(a) If satisfaction of a judgment has been entered in the register of actions, the court clerk shall issue a certificate of satisfaction of judgment upon application therefor and payment of the fee as provided in subdivision (a) of Section 70626 of the Government Code.
§ 724.100.Clerk's Certificate of Satisfaction of Judgment
Title 9. Enforcement of Judgments · Division 5 · Chapter 1. Satisfaction of Judgment · Last amended 2006 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 724.100 requires the court clerk to issue a certificate of satisfaction of judgment, upon application and payment of the statutory fee, once satisfaction has been entered in the register of actions, and specifies the five pieces of information the certificate must contain.
Full Text of § 724.100
(b) The certificate of satisfaction of judgment shall contain the following information:
(1) The title of the court.
(2) The cause and number of the action.
(3) The names of the judgment creditor and the judgment debtor.
(4) The date of entry of judgment and of any renewals of the judgment and where entered in the records of the court.
(5) The date of entry of satisfaction of judgment and where it was entered in the register of actions.
Plain-English Summary
Not everyone who needs proof that a judgment is satisfied has an acknowledgment in hand — sometimes the official court record itself needs to speak. Section 724.100 lets anyone apply to the clerk for a certificate of satisfaction once satisfaction has already been entered in the register of actions, on payment of the fee set under Government Code § 70626(a).
The certificate has to identify the court, the case by cause and number, both the judgment creditor and judgment debtor by name, the date judgment was entered along with any renewals and where those entries appear in the court's records, and finally the date satisfaction itself was entered and where that entry appears in the register of actions.
This certificate serves the same practical purpose an acknowledgment does — clearing a recorded abstract or a Secretary of State lien filing under § 724.060 — but comes from the court itself rather than from the creditor, which can matter when the creditor is unavailable, uncooperative, or gone entirely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can get a clerk's certificate of satisfaction?
Anyone who applies and pays the required fee, once satisfaction of the judgment has already been entered in the register of actions.
What information must the certificate contain?
The court's title, the cause and number of the action, the names of the judgment creditor and debtor, the date of entry of the judgment and any renewals, and the date and location of the entry of satisfaction.
Can this certificate be used instead of an acknowledgment from the creditor?
Yes, § 724.060 itself contemplates the clerk's certificate as an alternative way to clear a recorded abstract or Secretary of State lien filing.
Amendment History
Amended by Stats. 2005, Ch. 75, Sec. 39. Effective July 19, 2005. Operative January 1, 2006, by Sec. 156 of Ch. 75.
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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