In those counties where the clerk of the court places individual judgments in the file of actions and either a microfilm copy of the individual judgment is made, or the judgment is entered in the register of actions, or into the court's electronic data-processing system, prior to placement of the judgment in the file of actions, the clerk shall not be required to enter judgments in a judgment book, and the date of filing the judgment with the clerk shall constitute the date of its entry.
§ 668.5.Date of Filing Judgment With Clerk Constitutes Date of Entry
Title 8. Of the Trial and Judgment In Civil Actions · Chapter 8. The Manner of Giving and Entering Judgment · Last amended 1983 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 668.5 excuses the clerk from keeping a judgment book in counties where individual judgments are placed in the case file, and either microfilmed or entered in the register of actions or an electronic data-processing system before filing, and instead treats the date the judgment is filed with the clerk as its date of entry.
Full Text of § 668.5
Plain-English Summary
This section modernizes what § 668 otherwise requires. In counties where the clerk places each judgment directly in the case file — and either microfilms it, logs it in the register of actions, or enters it into the court's electronic data-processing system before that filing — there's no need to duplicate the record in a separate judgment book.
Skipping the judgment book doesn't leave any gap in when judgment counts as entered: the date the judgment is filed with the clerk becomes its date of entry, the same trigger that starts the new-trial and appeal clocks under §§ 659 and 664.5.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all counties have to keep a physical judgment book?
No, counties using microfilm, register-of-actions, or electronic recordkeeping under § 668.5 don't have to.
What counts as the date of entry of judgment in those counties?
The date the judgment is filed with the clerk.
Amendment History
Amended by Stats. 1983, Ch. 464, Sec. 1.
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: date of entry of judgment californiaelectronic judgment filing california