How to Renew a Personal Property Lien

IMPORTANT: Judgment liens on personal property end after 5 years.

Judgment liens filed with the Secretary of State on a debtor’s personal property end at 5 years. This is 5 years earlier than when the court Judgment normally ends.

To renew the Judgment – and then Renew the Lien

Step 1. Get and fill out 2 forms:

Application for and Renewal of Judgment, Form EJ-190
Notice of Renewal of Judgment, Form EJ-195

Make at least 2 copies of these forms.

Step 2. File the 2 forms (EJ-190 and EJ-195) at court and pay the court’s filing fee.

The court clerk will:

Keep the original Application for and Renewal of Judgment (Form EJ-190) and return the copies to you.
Complete and return to you the original Notice of Renewal of Judgment (Form EJ-195) plus the copies.

Step 3. Ask the clerk for a certified copy of the Notice of Renewal of Judgment (Form EJ-195) to send to the Secretary of State.

Step 4. Get and fill out a new California Secretary of State form:

Notice of Judgment Lien (Form JL-1) (Remember to add the interest.)

Step 5. Make 2 copies - 1 for your file and the other to file with the Secretary of State.

Step 6. Renew the Personal Property Lien by mailing the following to the California Secretary of State’s Office:

a certified copy of the court’s Notice of Renewal of Judgment (Form EJ-195);
the original and 1 copy of the new Notice of Judgment Lien (Form JL-1); and
a check to pay their filing fee.

The address is:

Secretary of State’s Office
P.O. Box 942845
Sacramento, CA 94235-0001

IMPORTANT: When you are fully paid you must remove the lien and file an Acknowledgment of Satisfaction of Judgment (Form EJ-100) with the court.
See the section on Satisfaction of Judgment.

To learn how to remove liens see the section on How to a Remove Lien.

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