California Writ Levies Bank Levies & Wage Garnishments

Writ Levies We Handle

We handle every common levy under a California or federal writ:

• Bank levies. Levies on the judgment debtor's checking, savings, and other deposit accounts, served at the bank's central location for legal process.
• Wage garnishments. Earnings withholding orders served on the debtor's employer, with the employer's return and the other required forms.
• Third-party levies. Levies on accounts receivable, rent, and other money owed to the debtor by a third party.
• Writs of attachment. Prejudgment attachment levies on property described in a right to attach order.
• Property levies. Real property levies, recorded with the county recorder and served on the occupants and owners of record.
• Federal writs. Writs of execution from federal courts, opened with the U.S. Marshal.

How Our Writ Levy Service Works

1. Place a writ order

   In your Direct Legal account, choose Writ Service, then Open Writ with Sheriff and Serve. Add the parties, upload your documents, and choose a service level.

2. Upload the writ

   Upload the writ of execution with your order. If you have an original signed writ (a wet writ), mail it with your order confirmation to Direct Legal Support, 901 Corporate Center Dr., Ste. 400, Monterey Park, CA 91754. Ask us to prepare the levy documents if you need them.

3. We open and serve the levy

   We deposit the writ and the sheriff's fee with the levying officer, then our registered process server serves the bank, employer, or other third party.

4. We close the levy

   We file the writ, proof of service, and instructions with the levying officer, and the sheriff or marshal handles the response and payment.

Start an Order → or call (800) 675-5376

Our step-by-step guide, How to Place a Writ Levy Order (PDF), walks through every screen.

Levies by a Registered Process Server

California lets a registered process server make the levy instead of waiting for the sheriff to serve it. Under CCP § 699.080, a registered process server can levy on deposit accounts, real property, safe-deposit boxes, accounts receivable, final money judgments, and other property. Under CCP § 706.108, a registered process server can serve an earnings withholding order on the employer.

• Open. Before the levy, we deposit a copy of the writ and the levying officer's fee with the sheriff or marshal.
• Serve. Our registered process server serves the bank, employer, or other third party, and the other people the law requires.
• Close. Within five court days, we file the writ, the proof of service, and your written instructions with the levying officer.

The sheriff or marshal remains the levying officer and handles the garnishee's response, exemption claims, and payment. The registered process server's fee is a recoverable cost (CCP § 1033.5), so it can be added to what the debtor owes.

Address Verification for Personal Debt Judgments

When a judgment is for personal debt, meaning money owed by a person for something bought or borrowed mainly for personal, family, or household purposes (CCP § 683.110(d)), California requires the judgment creditor to verify the debtor's address before any levy papers are served (CCP § 684.130).

• The address must be verified with reasonable diligence within the past 12 months.
• The creditor gives the levying officer a declaration on mandatory form WG-015/EJ-135, then files it with the court within 10 business days.
• Without the declaration, the sheriff or marshal will not accept or serve the writ or levy.
• Accepted methods include recent mail from the debtor with a return address, a certified letter with a return receipt signed by the debtor, or an address verification service or skip trace followed by a first-class letter that is not returned.
• The cost of verifying the address cannot be added to the judgment.

Need a current address? Our skip tracing team can find one for law firms and legal departments.

Key California Levy Rules

These California rules come up on almost every levy:

• Writs have a 180-day limit. A levy cannot be made after 180 days from the date the writ of execution was issued (CCP § 699.530).
• Banks are served at a central location. Financial institutions with more than nine California branches must designate central locations for service of legal process, listed by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (CCP § 684.115). See our list of bank levy service locations.
• Wage garnishments are capped. An earnings withholding order can take no more than the lesser of 20% of weekly disposable earnings or 40% of the amount over 48 times the minimum hourly wage, using the local minimum wage where it is higher (CCP § 706.050).
• Some money in a bank account is protected. As of July 1, 2026, $2,325 per judgment debtor is exempt from a bank levy without a claim (CCP § 704.220). The amount is adjusted every July 1, and debtors can claim other exemptions.
• Real property levies are recorded. The writ and notice of levy are recorded with the county recorder and served on the occupant and any other owner of record (CCP § 700.015). An abstract of judgment creates a judgment lien on the debtor's real property in that county.
• Federal writs follow California procedure. A federal money judgment is enforced by writ of execution under the procedure of the state where the court sits (Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 69(a)), with the U.S. Marshal as levying officer. See our federal bank levy checklist.

Writ and Levy Forms

Judicial Council forms

• EJ-130

  Writ of Execution

  Issued by the court clerk after judgment. A levy must be made within 180 days after the writ is issued.

• WG-015

  Declaration of Address Verification

  Form WG-015/EJ-135. Required for judgments for personal debt. Give it to the levying officer and file it with the court within 10 business days.

• SER-001

  Request for Sheriff to Serve Court Papers

  Required sheriff instructions for a writ or levy. You can ask the sheriff to act only as levying officer while a registered process server serves. Not used for wage garnishments.

• SER-001A

  Special Instructions for Writs and Levies

  Attached to SER-001. Describes the writ, the property, and any personal debt address verification.

• WG-001

  Application for Earnings Withholding Order

  Used instead of SER-001 to start a wage garnishment with the levying officer.

• EJ-150

  Notice of Levy

  Served on the bank or other third party, and on the judgment debtor.

• EJ-156

  Current Dollar Amounts of Exemptions

  The exemption amounts in effect, including the automatic exemption for bank accounts.

• AT-135

  Writ of Attachment

  For prejudgment attachment levies after the court grants a right to attach order.

Each form opens on the California Courts website, so you always get the current version. SER-001, SER-001A, and the address verification declaration are mandatory forms.

Direct Legal guides

• Guide

  How to Place a Writ Levy Order

  Step-by-step guide to placing a writ levy order in your Direct Legal account (PDF).

• Checklist

  Levy document checklist

  The documents, copies, and sheriff checks to send for bank, wage, property, and third-party levies (PDF).

• E-writ

  Electronic writ declaration

  The statement the levying officer needs when your writ was issued electronically (CCP 687.010). Form SER-001A includes this statement, so use our declaration when SER-001A is not part of your packet, such as for a wage garnishment (PDF).

Why Law Firms Choose Direct Legal

Before a bank levy, see our guide to what to assemble before the levy.

Related Services

• Skip tracingCurrent addresses for defendants, witnesses, and debtors, for law firms and legal departments.
• Process servingRegistered, bonded service of process throughout California and nationwide.
• E-recordingDeeds, liens, abstracts of judgment, and other documents recorded with California counties.
• Court filingIn-person filing at superior, appellate, federal, and bankruptcy courts throughout California.

Writ Levy Questions