Title 9. Enforcement of Judgments · Division 2 · Chapter 3. Execution · Article 3. Property Subject to Execution · Last amended 1996 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 699.720 lists ten categories of property that cannot be reached through execution, including certain alcoholic beverage licenses, non-debtor partnership or LLC interests, pending causes of action, unappealed favorable judgments, unpaid public-entity debts other than earnings, unmatured life insurance loan value, public franchises, trust beneficiary interests, unvested contingent interests, and guardianship or conservatorship estate property.
(a)The following types of property are not subject to execution:
(1)An alcoholic beverage license that is transferable under Article 5 (commencing with Section 24070) of Chapter 6 of Division 9 of the Business and Professions Code.
(2)The interest of a partner in a partnership or member in a limited liability company if the partnership or the limited liability company is not a judgment debtor.
(3)A cause of action that is the subject of a pending action or special proceeding.
(4)A judgment in favor of the judgment debtor prior to the expiration of the time for appeal from the judgment or, if an appeal is filed, prior to the final determination of the appeal.
(5)A debt (other than earnings) owing and unpaid by a public entity.
(6)The loan value of an unmatured life insurance, endowment, or annuity policy.
(7)A franchise granted by a public entity and all the rights and privileges of the franchise.
(8)The interest of a trust beneficiary.
(9)A contingent remainder, executory interest, or other interest in property that is not vested.
(10)Property in a guardianship or conservatorship estate.
(b)Nothing in subdivision (a) affects or limits the right of the judgment creditor to apply property to the satisfaction of a money judgment pursuant to any applicable procedure other than execution.
Plain-English Summary
Not everything a debtor owns or is owed can be taken by levy. Subdivision (a) lists ten specific categories that are off-limits to execution: certain transferable alcoholic beverage licenses, a partner's or LLC member's interest when the entity itself is not the judgment debtor, a cause of action still tied up in a pending lawsuit, a judgment the debtor won that is still within its appeal window or under appeal, unpaid non-earnings debts owed by a public entity, the loan value of an unmatured life insurance or annuity policy, a public franchise and its associated rights, a trust beneficiary's interest, contingent or unvested future interests in property, and property sitting in a guardianship or conservatorship estate.
These exclusions reflect a mix of practical and policy judgments — some protect interests too speculative or contingent to value with confidence, others protect third parties (like fellow partners or an estate's ward) who would otherwise be harmed by reaching property connected to the debtor but not really the debtor's own.
Subdivision (b) makes clear this list is not the last word on collection. Being off-limits to execution does not stop a creditor from using some other lawful procedure to reach the same property or value — the exclusion is specific to the execution remedy, not a blanket immunity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some examples of property this section protects from execution?
A partner's interest in a partnership that is not itself the judgment debtor, a cause of action still pending in another lawsuit, the loan value of an unmatured life insurance policy, and a trust beneficiary's interest, among others listed in subdivision (a).
Does excluding property from execution mean the creditor can never reach it at all?
No. Subdivision (b) states that this section does not limit the creditor's right to apply the property to the judgment through some other lawful procedure besides execution.
Why is a partner's interest in a partnership protected here?
Because the exclusion applies specifically when the partnership or LLC itself is not the judgment debtor — the concern is not sweeping in the interests of other partners or members who owe nothing.
Is property in a guardianship or conservatorship estate ever reachable by execution?
Subdivision (a)(10) places that property outside execution generally, though other procedures specific to guardianship and conservatorship administration may still govern claims against it.
Amendment History
Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 57, Sec. 1. Effective June 6, 1996.
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:property not subject to execution californiaexempt from levy execution california