, while limiting a guardian's, conservator's, or personal representative's authority to the jurisdiction that appointed them except as other statutes expressly extend it.
Full Text of § 1913
(b) The authority of a guardian, conservator, or committee, or of a personal representative, does not extend beyond the jurisdiction of the government under which that person was invested with authority, except to the extent expressly authorized by Article 4 (commencing with Section 2011) of Chapter 8 of Part 3 of Division 4 of the Probate Code or another statute.
Plain-English Summary
This section addresses records from other states rather than foreign countries. Subject to its second subdivision, a judicial record from a sister state carries the same effect in California that it carries in the state where it was made. That full faith and credit, however, does not make the record self-executing here: it can be enforced in California only by bringing an action or special proceeding on it.
The second subdivision draws a boundary around representative authority. A guardian, conservator, or committee, or a personal representative, does not have authority reaching beyond the jurisdiction that appointed them, except to the extent another statute, such as the specific Probate Code provisions governing foreign guardianships and conservatorships, expressly extends that authority into California.
Frequently Asked Questions
What effect does a sister state's judicial record have in California?
The same effect it has in the state where it was made, subject to the limits this section sets on representative authority.
Can a sister-state judgment be enforced directly in California without further proceedings?
No. It can only be enforced here through an action or special proceeding.
Does a guardian or conservator appointed in another state automatically have authority in California?
No, except to the extent another statute expressly extends that authority beyond the appointing jurisdiction.
Amendment History
(Enacted in 1872. Amended by Stats.1979, c. 730, p. 2482, § 34, operative Jan. 1, 1981; Stats.1988, c. 1199, § 13, operative July 1, 1989; Stats.2014, c. 553 (S.B.940), § 1, eff. Jan. 1, 2015, operative Jan. 1, 2016.)
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the West's Annotated California Codes / Thomson Reuters. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 29, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: sister state judgment full faith and credit californiaout of state guardian conservator authority