§ 687.010.Instructions Given Levying Officer By Judgment Creditor

A levying officer — a sheriff, marshal, or registered process server acting in that role — doesn't guess at what to seize. Section 687.010 requires the judgment creditor to spell it out in writing, signed by the creditor's attorney of record or by the creditor personally. The instructions must adequately describe the property, say whether it's a dwelling and, if so, whether it's real or personal property, and identify the debtor, including the type of legal entity if the debtor isn't a natural person.

The officer follows those instructions to the extent they conform to this title's requirements, and may rely on the information in them unless the officer has actual knowledge that something in them is wrong. That reliance protection matters alongside § 687.040's broader liability shield for officers who act in conformance with the title.

Instructions can be sent electronically under the procedures in Chapter 2 (commencing with § 263) of Title 4 of Part 1. When the accompanying writ itself is an electronic record, the instructions must also include the writ's issuance date, the parties' names, the judgment amount or property description, and a statement of whether the writ is an original (or a copy not yet in the officer's possession) or a copy the officer already holds. So long as the officer has no actual knowledge that an electronic writ has been altered, the officer may treat it the same as a paper original.