To renew a judgment in California, file an Application for and Renewal of Judgment (Form EJ-190) with the clerk of the court that entered the original judgment, sometime between five years and ten years after the judgment date, pay the $45 filing fee, and then serve the debtor with a Notice of Renewal (Form EJ-195). A California money judgment is enforceable for 10 years from the date it was entered, and missing that deadline by a single day permanently ends the right to collect.1California Courts. Renew a Civil Judgment The paperwork is straightforward. The timing rules are strict, and the math trips people up.
When You Can File
The earliest you can file is five years after the judgment was entered, or five years after the most recent renewal.2California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure Section 683.110 The latest is the day before the 10-year enforceability period runs out. File too early (within five years of the last renewal) and a court can vacate the renewal entirely.3California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure Section 683.170 File late, and the judgment is dead.
Each successful renewal extends enforceability for another 10 years, measured from the date the renewal application is filed rather than from the original judgment date. Most judgments can be renewed repeatedly within these windows, though certain judgment types identified in the statute are limited to a single renewal.4California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure Section 683.120
Practical advice: calendar the deadline early and file in the middle of the window. Waiting until year nine leaves no margin for a rejected filing or a service problem.
The Forms You File
Renewal is administrative. No hearing, no judge review, no court appearance. The clerk of the court that entered the original judgment processes the application and enters the renewal in the court records.5California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure Section 683.150
Two forms drive the process:
- Form EJ-190, Application for and Renewal of Judgment. This is the main filing. It requires the original judgment date, the names and addresses of both parties, and a line-by-line calculation of the renewed amount. It must be signed under oath.6California Courts. Application for and Renewal of Judgment Form EJ-190
- Form EJ-195, Notice of Renewal of Judgment. This is what you serve on the debtor after the clerk processes the application.7Justia Law. California Code of Civil Procedure Section 683.110-683.220
If you have paid enforcement costs since the last filing (recording liens, running levies, and so on), you can claim them through a Memorandum of Costs After Judgment, Form MC-012. The debtor has 10 days after being served with the memorandum to challenge any cost they consider unwarranted.8California Courts. Memorandum of Costs After Judgment Form MC-012
If the judgment has been assigned to a third party such as a debt buyer, that party files as the assignee of record, and the assignment should already be on file with the court.
Calculating the Renewed Amount
This is where renewals get vacated. The renewed judgment is not the original amount. Accrued interest rolls into the new principal, and future interest then compounds on the larger base.
Interest on California money judgments accrues at 10% per year on the unpaid principal.9California Courts. Information Sheet for Calculating Interest MC-013-INFO A $50,000 judgment left unpaid for nine years accrues $45,000 in interest. On renewal, that $45,000 folds into the principal, creating a $95,000 base on which interest continues to run.
Form EJ-190 walks the calculation through step by step: start with the original judgment amount (or the last renewed amount), add post-judgment costs, subtract any payments or credits the debtor has made, and then add the remaining accrued interest.6California Courts. Application for and Renewal of Judgment Form EJ-190 Check every line. A renewal filed in the wrong amount can be vacated on that ground alone.
Serving the Debtor
Once the clerk enters the renewal, you must serve the debtor with the Notice of Renewal, Form EJ-195. Skipping this step creates a real enforcement problem. Until proof of service is filed with the court, no new writ can issue and no new enforcement can begin on the renewed judgment.10California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure Section 683.160 The judgment stays enforceable to whatever extent it was without renewal, but new collection activity based on the renewal is frozen.
Service can be made personally or by first-class mail.7Justia Law. California Code of Civil Procedure Section 683.110-683.220 You cannot serve the notice yourself. Service must be handled by someone at least 18 years old who is not a party, such as a registered process server. If the debtor has an attorney of record, service goes to the attorney. If the debtor has moved, mailed service goes to the last known address, though a skip trace may be necessary to find a current one.
After service, file the proof of service with the court clerk. Wage garnishments, bank levies, and other enforcement tools under the renewed judgment can proceed once that filing is in.
Filing Fees
The statewide filing fee for a judgment renewal is $45 as of January 1, 2026.11California Courts. Statewide Civil Fee Schedule Effective January 1, 2026 A few counties, including Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Francisco, add a local courthouse construction surcharge that pushes the total slightly higher. Creditors who cannot afford the fee can request a waiver from the clerk.1California Courts. Renew a Civil Judgment
Service adds to the bill. A registered process server for personal service typically runs $50 to $100 depending on location, and skip tracing costs more. You can claim these costs on Form MC-012 for reimbursement from the debtor, though the debtor can object.
If the Debtor Moves to Vacate
A debtor who thinks the renewal is improper has 60 days after being served with the Notice of Renewal to file a motion to vacate.3California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure Section 683.170 The statute allows the motion on several grounds:
- The renewed amount is wrong (miscalculated interest, uncredited payments, or unrecoverable costs).
- The debtor has a defense that would defeat a new lawsuit on the same debt, such as full payment, bankruptcy discharge, or a valid settlement.
- The renewal was filed less than five years after the previous renewal.
If the court finds the amount wrong but the creditor is otherwise entitled to renew, the judge can enter a corrected renewal in a different amount rather than throw the whole thing out.3California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure Section 683.170 An honest math error is not necessarily fatal.
Family Support Judgments Do Not Need Renewal
Child support, spousal support, and family support judgments are exempt from the renewal requirement. Under Family Code Section 291, they remain enforceable until paid in full, no matter how much time has passed.12California Legislative Information. California Family Code Section 291 The same exemption covers property division and other money judgments entered under the Family Code. If your judgment is one of these, you do not need to file anything to keep it alive.
If You Miss the 10-Year Deadline
Once the 10 years lapse without a renewal, the consequences are immediate and irreversible. The judgment can no longer be enforced. Pending garnishments, levies, and liens must stop. Any lien created through enforcement is extinguished.13California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure Section 683.020 There is no grace period and no procedure to revive an expired judgment.
A recorded abstract of judgment becomes worthless. Any equity tied up by the lien is released. The debtor could still choose to pay voluntarily, but nothing compels them, and trying to use an expired judgment as leverage in collection would be improper. That is why the deadline earns a hard calendar entry the day the judgment is entered, and why the smart move is filing well inside the window rather than at the edge of it.