Family Code § 17400 - California Law

Current Version

Amended (as amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 213, Sec. 14) by Stats. 2024, Ch. 853, Sec. 21. (AB 3281) Effective January 1, 2025. Inoperative January 1, 2026, by its own provisions. Repealed as of January 1, 2027, by its own provisions. See later operative version added by Sec. 15 of Stats. 2023, Ch. 213.

(a)(1) Each county shall maintain a local child support agency, as specified in Section 17304, that shall have the responsibility for promptly and effectively establishing, modifying, and enforcing child support obligations, including medical support, enforcing spousal support orders established by a court of competent jurisdiction, and determining paternity in the case of a child born out of wedlock. The local child support agency shall take appropriate action, including criminal action in cooperation with the district attorneys, to establish, modify, and enforce child support and, if appropriate, enforce spousal support orders if the child is receiving public assistance, including Medi-Cal, and, if requested, shall take the same actions on behalf of a child who is not receiving public assistance,

including Medi-Cal.

(2)(A) Provided that no reduction in aid or payment to a custodial parent would result, the local child support agency shall cease enforcement of child support arrearages assigned to the state and other fees and costs owed to the state that the department or the local child support agency has determined to be uncollectible. If enforcement is ceased pursuant to this paragraph, cases shall be closed to the maximum extent permitted under Section 303.11 of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as adopted under Section 118203 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations.

(B)In determining the meaning of uncollectible for purposes of arrearages assigned to the state and other fees and costs owed to the state, the department and the local child support agency shall consider, but not be limited to, the following factors:

(i)Income and assets available to pay the arrearage or other fees and costs.

(ii) Source of income.

(iii) Age of the arrearage or other fees and costs.

(iv) The number of support orders.

(v)Employment history.

(vi) Payment history.

(vii) Incarceration history.

(viii) Whether the order was based on imputed income.

(ix) Other readily ascertainable debts.

subparagraph (B), the department and a local child support agency shall deem an arrearage assigned to the state or fees and costs owed to the state as uncollectible if the noncustodial parent’s sole income is from any of the following:

(i)Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Program for the Aged, Blind, and Disabled (SSI/SSP) benefits.

(ii) A combination of SSI/SSP benefits and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits.

(iii) Cash Assistance Program for Aged, Blind, and Disabled Legal Immigrants (CAPI) benefits.

(iv) Veterans Administration Disability Compensation Benefits in an amount equal to or less than the amount the noncustodial parent would receive in SSI/SSP benefits.

(D) Notwithstanding the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the department may implement and administer this subdivision through a child support services letter or similar instruction until regulations are adopted. Thereafter, the department shall adopt regulations to implement this subdivision by July 1, 2024.

(b)(1) Notwithstanding Sections 25203 and 26529 of the Government Code, attorneys employed within the local child support agency may direct, control, and prosecute civil actions and proceedings in the name of the county in support of child support activities of the Department of Child Support Services and the local child support agency.

(2)Notwithstanding any other law, and except for pleadings or documents required to be signed under

penalty of perjury, a local child support agency may substitute original signatures of the agent of the local child support agency with any form of electronic signatures, including, but not limited to, typed, digital, or facsimile images of signatures, digital signatures, or other computer-generated signatures, on pleadings filed for the purpose of establishing, modifying, or enforcing paternity, child support, or medical support. A substituted signature used by a local child support agency shall have the same effect as an original signature, including, but not limited to, the requirements of Section 128.7 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

(3)Notwithstanding any other law, effective July 1, 2016, a local child support agency may electronically file pleadings signed by an agent of the local child support agency under penalty of perjury. An original signed pleading shall be executed prior to, or on the same day as, the day of electronic filing.

Original signed pleadings shall be maintained by the local child support agency for the period of time prescribed by subdivision (a) of Section 68152 of the Government Code. A local child support agency may maintain the original signed pleading by way of an electronic copy in the Statewide Automated Child Support System. The Judicial Council, by July 1, 2016, shall develop rules to implement this subdivision.

(4)(A) Notwithstanding any other law, a local child support agency may substitute any original signatures, including, but not limited to, signatures of agents of the local child support agencies, support obligors, support obligees, other parents, witnesses, and the attorneys for the parties to the action, with a printed copy or electronic image of an electronic signature obtained in compliance with the rules of court adopted pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 1010.6 of the Code of Civil

Procedure, on pleadings or documents filed for the purpose of establishing, modifying, or enforcing paternity, child support, or medical support. If the pleading or document is signed under the penalty of perjury or the signature does not belong to an agent of the local child support agency, the local child support agency represents, by the act of filing, that the declarant electronically signed the pleading or document before, or on the same day as, the date of filing.

(B)The local child support agency shall maintain the electronic form of the pleading or document bearing the original electronic signature for the period of time prescribed by subdivision (a) of Section 68152 of the Government Code, and shall make it available for review upon the request of the court or any party to the action or proceeding in which it is filed. Printed copies or electronic images of electronic signatures used by a local child support agency in this manner

shall have the same effect as an original signature, including, but not limited to, the requirements of Section 128.7 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

(c)Actions brought by the local child support agency to establish paternity or child support or to enforce child support obligations shall be completed within the time limits set forth by federal law. The local child support agency’s responsibility applies to spousal support only if the spousal support obligation has been reduced to an order of a court of competent jurisdiction. In any action brought for modification or revocation of an order that is being enforced under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 651 et seq.), the effective date of the modification or revocation shall be as prescribed by federal law (42 U.S.C. Sec. 666(a)(9)), or any subsequent date.

(d)(1) The Judicial Council, in

consultation with the department, the Senate Committee on Judiciary, the Assembly Committee on Judiciary, and a legal services organization providing representation on child support matters, shall develop simplified summons, complaint, and answer forms for any action for support brought pursuant to this section or Section 17404. The Judicial Council may combine the summons and complaint in a single form.

(2)The simplified complaint form shall provide notice of the amount of child support that is sought pursuant to the guidelines set forth in Article 2 (commencing with Section 4050) of Chapter 2 of Part 2 of Division 9 based upon the income or income history of the support obligor as known to the local child support agency. If the support obligor’s income or income history is unknown to the local child support agency, the complaint shall inform the support obligor that income shall be presumed to be the amount of the minimum wage, at 40 hours

per week, established by the Industrial Welfare Commission pursuant to Section 1182.11 of the Labor Code unless information concerning the support obligor’s income is provided to the court. The complaint form shall be accompanied by a proposed judgment. The complaint form shall include a notice to the support obligor that the proposed judgment will become effective if the obligor fails to file an answer with the court within 30 days of service. Except as provided in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 17402, if the proposed judgment is entered by the court, the support order in the proposed judgment shall be effective as of the first day of the month following the filing of the complaint.

(3)(A) The simplified answer form shall be written in simple English and shall permit a defendant to answer and raise defenses by checking applicable boxes. The answer form shall include instructions for completion of the form

and instructions for proper filing of the answer.

(B)The answer form shall be accompanied by a blank income and expense declaration or simplified financial statement and instructions on how to complete the financial forms. The answer form shall direct the defendant to file the completed income and expense declaration or simplified financial statement with the answer, but shall state that the answer will be accepted by a court without the income and expense declaration or simplified financial statement.

(C)The clerk of the court shall accept and file answers, income and expense declarations, and simplified financial statements that are completed by hand provided they are legible.

(4)(A) The simplified complaint form prepared pursuant to this subdivision shall be used by the local child support

agency or the Attorney General in all cases brought under this section or Section 17404.

(B)The simplified answer form prepared pursuant to this subdivision shall be served on all defendants with the simplified complaint. Failure to serve the simplified answer form on all defendants shall not invalidate any judgment obtained. However, failure to serve the answer form may be used as evidence in any proceeding under Section 17432 of this code or Section 473 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

(C)The Judicial Council shall add language to the governmental summons, for use by the local child support agency with the governmental complaint to establish parental relationship and child support, informing defendants that a blank answer form should have been received with the summons and additional copies may be obtained from either the local child support agency or the superior court

clerk.

(e)In any action brought or enforcement proceedings instituted by the local child support agency pursuant to this section for payment of child or spousal support, an action to recover an arrearage in support payments may be maintained by the local child support agency at any time within the period otherwise specified for the enforcement of a support judgment, notwithstanding the fact that the child has attained the age of majority.

(f)The county shall undertake an outreach program to inform the public that the services described in subdivisions (a) to (c), inclusive, are available to persons not receiving public assistance. There shall be prominently displayed in every public area of every office of the agencies established by this section a notice, in clear and simple language prescribed by the Director of Child Support Services, that the services provided in

subdivisions (a) to (c), inclusive, are provided to all individuals, whether or not they are recipients of public assistance.

(g)(1) In any action to establish a child support order brought by the local child support agency in the performance of duties under this section, the local child support agency may make a motion for an order effective during the pendency of that action, for the support, maintenance, and education of the child or children that are the subject of the action. This order shall be referred to as an order for temporary support. This order has the same force and effect as a like or similar order under this code.

(2)The local child support agency shall file a motion for an order for temporary support within the following time limits:

(A)If the defendant is the mother, a

presumed father under Section 7611, or any father if the child is at least six months old when the defendant files the answer, the time limit is 90 days after the defendant files an answer.

(B)In any other case in which the defendant has filed an answer prior to the birth of the child or not more than six months after the birth of the child, then the time limit is nine months after the birth of the child.

(3)If more than one child is the subject of the action, the limitation on reimbursement shall apply only as to those children whose parental relationship and age would bar recovery were a separate action brought for support of that child or those children.

(4)If the local child support agency fails to file a motion for an order for temporary support within the time limits specified in this section, the local

child support agency shall be barred from obtaining a judgment of reimbursement for any support provided for that child during the period between the date the time limit expired and the date the motion was filed, or, if no motion is filed, when a final judgment is entered.

(5)Except as provided in Section 17304, this section does not prohibit the local child support agency from entering into cooperative arrangements with other county departments as necessary to carry out the responsibilities imposed by this section pursuant to plans of cooperation with the departments approved by the Department of Child Support Services.

(6)This section does not otherwise limit the ability of the local child support agency from securing and enforcing orders for support of a spouse or former spouse as authorized under any other law.

(h)As used in this article, “enforcing obligations” includes, but is not limited to, all of the following:

(1)The use of all interception and notification systems operated by the department for the purpose of aiding in the enforcement of support obligations.

(2)The obtaining by the local child support agency of an initial order for child support that may include medical support or that is for medical support only, by civil or criminal process.

(3)The initiation of a motion or order to show cause to increase an existing child support order, and the response to a motion or order to show cause brought by an obligor parent to decrease an existing child support order, or the initiation of a motion or order to show cause to obtain an order for medical support, and the response to a motion or order to show

cause brought by an obligor parent to decrease or terminate an existing medical support order, without regard to whether the child is receiving public assistance.

(4)The response to a notice of motion or order to show cause brought by an obligor parent to decrease an existing spousal support order if the child or children are residing with the obligee parent and the local child support agency is also enforcing a related child support obligation owed to the obligee parent by the same obligor.

(5)The referral of child support delinquencies to the department under subdivision (c) of Section 17500 in support of the local child support agency.

(i)As used in this section, “out of wedlock” means that the biological parents of the child were not married to each other at the time of the child’s conception.

(j)(1) The local child support agency is the public agency responsible for administering wage withholding for current support for the purposes of Title IV-D of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 651 et seq.).

(2)This section does not limit the authority of the local child support agency granted by other sections of this code or otherwise granted by law.

(k)In the exercise of the authority granted under this article, the local child support agency may intervene, pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 387 of the Code of Civil Procedure, by ex parte application, in any action under this code, or other proceeding in which child support is an issue or a reduction in spousal support is sought. By notice of motion, order to show cause, or responsive pleading served upon all parties to the action,

the local child support agency may request any relief that is appropriate that the local child support agency is authorized to seek.

(l)The local child support agency shall comply with all regulations and directives established by the department that set time standards for responding to requests for assistance in locating noncustodial parents, establishing paternity, establishing child support awards, and collecting child support payments.

(m)As used in this article, medical support activities that the local child support agency is authorized to perform are limited to the following:

(1)The obtaining and enforcing of court orders for health insurance coverage.

(2)Any other medical support activity mandated by federal law or regulation.

(n)(1) Notwithstanding any other law, except when a court of competent jurisdiction under Section 4251 hearing the action or proceeding under this division transfers the action or proceeding pursuant to Section 397.5 of the Code of Civil Procedure pursuant to a directly filed motion, a redirected motion, or on the court’s own motion under Section 397.5 of the Code of Civil Procedure, venue for an action or proceeding under this division shall be determined as follows:

(A) Venue shall be in the superior court in the county that is currently expending public assistance.

(B) If public assistance is not currently being expended, venue shall be in the superior court in the county where the child who is entitled to current support resides or is domiciled.

(C) If current support is no longer payable through, or enforceable by, the local child support agency, venue shall be in the superior court in the county that last provided public assistance for actions to enforce arrearages assigned pursuant to Section 11477 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(D) If subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) do not apply, venue shall be in the superior court in the county of residence of the support obligee.

(E) If the support obligee does not reside in California, and subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D) do not apply, venue shall be in the superior court of the county of residence of the obligor.

(2)Notwithstanding paragraph (1), if the child becomes a resident of another county after an action under this part has been filed,

venue may remain in the county where the action was filed until the action is completed. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to limit the court hearing the action or proceeding under this division from exercising its discretion under Section 397.5 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

(o)The local child support agency of one county may appear on behalf of the local child support agency of any other county in an action or proceeding under this part.

(p)This section shall become inoperative on January 1, 2026, and, as of January 1, 2027, is repealed.

Future Version

Amended (as added by Stats. 2023, Ch. 213, Sec. 21) by Stats. 2024, Ch. 853, Sec. 22. (AB 3281) Effective January 1, 2025.

including Medi-Cal.

(i)Income and assets available to pay the arrearage or other fees and costs.

(ii) Source of income.

(iii) Age of the arrearage or other fees and costs.

(iv) The number of support orders.

(v)Employment history.

(vi) Payment history.

(vii) Incarceration history.

(viii) Whether the order was based on imputed income.

(ix) Other readily ascertainable debts.

(i)Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Program for the Aged, Blind, and Disabled (SSI/SSP) benefits.

(ii) A combination of SSI/SSP benefits and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits.

(iii) Cash Assistance Program for Aged, Blind, and Disabled Legal Immigrants (CAPI) benefits.

(iv) Veterans Administration Disability Compensation Benefits in an amount equal to or less than the amount the noncustodial parent would receive in SSI/SSP benefits.

(2)Notwithstanding any other law, and except for pleadings or documents required to be signed under

(3)Notwithstanding any other law, a local child support agency may electronically file pleadings signed by an agent of the local child support agency under penalty of perjury. An original signed pleading shall be executed prior to, or on the same day as, the day of electronic filing. Original signed pleadings

shall be maintained by the local child support agency for the period of time prescribed by subdivision (a) of Section 68152 of the Government Code. A local child support agency may maintain the original signed pleading by way of an electronic copy in the Statewide Automated Child Support System. The Judicial Council shall develop rules to implement this subdivision.

purpose of establishing, modifying, or enforcing paternity, child support, or medical support. If the pleading or document is signed under the penalty of perjury or the signature does not belong to an agent of the local child support agency, the local child support agency represents, by the act of filing, that the declarant electronically signed the pleading or document before, or on the same day as, the date of filing.

including, but not limited to, the requirements of Section 128.7 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

(d)(1) The Judicial Council, in consultation with the department, the Senate

Committee on Judiciary, the Assembly Committee on Judiciary, and a legal services organization providing representation on child support matters, shall develop simplified summons, complaint, and answer forms for any action for support brought pursuant to this section or Section 17404. The Judicial Council may combine the summons and complaint in a single form.

(2)(A) The simplified complaint form shall provide notice of the amount of child support that is sought pursuant to the guidelines set forth in Article 2 (commencing with Section 4050) of Chapter 2 of Part 2 of Division 9 based upon one of the following methods used to determine income:

(i)If sufficient information is available to determine actual income, pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 4058 and Section 4060, the local child support agency shall use actual income as the basis of the proposed

support obligation, unless the local child support agency has sufficient information to proceed under clause (ii).

(ii) If the local child support agency has sufficient information that the earning capacity is greater than the actual income, and sufficient evidence is available to establish earning capacity pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 4058, the local child support agency may use earning capacity as the basis of the proposed support obligation.

(iii) If the actual income of the support obligor is unknown to the local child support agency, and sufficient evidence is available to establish earning capacity pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 4058, the local child support agency shall use earning capacity as the basis of the proposed support obligation. A complaint seeking child support under this clause shall set forth the steps first taken by the local child support

agency to establish the support obligor’s actual income prior to considering earning capacity, which must include, but are not limited to:

(I) Attempting to contact the support obligor through telephonic, electronic, and postal means, to the extent contact information is known or can be discovered through reasonably available means. At least three attempts to contact the support obligor shall be made.

(II) Seeking information about the support obligor’s expenses and work history from the party seeking support.

(III) Searching in available databases for information relating to the support obligor’s employment, income, or both.

(B) The complaint shall inform the support obligor of the basis for the proposed support amount. If the basis of the proposed

support amount is the support obligor’s earning capacity rather than actual income, the complaint shall inform the obligor of the factors considered by the local child support agency and used to determine the obligor’s earning capacity.

(C) The complaint form shall be accompanied by a proposed judgment. The complaint form shall include a notice to the support obligor that the proposed judgment may become effective if the obligor fails to file an answer with the court within 30 days of the service. If the proposed judgment is entered by the court, the support order in the proposed judgment shall be effective as of the first day of the month following the filing of the complaint.

(D) If the proposed judgment is based on the support obligor’s earning capacity pursuant to clause (ii) or (iii) of subparagraph (A), the local child support agency shall file a motion for judgment, as

provided in subdivision (b) of Section 17404. The motion for judgment filed pursuant to this subparagraph shall be served on the defendant in compliance with Section 1013 of the Code of Civil Procedure or otherwise as provided by law. If the hearing on the motion for judgment under this subdivision is continued, the court may make a temporary order as authorized by Section 17404.

(E) Notwithstanding the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the department may implement and administer this subdivision through a child support services letter or similar instruction until permanent regulations are adopted. The department shall adopt regulations to implement this subdivision by January 1, 2028.

(3)(A) The simplified answer form shall be written in simple English and

shall permit a defendant to answer and raise defenses by checking applicable boxes. The answer form shall include instructions for completion of the form and instructions for proper filing of the answer.

(C)The clerk of the court shall accept and file answers, income and expense declarations, and simplified financial statements that are completed by hand provided they are legible.

(4)(A) The simplified complaint form prepared pursuant to this subdivision shall be used by the local child support agency or the Attorney General in all cases brought under this section or Section 17404.

(C)The Judicial Council shall add language to the governmental summons, for use by the local child support agency with the governmental complaint to establish parental relationship and child support,

informing defendants that a blank answer form should have been received with the summons and additional copies may be obtained from either the local child support agency or the superior court clerk.

every office of the agencies established by this section a notice, in clear and simple language prescribed by the Director of Child Support Services, that the services provided in subdivisions (a) to (c), inclusive, are provided to all individuals, whether or not they are recipients of public assistance.

(2)The local child support agency shall file a

motion for an order for temporary support within the following time limits:

(A)If the defendant is the mother, a presumed father under Section 7611, or any father if the child is at least six months old when the defendant files the answer, the time limit is 90 days after the defendant files an answer.

(4)If the local child support agency fails to file a motion for an order for temporary support within the time limits specified in this section, the local child support agency shall be barred from obtaining a judgment of reimbursement for any support provided for that child during the period between the date the time limit expired and the date the motion was filed, or, if no motion is filed, when a final judgment is entered.

(6)This section does not otherwise limit the

ability of the local child support agency from securing and enforcing orders for support of a spouse or former spouse as authorized under any other law.

(h)As used in this article, “enforcing obligations” includes, but is not limited to, all of the following:

(1)The use of all interception and notification systems operated by the department for the purpose of aiding in the enforcement of support obligations.

(2)The obtaining by the local child support agency of an initial order for child support that may include medical support or that is for medical support only, by civil or criminal process.

(3)The initiation of a motion or order to show cause to increase an existing child support order, and the response to a motion or order to show cause brought

by an obligor parent to decrease an existing child support order, or the initiation of a motion or order to show cause to obtain an order for medical support, and the response to a motion or order to show cause brought by an obligor parent to decrease or terminate an existing medical support order, without regard to whether the child is receiving public assistance.

(5)The referral of child support delinquencies to the department under subdivision (c) of Section 17500 in support of the local child support agency.

(i)As used in this section, “out of wedlock” means that the biological parents of the child were not married to each other at the time of the child’s conception.

(2)This section does not limit the authority of the local child support agency granted by other sections of this code or otherwise granted by law.

action under this code, or other proceeding in which child support is an issue or a reduction in spousal support is sought. By notice of motion, order to show cause, or responsive pleading served upon all parties to the action, the local child support agency may request any relief that is appropriate that the local child support agency is authorized to seek.

(m)As used in this article, medical support activities that the local child support agency is authorized to perform are limited to the following:

(1)The

obtaining and enforcing of court orders for health insurance coverage.

(2)Any other medical support activity mandated by federal law or regulation.

(A) Venue shall be in the superior court in the county that is currently expending public assistance.

(B) If public

assistance is not currently being expended, venue shall be in the superior court in the county where the child who is entitled to current support resides or is domiciled.

(D) If subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) do not apply, venue shall be in the superior court in the county of residence of the support obligee.

(E) If the support obligee does not reside in California, and subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D) do not apply, venue shall be in the superior court of the county of residence of the obligor.

(2)Notwithstanding paragraph (1), if the child becomes a resident of another county after an action under this part has been filed, venue may remain in the county where the action was filed until the action is completed. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to limit the court hearing the action or proceeding under this division from exercising its discretion under Section 397.5 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

(o)The local child support agency of one county may appear on behalf of the local child support agency of any other county in an action or proceeding under this part.

(p)This section shall become operative January 1, 2026.