(a) A levying officer may create, store, print, or transmit an electronic record in the place of, and in the same manner as, the paper record or document upon which the electronic record is based.
§ 263.4.Electronic record as substitute for paper record; Requirements; Procedure
Title 4. Ministerial Officers of Courts of Justice · Chapter 2. Levying Officer Electronic Transactions Act · Enacted 2010 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentence§ 263.4 authorizes a levying officer to create, store, print, or transmit an electronic record in place of a paper document, requires an electronic transmission sent to the officer to include sender and officer identifying information, and requires the sender to keep the paper version and deliver it within five days of a request.
Full Text of § 263.4
(b) An electronic record transmitted to a levying officer shall be accompanied by all of the following information:
(1) The name of the sender.
(2) The electronic address of the sender.
(3) The name of the levying officer.
(4) The electronic address or fax number of the levying officer.
(c) The person transmitting the electronic record shall do both of the following:
(1) Retain the paper version of the record or document.
(2) Deliver the paper version of the record or document to the levying officer within five days after a request to do so has been mailed to the sender by the levying officer.
Plain-English Summary
§ 263.4 lets a levying officer treat an electronic record as a substitute for paper, creating, storing, printing, or transmitting the electronic version in the same manner as the underlying paper document.
An electronic record sent to a levying officer must include the sender’s name and electronic address, and the levying officer’s name along with an electronic address or fax number. The person sending it must retain the paper version and deliver it to the levying officer within five days after the officer mails a request for it — the same five-day window § 263.3 uses for faxed documents.
Subdivision (d) broadens what counts as “transmission”: it includes sending the electronic record as part of, or along with, an electronic mail message as defined in § 263.1, so an e-mailed attachment falls within this section’s rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a levying officer keep only an electronic copy of a document instead of the paper original?
Yes. § 263.4(a) lets the officer create, store, print, or transmit an electronic record in place of the paper record.
What information must accompany an electronic record sent to a levying officer?
§ 263.4(b) requires the sender’s name and electronic address, and the levying officer’s name and electronic address or fax number.
Do I still need to keep the paper version if I send an electronic record to the levying officer?
Yes. § 263.4(c) requires retaining the paper version and delivering it within five days of a request from the levying officer.
Does sending a document as an e-mail attachment count as an electronic record transmission?
Yes. § 263.4(d) defines transmission to include sending the electronic record within, or in conjunction with, an electronic mail message.
Amendment History
Added Stats 2010 ch 680 § 4 (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
Also known as: electronic record levying officer californiaccp 263.4 email a writ to sheriffelectronic filing requirements sheriff california