(a) Except as otherwise provided by statute, whenever a warrant may properly be issued by a local child support agency pursuant to Section 17522 of the Family Code, and the warrant may be levied with the same effect as a levy pursuant to a writ of execution, the local child support agency may use any of the remedies available to a judgment creditor, including, but not limited to, those provided in Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 708.010) of Division 2.
§ 689.020.Remedies Available to Local Child Support Agency
Title 9. Enforcement of Judgments · Division 1 · Chapter 9. Enforcement of Support Judgments · Last amended 2000 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 689.020 lets a local child support agency that may issue a warrant under Family Code § 17522 with the same force as a levy under a writ of execution use any judgment-creditor remedy, including debtor-examination and related collection procedures, enforced in the superior court of the county where that agency is located.
Full Text of § 689.020
(b) The proper court for the enforcement of the remedies provided under this chapter is the superior court in the county where the local child support agency enforcing the support obligation is located.
Plain-English Summary
Local child support agencies collect on support obligations through an administrative warrant, not a fresh lawsuit. Section 689.020 lets an agency that may properly issue a warrant under Family Code § 17522 — one that carries the same enforcement weight as a levy under a writ of execution — reach for the whole set of judgment-creditor remedies, including the debtor-examination and collection procedures in Chapter 6 (commencing with § 708.010) of Division 2.
Venue is narrower here than in the parallel state-tax provision of § 688.020: rather than choosing among several counties, the agency enforces its remedies in the superior court of the county where the local child support agency handling the case is located.
This section works together with § 689.030's exemption and third-party-claim procedures and § 689.050's definitions, which together give support-collection efforts the structure of ordinary judgment enforcement while keeping support creditors within their own administrative and jurisdictional framework.
Frequently Asked Questions
What remedies can a local child support agency use once it has issued a warrant under Family Code § 17522?
Any remedy available to a judgment creditor, including the debtor-examination and collection procedures under Chapter 6 (commencing with § 708.010) of Division 2.
Which court hears these support-enforcement remedies?
The superior court in the county where the local child support agency enforcing the support obligation is located.
Is this the same venue rule used for state tax warrants under § 688.020?
No. Section 688.020 allows enforcement in several possible counties tied to the debtor or the property; this section ties venue instead to where the enforcing agency itself is located.
Amendment History
Amended by Stats 2000 ch 808 (AB 1358), s 6, eff. 9/28/2000.
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: child support agency warrant enforcement californialocal child support agency collection remedies