To attach a security, the levying officer shall comply with Section 8112 of the Commercial Code. The legal process referred to in Section 8112 of the Commercial Code means the legal process required by the state in which the chief executive office of the issuer of the security is located and, where that state is California, means personal service by the levying officer of a copy of the writ of attachment and notice of attachment on the person who is to be served.
§ 488.450.To Attach Security
Title 6.5. Attachment · Chapter 8. Levy Procedures; Lien of Attachment; Management and Disposition of Attached Property · Article 2. Methods of Levy · Last amended 1997 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 488.450 requires the levying officer to attach a security under Commercial Code § 8112, meaning the legal process required by the state where the issuer's chief executive office sits, or, if that state is California, personal service by the levying officer on the person to be served.
Full Text of § 488.450
Plain-English Summary
Securities — stocks, bonds, and similar instruments — are attached under the Commercial Code's own levy provision, § 8112, rather than under a Title 9 execution cross-reference. Section 488.450 clarifies what "legal process" means under that provision for attachment purposes: it is whatever process the state where the issuer's chief executive office is located requires, and where that state happens to be California, it means personal service by the levying officer of a copy of the writ and notice of attachment on the appropriate person.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a plaintiff attach a defendant's stock or securities in California?
Section 488.450 requires the levying officer to comply with Commercial Code § 8112, with legal process meaning personal service of the writ and notice when the security issuer's chief executive office is in California.
Does California law govern how a security is attached if the issuer's main office is in another state?
No. Section 488.450 looks to the legal process required by the state where the issuer's chief executive office is located, which may not be California.
Amendment History
Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 497, Sec. 1.5. Effective January 1, 1997.
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: attaching stock or securities californiaccp 488.450 commercial code 8112 legal process