§ 491.450.Endorsement of Lien's Existence Upon Judgment

Title 6.5. Attachment · Chapter 11. Attaching Plaintiff's Miscellaneous Remedies · Article 3. Lien in Pending Action or Proceeding · Enacted 1982 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026

In one sentenceSection 491.450 requires the court clerk to endorse the existence and creation date of a lien onto the judgment recovered in the pending action, and requires any abstract of that judgment to note the lien too.

Full Text of § 491.450

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b)

(a) If a lien is created pursuant to this article, the court clerk shall endorse upon the judgment recovered in the action or special proceeding a statement of the existence of the lien and the time it was created.

(b) Any abstract issued upon the judgment shall include a statement of the lien in favor of the plaintiff.

Plain-English Summary

A lien created under this article needs to be visible to anyone dealing with the judgment it attaches to. Section 491.450(a) requires the court clerk to endorse a statement on the judgment itself -- noting that the lien exists and when it was created.

Subdivision (b) extends that visibility to an abstract of judgment, which must also include a statement of the lien in the plaintiff's favor, so the lien follows the judgment wherever the abstract is recorded or relied on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the judgment itself show that a lien has been created against it?

Yes. Section 491.450(a) requires the court clerk to endorse a statement of the lien's existence and creation date on the judgment.

Does an abstract of the judgment also disclose the lien?

Yes. Section 491.450(b) requires any abstract issued on the judgment to include a statement of the lien in the plaintiff's favor.

Amendment History

Added by Stats. 1982, Ch. 1198, Sec. 57. 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: clerk endorsement lien judgment californiaabstract of judgment lien disclosure