An injunction is a writ or order requiring a person to refrain from a particular act. It may be granted by the court in which the action is brought, or by a judge thereof; and when granted by a judge, it may be enforced as an order of the court.
§ 525.Definition; Granted By Court Or Judge
Title 7. Other Provisional Remedies In Civil Actions · Chapter 3. Injunction · Last amended 1907 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 525 defines an injunction as a court order or writ directing someone to stop doing a particular act, and states that a judge who grants one outside of open court can have it enforced as if the court itself had issued it.
Full Text of § 525
Plain-English Summary
Section 525 opens Chapter 3 with the basic vocabulary: an injunction is a writ or order that tells someone to stop doing something. It is not damages, and it is not a promise to pay money later — it is a command backed by the court's authority to hold people in contempt if they defy it.
The section also settles who can issue one. The court itself can grant an injunction, and so can an individual judge of that court acting alone. When a judge grants the injunction rather than the full court, the order still carries the weight of the court — it can be enforced exactly as though the court itself had granted it.
This section is deliberately bare-bones. It defines the tool but says nothing about when a court should use it. The cases where an injunction is appropriate, and the cases where it is off the table entirely, are spelled out next in § 526, and the procedural mechanics for preliminary injunctions and temporary restraining orders follow in § 527.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is an injunction under California law?
Under § 525, an injunction is a court order or writ that requires a person to refrain from doing a particular act. It is a command, not an award of money damages.
Can a single judge issue an injunction, or does it require the full court?
A judge of the court where the action is pending may grant an injunction alone. When a judge does so, the order is enforced the same way as an order of the court itself.
Does § 525 explain when courts will grant an injunction?
Amendment History
Amended by Stats. 1907, Ch. 272.
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
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