(a) If the levying officer is required by any provision of this title to serve any writ, order, notice, or other paper on any person, the judgment creditor shall include in the instructions to the levying officer the correct name and address of the person. The judgment creditor shall use reasonable diligence to ascertain the correct name and address of the person.
§ 684.130.Correct Name and Address Included In Instructions to Levying Officer
Title 9. Enforcement of Judgments · Division 1 · Chapter 4. Manner of Service of Writs, Notices, and Other Papers · Article 2. Manner of Service Generally · Last amended 2026 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 684.130 requires the judgment creditor to give the levying officer the correct name and address of anyone being served, using reasonable diligence, and, for a personal-debt judgment, to also file a sworn declaration confirming the debtor's address was verified within the past 12 months before the officer may serve or act.
Full Text of § 684.130
(1) Where the judgment upon which the writ is issued is for personal debt, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 683.110, this subdivision shall apply.
(2) The judgment creditor shall also provide the levying officer with a declaration stating that the judgment creditor has verified using reasonable diligence within the past 12 months that the judgment debtor's address is correct to the best of the declarant's knowledge, and describing the verification dates and the methods used, which may include, but are not limited to, the following methods:
(A) Receipt of correspondence from the judgment debtor, dated no more than 12 months before the execution of the declaration, that includes a return address or other comparable verification of the judgment debtor's address.
(B) Transmittal of a letter or legal pleading by certified mail, or other method of transmission through the United States Postal Service providing a return receipt, to the judgment debtor's address, with a return receipt dated no more than 12 months before the execution of the declaration that is signed by the judgment debtor.
(C) Verification of the judgment debtor's current address by a commercial address verification service, including skip-tracing, or, if reasonably available, a public record database, followed by dispatch of a letter or legal pleading, by first-class mail to the verified address, that was not returned to sender.
(3) The levying officer shall not accept or serve any writ, order, notice, or other paper on any person if the judgment creditor fails to provide a declaration as described in paragraph (2).
(4) Upon notice by the judgment debtor that the requirements of this section have not been met, the court shall stay the notice of levy or earnings withholding order until the requirements of this section have been satisfied.
(5) The judgment creditor's cost of verification of the judgment debtor's address is not recoverable.
(6) The judgment creditor shall file with the court the signed declaration within 10 business days after delivering the declaration to the levying officer.
(7) The declaration required by this section may be signed by any individual with adequate knowledge of the verification, including, but not limited to, a custodian of records. If the judgment creditor is represented by an attorney, the declaration may be signed by any employee of the attorney or the attorney's law firm with adequate knowledge of the verification, including, but not limited to, a custodian of records.
(c) Unless the levying officer has actual knowledge that the name or address included in the instructions is incorrect, the levying officer shall rely on the instructions in serving the writ, order, notice, or other paper on the person.
Plain-English Summary
The levying officer relies on what the creditor provides, so this section puts the diligence burden on the creditor upfront. Subdivision (a) requires the creditor to include the correct name and address of any person to be served in the instructions to the levying officer, using reasonable diligence to get it right.
Subdivision (b) adds a stricter layer for judgments on personal debt, as § 683.110(d) defines that term. The creditor must give the levying officer a declaration confirming the debtor's address was verified within the past 12 months, describing the verification dates and method — correspondence from the debtor, a certified mailing with a signed return receipt, or a commercial or public-record address-verification service followed by an unreturned first-class mailing. Without that declaration, the officer can't accept or serve the paper at all, and a debtor's notice of noncompliance triggers a stay of the levy or earnings withholding order until the requirement is satisfied. The verification cost isn't recoverable, the signed declaration has to be filed with the court within 10 business days of delivery to the officer, and anyone with adequate knowledge — including the attorney's staff — may sign it.
Subdivision (c) protects the officer on the other side: absent actual knowledge that the instructions are wrong, the officer can rely on them in making service.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must a creditor provide the levying officer before service?
The correct name and address of the person to be served, obtained using reasonable diligence.
What extra step applies for a personal-debt judgment?
The creditor must also give the levying officer a declaration confirming the debtor's address was verified within the past 12 months, describing the dates and method of verification.
What happens if that declaration isn't provided for a personal-debt judgment?
The levying officer may not accept or serve the writ, order, notice, or other paper on any person.
What if a debtor notifies the court that this section wasn't complied with?
The court stays the notice of levy or earnings withholding order until the requirements of this section are satisfied.
Can a creditor recover the cost of verifying the debtor's address?
No. Subdivision (b)(5) states that cost isn't recoverable.
Amendment History
Amended by Stats 2025 ch 708 (AB 774),s 1, eff. 1/1/2026. Amended by Stats 2024 ch 514 (AB 2837),s 1, eff. 1/1/2025. 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: levying officer instructions correct address californiaaddress verification declaration personal debt judgment