§ 683.030.Money Judgment Payable In Installments
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
Full Text of § 683.030
Plain-English Summary
An installment judgment doesn't age all at once. Instead of one 10-year clock starting at entry, each installment gets its own clock, starting on the date that particular installment becomes due. An installment due five years after entry still has a full 10 years to run from its own due date.
Costs follow the same logic. Rather than dating back to entry, the enforceability period for costs runs from whenever those costs are added to the judgment under § 685.090 — the section that governs when a memorandum of costs or a cost order becomes part of the judgment.
This staggered timing matters most when a creditor is deciding whether a writ application needs the § 683.040 affidavit, or whether a renewal application under § 683.130 is timely for a particular past-due amount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 10-year enforceability period start on the same date for every installment?
No. Section 683.030 runs the period separately for each installment, beginning on the date that installment becomes due.
When does the enforceability period run for costs added to an installment judgment?
From the date the costs are added to the judgment under § 685.090, not from the date of entry or from any installment's due date.
Why does this section matter for renewal timing?
Section 683.130 relies on this staggered timing to decide, for an installment judgment, which past-due amounts remain within their 10-year window when a renewal application is filed.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1982, Ch. 1364, Sec. 2. Operative July 1, 1983, by Sec. 3 of Ch. 1364.