§ 697.320.Lien Created By Recording Abstract, Notice of Support Judgment, Interstate Lien Form Or Certified Copy of Judgment
Title 9. Enforcement of Judgments · Division 2 · Chapter 2. Liens · Article 2. Judgment Lien on Real Property · Last amended 2003 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 697.320 creates a judgment lien on real property for a support judgment payable in installments, or for a periodic-payment judgment against a health care provider under § 667.7, by recording an abstract, notice of support judgment, interstate lien form, or certified copy, with the lien continuing while the judgment stays enforceable or, for the health care provider judgment, for ten years renewable by rerecording.
(a)A judgment lien on real property is created under this section by recording an abstract, a notice of support judgment, an interstate lien form promulgated by the federal Secretary of Health and Human Services pursuant to Section 652(a)(11) of Title 42 of the United States Code, or a certified copy of either of the following money judgments with the county recorder:
(1)A judgment for child, family, or spousal support payable in installments.
(2)A judgment entered pursuant to Section 667.7 (judgment against health care provider requiring periodic payments).
(b)Unless the money judgment is satisfied or the judgment lien is released, a judgment lien created under paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) or by recording an interstate lien form, as described in subdivision (a), continues during the period the judgment remains enforceable. Unless the money judgment is satisfied or the judgment lien is released, a judgment lien created under paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) continues for a period of 10 years from the date of its creation. The duration of a judgment lien created under paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) may be extended any number of times by recording, during the time the judgment lien is in existence, a certified copy of the judgment in the manner provided in this section for the initial recording; this rerecording has the effect of extending the duration of the judgment lien created under paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) until 10 years from the date of the rerecording.
Plain-English Summary
Not every judgment lien on real property follows § 697.310's fixed-amount model. Section 697.320 covers two situations where the judgment itself is paid over time, and creates the lien through a similar but distinct recording process -- an abstract, a notice of support judgment, a federally promulgated interstate lien form, or a certified copy of the judgment, recorded with the county recorder.
Subdivision (a) identifies the two judgment types this section reaches: a judgment for child, family, or spousal support payable in installments, and a judgment entered under § 667.7 against a health care provider requiring periodic payments. Subdivision (b) then gives each type its own duration rule. A support judgment lien, or one created by recording an interstate lien form, continues for as long as the judgment itself remains enforceable -- no fixed ten-year cutoff. A § 667.7 health care provider judgment lien, by contrast, lasts ten years from its creation, but the judgment creditor can extend it by rerecording a certified copy of the judgment before the existing lien expires, which resets the clock to another ten years from the rerecording date.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kinds of judgments create a lien under § 697.320 rather than § 697.310?
A judgment for child, family, or spousal support payable in installments, and a judgment entered under § 667.7 against a health care provider requiring periodic payments.
How long does a support judgment lien created this way last?
It continues during the period the judgment remains enforceable, without the fixed ten-year duration that applies to a lump-sum lien under § 697.310.
Can a § 667.7 health care provider judgment lien be extended past ten years?
Yes, by rerecording a certified copy of the judgment while the lien is still in existence, which extends the lien for another ten years from the date of rerecording.
Amendment History
Amended by Stats 2002 ch 927 (AB 3032),s 1.5, eff. 1/1/2003.
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:support judgment lien real property californiainstallment judgment lien california