Title 9. Enforcement of Judgments · Division 1 · Chapter 4. Manner of Service of Writs, Notices, and Other Papers · Article 2. Manner of Service Generally · Enacted 1982 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 684.120 requires service by mail under this title to be first-class mail addressed to the attorney, when attorney service applies, or otherwise to the recipient's known address, completes service at the moment of deposit, and extends response deadlines by five, ten, or twenty days depending on whether the address is in California, elsewhere in the United States, or abroad.
(a)Except as otherwise provided in this title, if a writ, notice, order, or other paper is to be served by mail under this title, it shall be sent by first-class mail (unless some other type of mail is specifically required) and shall be deposited in a post office, mailbox, sub-post office, substation, mail chute, or other like facility regularly maintained by the United States Postal Service, in a sealed envelope, with postage paid, addressed as follows:
(1)If an attorney is being served in place of the judgment creditor or judgment debtor as provided in Section 684.010 or 684.020, to the attorney at the last address given by the attorney on any paper filed in the proceeding and served on the party making the service.
(2)If any other person is being served, to such person at the person's current mailing address if known or, if unknown, at the address last given by the person on any paper filed in the proceeding and served on the party making the service.
(3)If the mailing cannot be made as provided in paragraph (1) or (2), to the person at the person's last known address.
(b)Service by mail is complete at the time of deposit; but, unless the court prescribes a shorter period of time, any prescribed period of notice and any right or duty to do any act or make any response within any prescribed period or on a date certain after a paper is served by mail is extended:
(1)Five days if the place of address is within the State of California.
(2)Ten days if the place of address is outside the State of California but within the United States.
(3)Twenty days if the place of address is outside the United States.
(c)The writ, notice, order, or other paper served by mail under this section shall bear a notation of the date and place of mailing or be accompanied by an unsigned copy of the affidavit or certificate of mailing. This subdivision is directory only.
Plain-English Summary
Mail service under this title has to follow specific mechanics. Subdivision (a) requires first-class mail (unless some other class is specifically required), deposited in a proper postal facility, sealed and prepaid, and addressed according to a hierarchy: to the attorney's last-filed address when attorney service applies under §§ 684.010 or 684.020, otherwise to the recipient's known current address, and only as a last resort to the recipient's last known address when nothing better is available.
Subdivision (b) fixes when service is complete — at the moment of deposit, not at receipt — but compensates the recipient with extra response time unless the court sets a shorter period: five extra days for a California address, ten for elsewhere in the United States, and twenty for a foreign address.
Subdivision (c) asks that the mailed paper carry a notation of the date and place of mailing, or come with an unsigned copy of the mailing affidavit or certificate, though it makes clear that requirement is directory only — a technical slip here doesn't undo otherwise-valid service.
Frequently Asked Questions
What class of mail must be used for service under this title?
First-class mail, unless another class is specifically required for the particular paper being served.
When is service by mail considered complete?
At the time of deposit in the mail, not when the recipient receives it.
Does mail service give the recipient extra time to respond?
Yes, unless the court prescribes a shorter period: five days for a California address, ten days elsewhere in the United States, and twenty days for a foreign address.
Is the requirement to note the date and place of mailing strictly enforced?
No. Subdivision (c) states that requirement is directory only, so a defect there doesn't by itself invalidate the service.
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
Also known as:service by mail judgment enforcement californiaextension of time for mailed service