§ 487.020.Exempt Property

Title 6.5. Attachment · Chapter 7. Property Subject to Attachment · Last amended 1986 · Last verified July 28, 2026

In one sentenceSection 487.020 exempts from attachment all property already exempt from enforcing a money judgment, property necessary to support the defendant or a dependent family, statutory earnings, and any property § 487.010 does not otherwise make attachable.

Full Text of § 487.020

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c) (d)

Except as provided in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 3439.07 of the Civil Code, the following property is exempt from attachment:

(a) All property exempt from enforcement of a money judgment.

(b) Property which is necessary for the support of a defendant who is a natural person or the family of such defendant supported in whole or in part by the defendant.

(d) All property not subject to attachment pursuant to Section 487.010.

Plain-English Summary

Where § 487.010 lists what can be attached, § 487.020 lists what cannot. Four categories are exempt: property already exempt from enforcement of a money judgment; property necessary for the support of a natural-person defendant or the family the defendant supports in whole or part; 'earnings' as § 706.011 defines that term; and, as a catch-all, any property that § 487.010 does not itself make subject to attachment.

That last category matters as much as the first three. Because § 487.010's list for a natural-person defendant is closed rather than illustrative, § 487.020(d) confirms directly that anything outside that list is off-limits, not merely unaddressed.

The section opens with one qualification: these exemptions apply except as paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Civil Code § 3439.07 provides.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are a defendant's wages subject to attachment in California?

No. § 487.020(c) exempts 'earnings' as defined by § 706.011.

Can a plaintiff attach property a defendant needs to live on?

No. § 487.020(b) exempts property necessary for the support of a natural-person defendant or the family the defendant supports.

Does this section overlap with judgment-enforcement exemptions?

Yes. § 487.020(a) exempts from attachment whatever property is already exempt from enforcement of a money judgment.

Is there any override to these exemptions?

Yes. The section applies except as provided in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Civil Code § 3439.07.

Amendment History

Amended by Stats. 1986, Ch. 383, Sec. 7.

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 property is exempt from attachment californiawages exempt from attachment california CCP 487.020