(a) Except as otherwise provided by statute, a judgment lien on real property is created under this section by recording an abstract of a money judgment with the county recorder.
§ 697.310.Lien Created By Recording Abstract of Judgment; Duration of Lien; Payable In Installments
Title 9. Enforcement of Judgments · Division 2 · Chapter 2. Liens · Article 2. Judgment Lien on Real Property · Last amended 1998 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 697.310 creates a judgment lien on real property by recording an abstract of a money judgment with the county recorder, keeps that lien in force for ten years from entry of the judgment unless satisfied, released, or renewed under § 683.180, and applies the same rule to certain installment judgments despite their payment schedule.
Full Text of § 697.310
(c) The creation and duration of a judgment lien under a money judgment entered pursuant to Section 117 or 582.5 of this code or Section 16380 of the Vehicle Code or under a similar judgment is governed by this section, notwithstanding that the judgment may be payable in installments.
Plain-English Summary
This is the foundational mechanic for the most common kind of judgment lien on real property. Subdivision (a) creates the lien by recording an abstract of the money judgment with the county recorder -- no court order, no separate lien-creation proceeding, just the recording itself, except where some other statute provides a different method.
Subdivision (b) sets the lien's default lifespan: ten years from the date the judgment was entered, unless the money judgment is satisfied or the lien is released first. That ten-year period isn't necessarily the end, though -- it's expressly subject to § 683.180's judgment renewal procedure, which can extend the underlying judgment's enforceable life and carry the lien forward with it.
Subdivision (c) makes clear this same recording mechanism, and the same duration rule, governs certain judgments payable in installments -- those entered under § 117 or § 582.5 of this code, under Vehicle Code § 16380, or similar judgments -- even though an installment payment schedule might otherwise suggest a different lien treatment like § 697.320's installment lien.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a judgment lien on real property created under § 697.310?
By recording an abstract of the money judgment with the county recorder.
How long does a judgment lien created this way last?
Ten years from the date of entry of the judgment, unless the judgment is satisfied or the lien is released sooner, subject to renewal under § 683.180.
Does an installment judgment still use this recording method?
For judgments entered under § 117 or § 582.5 of this code, Vehicle Code § 16380, or similar judgments, yes -- § 697.310(c) applies this section's creation and duration rules to those judgments.
Can the ten-year lien period be extended?
Yes, by renewing the judgment under § 683.180, which is expressly incorporated into § 697.310(b).
Amendment History
Amended by Stats. 1998, Ch. 931, Sec. 90. Effective September 28, 1998.
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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