Civil Code Assessments & Liens
Assessments Exempt From Execution
Chapter 8 · Assessments and Assessment Collection · Establishment and Imposition of Assessments
Text current as of 2026-07-07 · Last amended by AB 805, eff. 2014-01-01
The code says CIV §5620
(a) Regular assessments imposed or collected to perform the obligations of an association under the governing documents or this act shall be exempt from execution by a judgment creditor of the association only to the extent necessary for the association to perform essential services, such as paying for utilities and insurance. In determining the appropriateness of an exemption, a court shall ensure that only essential services are protected under this
subdivision.
(b) This exemption shall not apply to any consensual pledges, liens, or encumbrances that have been approved by a majority of a quorum of members, pursuant to Section 4070, at a member meeting or election, or to any state tax lien, or to any lien for labor or materials supplied to the common area.
(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 180, Sec. 2. (AB 805) Effective January 1, 2013. Operative January 1, 2014, by Sec. 3 of Ch. 180.)
How courts have read this
Editorial summaries — not the court’s words.
Every decision listed was decided before the current text (eff. 2014-01-01, AB 805).