Updated September 5, 2026. Quick answer: California protects the greater of $300,000 or the prior year’s countywide median sale price for a single-family home, capped at $600,000; both figures adjust annually for inflation. High-cost counties like Los Angeles, Orange, and San Francisco typically hit the $600,000-plus ceiling.
This is protection against an ordinary money judgment creditor under Cal. Civ. Proc. Code §§ 704.710-704.850, 704.910 et seq., a different question from a property tax bill or exemption, which this page does not cover.
California homestead exemption at a glance
| Protected amount | California protects the greater of $300,000 or the prior year’s countywide median sale price for a single-family home, capped at $600,000; both figures adjust annually for inflation. High-cost counties like Los Angeles, Orange, and San Francisco typically hit the $600,000-plus ceiling. |
|---|---|
| Filing/declaration | Conditional: A basic ‘automatic’ exemption applies with no recording; separately, an owner may record an optional ‘declared homestead’ (§704.910 et seq.) for additional protections an automatic exemption alone doesn’t provide. |
| Married couples / joint owners | Only one homestead is protected per family unit even when both spouses hold title; if spouses live apart in two different homes, only one spouse’s home is exempt. |
| If you sell the home | If the home is sold, destroyed, or taken for public use, the exempt portion of the proceeds stays protected for six months, as long as it’s kept identifiable and separate from other money. |
How it works in California
- Conditional filing rule. A basic ‘automatic’ exemption applies with no recording; separately, an owner may record an optional ‘declared homestead’ (§704.910 et seq.) for additional protections an automatic exemption alone doesn’t provide.
- Married couples and joint owners: Only one homestead is protected per family unit even when both spouses hold title; if spouses live apart in two different homes, only one spouse’s home is exempt.
If you sell the home
If the home is sold, destroyed, or taken for public use, the exempt portion of the proceeds stays protected for six months, as long as it’s kept identifiable and separate from other money.
What it does not protect against
When a homestead is sold to satisfy a judgment, existing liens and encumbrances (e.g., a mortgage) are paid off first, ahead of the homeowner’s exempt amount, so the exemption does not override a mortgage or other secured lien.
Read it yourself
Verbatim from Cal. Civ. Proc. Code §§ 704.710-704.850, 704.910 et seq.: “(a) The amount of the homestead exemption is the greater of the following: (1) The countywide median sale price for a single-family home in the calendar year prior to the calendar year in which the judgment debtor claims the exemption, not to exceed six hundred thousand dollars ($600,000). (2) Three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000).” Read the full official text before relying on any figure here. A second citation, the companion sale-proceeds section, Cal. Civ. Proc. Code 704.720, same domain, is available here. Exemption law is fact-specific, and this is a source-backed planning guide, not individualized legal advice.