If the judgment debtor has only one motor vehicle and it is sold at an execution sale, the proceeds of the execution sale are exempt in the amount of three thousand three hundred twenty-five dollars ($3,325) without making a claim. (CCP 704.010(d)) The Notice of Sale shall reflect this automatic exemption and shall be factored as a minimum bid.
In order to determine if the judgment debtor has only one registered vehicle, a registration check must be made with the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Care should be made to include alias or married name of the debtor listed on the registration of the levied vehicle is also checked. Similarly, vehicles may be registered to the debtor at a prior address. The record search must be reasonable but need not be exhaustive. The results of the DMV query shall be placed in the case folder.