(a) The period of enforceability of a money judgment or a judgment for possession or sale of property may be extended by renewal of the judgment as provided in this article.
§ 683.110.Generally
Title 9. Enforcement of Judgments · Division 1 · Chapter 3. Period for Enforcement and Renewal of Judgments · Article 2. Renewal of Judgments · Last amended 2024 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 683.110 lets a judgment creditor extend a money judgment's period of enforceability by renewal, bars renewing within five years of a prior renewal, and limits certain medical-expense and personal-debt consumer judgments to a single renewal under § 683.120(c).
Full Text of § 683.110
(b) A judgment shall not be renewed under this article if the application for renewal is filed within five years from the time the judgment was previously renewed under this article.
(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a judgment creditor may renew the period of enforceability of the following types of money judgments only once pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 683.120:
(1) A judgment on a claim related to medical expenses if the principal amount of the money judgment remaining unsatisfied against a debtor is under two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000).
(2) A judgment on a claim related to personal debt if the principal amount of the money judgment remaining unsatisfied against a debtor is under fifty thousand dollars ($50,000).
(d) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) "Debtor" means a natural person from whom money is due or owing or alleged to be due or owing.
(2) "Due or owing" does not include debts incurred due to or obtained by tortious or fraudulent conduct or judgments for unpaid wages, damages, or penalties owed to an employee.
(3) "Personal debt" means money due or owing or alleged to be due or owing from a natural person arising out of a transaction in which the money, property, insurance, or services which are the subject of the transaction are primarily for the debtor's personal, family, or household purposes.
Plain-English Summary
This section opens Article 2's renewal procedure and sets its outer boundaries. Subdivision (a) confirms the basic idea: a money judgment, or a judgment for possession or sale of property, can have its enforceable life extended by renewal. Subdivision (b) then stops serial early renewals — a judgment can't be renewed again if the application is filed within five years of the last renewal under this article.
Subdivision (c) adds a newer limit aimed at consumer debt. A judgment on a claim related to medical expenses, where the unsatisfied principal is under $200,000, or a judgment on a claim related to personal debt, where the unsatisfied principal is under $50,000, can be renewed only once under § 683.120(c).
Subdivision (d) defines the terms that make that limit work. A "debtor" is a natural person who owes or allegedly owes the money. "Due or owing" excludes debts from tortious or fraudulent conduct and excludes judgments for unpaid wages, damages, or penalties owed to an employee. And "personal debt" means money owed by a natural person from a transaction where the money, property, insurance, or services were primarily for personal, family, or household purposes — the classic consumer-debt profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a California judgment creditor renew a judgment more than once?
Generally yes, but not within five years of the prior renewal, and not more than once at all for the qualifying medical-expense and personal-debt judgments described in subdivision (c).
What judgments are limited to a single renewal under this section?
A judgment on a medical-expense claim with unsatisfied principal under $200,000, and a judgment on a personal-debt claim with unsatisfied principal under $50,000.
What counts as "personal debt" for this limit?
Money owed by a natural person arising from a transaction where the money, property, insurance, or services involved were primarily for that person's personal, family, or household purposes.
Do wage judgments count toward the personal-debt limit?
No. Subdivision (d) excludes judgments for unpaid wages, damages, or penalties owed to an employee, along with debts from tortious or fraudulent conduct.
Amendment History
Amended by Stats 2023 ch 131 (AB 1754),s 20, eff. 1/1/2024. Amended by Stats 2022 ch 883 (SB 1200),s 2, eff. 1/1/2023. 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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