§ 697.710.Generally

This section marks the start of Article 4, and it's important not to confuse what it describes with the Article 3 judgment lien discussed above. The judgment lien on personal property comes from filing a notice with the Secretary of State and can reach a broad category of property before any levy occurs. The execution lien this section creates is narrower and works differently: it arises automatically the instant a levying officer levies on specific property under a writ of execution, without any separate filing.

That execution lien lasts until two years after the writ of execution was issued, unless the underlying judgment is satisfied before then. A creditor can hold both kinds of liens at once — as § 697.520 confirms, the Article 3 judgment lien is an alternative or addition to a lien created by levy — but they arise from different acts, cover different property, and run on different clocks.