§ 699.520.Information Included In Writ

A writ of execution is the document a levying officer — typically a sheriff or marshal — carries into the field to seize property or garnish wages. Because that officer often works from the writ alone, without the full case file in hand, § 699.520 makes sure the writ is self-contained. It has to identify the court, the case name and number, and the date the writ issued, so anyone looking at it can trace it back to the underlying judgment.

Money is the heart of the document. The writ states the total amount of the judgment as entered or renewed, plus costs added under § 685.090 and interest accrued from entry through the date the writ issues, minus any partial payments or amounts no longer enforceable — and separately, the amount required to satisfy the judgment as of the writ's issue date. Because interest keeps running even after the writ is in hand, subdivision (h) adds one more figure: the daily rate at which interest accrues on the remaining principal, so anyone reading the writ later can work out the current payoff without pulling the court file.

The writ also has to identify people. It names the judgment creditor and gives the judgment debtor's name and last known address, noting the type of entity if the debtor isn't an individual, and it discloses whether the writ carries any additional debtor names added through an affidavit of identity under § 680.135 — tying back to the identity procedures in § 699.510. If someone else has asked to be notified before a sale under the judgment, the writ has to say so and give that person's name and address.

A few subdivisions flag special circumstances: whether the underlying judgment is for wages, child support, or spousal support, since those categories can carry different collection rules and protections; the separate fees and costs a government entity has added to the judgment under Government Code provisions, kept apart from what the debtor personally owes the creditor; and whether the case is a limited or unlimited civil case. Put together, these requirements mean a writ of execution tells its own story, without forcing the levying officer, the debtor, or a curious third party to track down the court file to understand what's being collected and why.