Except as otherwise provided by statute, upon the expiration of 10 years after the date of entry of a money judgment or a judgment for possession or sale of property:
§ 683.020.Period of Enforceability
Title 9. Enforcement of Judgments · Division 1 · Chapter 3. Period for Enforcement and Renewal of Judgments · Article 1. Period for Enforcement of Judgments · Enacted 1982 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 683.020 cuts off enforcement of a money judgment or a judgment for possession or sale of property 10 years after entry, barring further enforcement, stopping all enforcement procedures, and extinguishing any lien the judgment created, unless a statute provides otherwise.
Full Text of § 683.020
(a) The judgment may not be enforced.
(b) All enforcement procedures pursuant to the judgment or to a writ or order issued pursuant to the judgment shall cease.
(c) Any lien created by an enforcement procedure pursuant to the judgment is extinguished.
Plain-English Summary
Ten years is the clock every California judgment creditor watches. Once that decade runs from the date of entry, three things happen at once: the judgment can no longer be enforced, any enforcement procedure already underway must stop, and any lien the judgment created — a judgment lien on real property, for example — is wiped out.
Nothing in this section forgives the debt. It just takes away the collection tools this title provides once the 10 years pass. A creditor who wants to keep those tools working has to renew the judgment under § 683.110 before the deadline arrives, since renewal is what resets the clock.
Installment judgments get their own timing rule in § 683.030, and a creditor who files a late writ application still has a path forward under § 683.040 by explaining why the writ isn't barred.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a money judgment be enforced in California without renewal?
Ten years from the date of entry. After that, § 683.020 bars enforcement, stops enforcement procedures, and extinguishes any lien the judgment created.
Does the 10-year cutoff erase the underlying debt?
No. It only ends the ability to use this title's enforcement tools on the unrenewed judgment; separate rules govern any action on the judgment itself.
What happens to a judgment lien after the 10 years pass?
Section 683.020(c) extinguishes any lien created by an enforcement procedure under the judgment once the period expires.
How does a creditor avoid this cutoff?
By renewing the judgment before the 10 years expire, using the procedure in § 683.110 and following sections, which extends enforceability for another period.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1982, Ch. 1364, Sec. 2. Operative July 1, 1983, by Sec. 3 of Ch. 1364.
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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