(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in the case of a writ of execution issued by a court of competent jurisdiction pursuant to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 699.010) and Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 706.010) of Division 2, the local child support agency, when enforcing a support obligation pursuant to Division 17 (commencing with Section 17000) of the Family Code, may perform the duties of the levying officer, except that the local child support agency need not give itself the notices that the levying officer is required to serve on a judgment creditor or creditor or the notices that a judgment creditor or creditor is required to give to the levying officer.
§ 689.040.Performance of Duties of Levying Officer; Delivery of Writ of Execution to Centralized Location
Title 9. Enforcement of Judgments · Division 1 · Chapter 9. Enforcement of Support Judgments · Last amended 2000 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 689.040 lets a local child support agency enforcing support under the Family Code perform the levying officer's own duties on a court-issued writ of execution, and, for a bank or savings and loan levy, deliver the writ to a centralized location the institution designates so it reaches all of the debtor's accounts regardless of branch location.
Full Text of § 689.040
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a) of Section 700.140, if the writ of execution is for a deposit or credits or personal property in the possession or under the control of a bank or savings and loan association, the local child support agency may deliver or mail the writ of execution to a centralized location designated by the bank or savings and loan association. If the writ of execution is received at the designated central location, it will apply to all deposits and credits and personal property held by the bank or savings and loan association regardless of the location of that property.
Plain-English Summary
Support enforcement gets a practical efficiency most judgment creditors don't have. Subdivision (a) lets the local child support agency, when enforcing a support obligation under Division 17 (commencing with § 17000) of the Family Code, perform the levying officer's own duties on a writ of execution issued under Chapter 3 (commencing with § 699.010) and Chapter 5 (commencing with § 706.010) of Division 2 — without having to serve itself the notices a levying officer would otherwise give to, or receive from, a judgment creditor.
Subdivision (b) adds a shortcut for bank and savings-and-loan levies. Rather than serving the writ on whatever branch might hold the debtor's account, the agency may deliver or mail it to a centralized location the institution has designated. Once the writ reaches that central point, it reaches every deposit, credit, and item of personal property the institution holds for the debtor, wherever within the institution that property happens to sit.
Together, these provisions let support agencies move faster and more broadly than the ordinary levy process allows, reflecting the priority the law places on collecting support obligations without duplicative notice steps or branch-by-branch service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a local child support agency act as its own levying officer?
Yes, under § 689.040(a), when enforcing a support obligation under the Family Code and using a court-issued writ of execution, though the agency doesn't need to serve itself the usual levying-officer notices.
How does the centralized-location rule for bank levies work?
The agency may deliver or mail the writ to a location the bank or savings and loan association has designated, and the writ then applies to all the debtor's deposits, credits, and property at that institution regardless of branch.
Does this bypass the usual notice requirements between creditor and levying officer?
Only the notices the levying officer would otherwise serve on, or receive from, a judgment creditor — since the agency here fills both roles.
Amendment History
Amended by Stats 2000 ch 808 (AB 1358), s 8, 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 levy bank account californiacentralized levy location support enforcement