(a) The judgment creditor shall serve a notice of renewal of the judgment on the judgment debtor. Service shall be made personally or by first-class mail and proof of service shall be filed with the court clerk. The notice shall be in a form prescribed by the Judicial Council and shall inform the judgment debtor that the judgment debtor has 60 days within which to make a motion to vacate or modify the renewal.
§ 683.160.Service of Notice of Renewal
Title 9. Enforcement of Judgments · Division 1 · Chapter 3. Period for Enforcement and Renewal of Judgments · Article 2. Renewal of Judgments · Last amended 2023 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 683.160 requires the judgment creditor to serve the debtor with a notice of renewal, personally or by first-class mail, informing the debtor of a 60-day window to move to vacate or modify the renewal, and bars any writ or enforcement proceeding until proof of that service is filed.
Full Text of § 683.160
(b) Until proof of service is filed pursuant to subdivision (a), no writ may be issued, nor may any enforcement proceedings be commenced to enforce the judgment, except to the extent that the judgment would be enforceable had it not been renewed.
Plain-English Summary
Renewal doesn't happen silently. Once the application is filed, the creditor has to serve the debtor with a notice of renewal — personally or by first-class mail — and file proof of that service with the court clerk. The Judicial Council prescribes the notice's form, and it has to tell the debtor about the 60-day deadline to move to vacate or modify the renewal under § 683.170.
Subdivision (b) puts teeth behind the notice requirement. Until proof of service is on file, no writ can issue and no enforcement proceeding can be commenced on the renewed judgment — except to whatever extent the judgment would have been enforceable anyway, had it not been renewed at all. A creditor who skips this step doesn't lose the renewal, but does lose the ability to use it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must the creditor do after filing a renewal application?
Serve the debtor with a notice of renewal, personally or by first-class mail, and file proof of that service with the court clerk.
What does the notice of renewal have to tell the debtor?
That the debtor has 60 days to make a motion to vacate or modify the renewal, using the Judicial Council's prescribed form.
Can the creditor enforce the renewed judgment before filing proof of service?
Only to the extent the judgment would have been enforceable had it not been renewed. No writ may issue and no enforcement proceeding may begin until proof of service is filed.
Amendment History
Amended by Stats 2022 ch 883 (SB 1200),s 4, eff. 1/1/2023. Amended by Stats. 1988, Ch. 900, Sec. 5.
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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