How to Register an Out-of-District Federal Judgment in California

If you have won a federal judgment in another state, you may be able to register that judgment in California so that you can enforce it here. You can register state court judgments in California as well but the process is different. Read our step by step guide to domesticating a foreign state court judgment here.

The statute that supports registration of judgments is 28 U.S. Code § 1963 - Registration of judgments for enforcement in other districts. To register a judgment it must be past the time for appeal to be filed.

Each district in California has its own procedure to actually register the judgment. One strange procedure is found in the Central District of California. To register an out-of-district federal judgment there, you must send a form to the issuing district court , Form AO-451 which a clerk’s certification of judgment. Once you have completed Form AO-451, you will need to submit it to the Clerk along with a certified copy of the judgment.

Once registered you can immediately enforce the judgment as any other district court judgment. You can utilize the same post judgment execution devices as a state court judgment. Contact us today to get your federal judgment registered in California.