§ 487.020.Exempt Property
Title 6.5. Attachment · Chapter 7. Property Subject to Attachment · Last amended 1986 · Last verified July 28, 2026
Full Text of § 487.020
Plain-English Summary
Where § 487.010 lists what can be attached, § 487.020 lists what cannot. Four categories are exempt: property already exempt from enforcement of a money judgment; property necessary for the support of a natural-person defendant or the family the defendant supports in whole or part; 'earnings' as § 706.011 defines that term; and, as a catch-all, any property that § 487.010 does not itself make subject to attachment.
That last category matters as much as the first three. Because § 487.010's list for a natural-person defendant is closed rather than illustrative, § 487.020(d) confirms directly that anything outside that list is off-limits, not merely unaddressed.
The section opens with one qualification: these exemptions apply except as paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Civil Code § 3439.07 provides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are a defendant's wages subject to attachment in California?
No. § 487.020(c) exempts 'earnings' as defined by § 706.011.
Can a plaintiff attach property a defendant needs to live on?
No. § 487.020(b) exempts property necessary for the support of a natural-person defendant or the family the defendant supports.
Does this section overlap with judgment-enforcement exemptions?
Yes. § 487.020(a) exempts from attachment whatever property is already exempt from enforcement of a money judgment.
Is there any override to these exemptions?
Yes. The section applies except as provided in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Civil Code § 3439.07.
Amendment History
Amended by Stats. 1986, Ch. 383, Sec. 7.