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§ 481.055.Costs

Title 6.5. Attachment · Chapter 1. Words and Phrases Defined · Enacted 1982 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026

In one sentenceSection 481.055 defines "costs" broadly to mean costs and disbursements, including but not limited to statutory fees, charges, commissions, and expenses.

Full Text of § 481.055

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"Costs" means costs and disbursements, including, but not limited to, statutory fees, charges, commissions, and expenses.

Plain-English Summary

This definition matters because Title 6.5 treats costs differently depending on where they show up. Section 483.010 excludes costs, interest, and attorney’s fees from the calculation of whether a claim meets the $500 minimum needed to support an attachment. But Section 482.110 lets a court include an estimate of costs and allowable attorney’s fees in the actual amount an attachment secures. Knowing what counts as a "cost" under § 481.055’s broad definition — statutory fees, charges, commissions, and expenses — determines how those two provisions interact.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do costs count toward the $500 minimum for attachment?

No. Section 483.010 requires the underlying claim itself to total at least $500 exclusive of costs, interest, and attorney’s fees, even though costs as defined here can later be added to the amount an attachment secures under Section 482.110.

What counts as a "cost" under this section?

Section 481.055 defines costs broadly as costs and disbursements, including but not limited to statutory fees, charges, commissions, and expenses.

Amendment History

Added by Stats. 1982, Ch. 1198, Sec. 5. Operative July 1, 1983, by Sec. 70 of Ch. 1198.

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: what counts as costs california attachmentcosts definition attachment law