Except as otherwise provided, the officer executing process shall, so long as he or she retains the original process, show it to any interested person, upon request. The officer shall show the process, with all papers, or electronic copies of all papers, attached, at his or her office whenever the office is open for business.
§ 262.2.Duty to exhibit process upon request or at office; Exception
Title 4. Ministerial Officers of Courts of Justice · Chapter 1. Of Ministerial Officers Generally · Last amended 2011 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentence§ 262.2 requires the officer executing process to show the original document, with its attached papers or electronic copies, to any interested person who asks, and to show it at the officer’s office whenever the office is open for business, for as long as the officer holds the original.
Full Text of § 262.2
Plain-English Summary
Anyone with a stake in a levy — a debtor wondering what was seized and why, a creditor checking on progress, a third party claiming an interest in the property — has a right under § 262.2 to see the process behind it. So long as the officer still holds the original document, the officer must show it to any interested person on request.
The section has a second, more specific duty layered on top of the general one: whenever the office is open for business, the officer must show the process there, with all attached papers, or electronic copies of those papers, on hand.
The rule opens with “except as otherwise provided,” leaving room for other statutes to limit or modify this transparency duty in particular circumstances, but the default rule favors disclosure over secrecy about what process an officer is currently executing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can ask to see the process a sheriff is executing?
§ 262.2 gives that right to any interested person, not only the party who requested the levy.
Does the officer have to carry the original document everywhere?
No, but § 262.2 requires the officer to show it upon request while retaining the original, and specifically at the office whenever it is open for business.
Can attached papers be shown as electronic copies instead of originals?
Yes. § 262.2 allows the officer to show “electronic copies of all papers” attached to the process, not only paper originals.
Are there exceptions to this disclosure duty?
§ 262.2 opens with “except as otherwise provided,” signaling that other statutes may limit this duty in specific situations.
Amendment History
Added Stats 1951 ch 655 § 14. Amended Stats 1955 ch 1197 § 1; Stats 2010 ch 680 § 2 (AB 2394), effective January 1, 2011.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
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