PART 2. DEFINITIONS [50. - 155.]

Cal. Family Code - FAM 2.

in effect

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 50. Section 50.

Unless the provision or context otherwise requires, the definitions and rules of construction in this part govern the construction of this code.

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 58. Section 58.

“Child for whom support may be ordered” means a minor child and a child for whom support is authorized under Section 3587, 3901, or 3910.

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 63. Section 63.

“Community estate” includes both community property and quasi-community property.

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 65. Section 65.

“Community property” is property that is community property under Part 2 (commencing with Section 760) of Division 4.

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 67. Section 67.

“County” includes city and county.

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 70. Section 70.

(a) “Date of separation” means the date that a complete and final break in the marital relationship has occurred, as evidenced by both of the following: (1) The spouse has expressed to the other spouse the intent to end the marriage. (2) The conduct of the spouse is consistent with the intent to end the marriage. (b) In determining the date of separation, the court shall take into consideration all relevant evidence. (c) It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this section to abrogate the decisions in In re Marriage of Davis (2015) 61 Cal.4th 846 and In re Marriage of Norviel (2002) 102 Cal.App.4th 1152.

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 80. Section 80.

“Employee benefit plan” includes public and private retirement, pension, annuity, savings, profit sharing, stock bonus, stock option, thrift, vacation pay, and similar plans of deferred or fringe benefit compensation, whether of the defined contribution or defined benefit type whether or not such plan is qualified under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-406) (ERISA), as amended. The term also includes “employee benefit plan” as defined in Section 3 of ERISA (29 U.S.C.A. Sec. 1002(3)).

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 92. Section 92.

“Family support” means an agreement between the parents, or an order or judgment, that combines child support and spousal support without designating the amount to be paid for child support and the amount to be paid for spousal support.

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 95. Section 95.

“Income and expense declaration” means the form for an income and expense declaration in family law matters adopted by the Judicial Council.

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 100. Section 100.

“Judgment” and “order” include a decree, as appropriate under the circumstances.

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 105. Section 105.

“Person” includes a natural person, firm, association, organization, partnership, business trust, corporation, limited liability company, or public entity.

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 110. Section 110.

“Proceeding” includes an action.

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 113. Section 113.

“Property” includes real and personal property and any interest therein.

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 115. Section 115.

“Property declaration” means the form for a property declaration in family law matters adopted by the Judicial Council.

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 125. Section 125.

“Quasi-community property” means all real or personal property, wherever situated, acquired before or after the operative date of this code in any of the following ways: (a) By either spouse while domiciled elsewhere which would have been community property if the spouse who acquired the property had been domiciled in this state at the time of its acquisition. (b) In exchange for real or personal property, wherever situated, which would have been community property if the spouse who acquired the property so exchanged had been domiciled in this state at the time of its acquisition.

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 126. Section 126.

“Petitioner” includes plaintiff, where appropriate.

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 127. Section 127.

“Respondent” includes defendant, where appropriate.

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 130. Section 130.

“Separate property” is property that is separate property under Part 2 (commencing with Section 760) of Division 4.

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 142. Section 142.

“Spousal support” means support of the spouse of the obligor.

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 143. Section 143.

“Spouse” includes “registered domestic partner,” as required by Section 297.5.

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 145. Section 145.

“State” means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, or a commonwealth, territory, or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 150. Section 150.

“Support” refers to a support obligation owing on behalf of a child, spouse, or family, or an amount owing pursuant to Section 17402. It also includes past due support or arrearage when it exists. “Support,” when used with reference to a minor child or a child described in Section 3901, includes maintenance and education.

Cal. Family Code - FAM § 155. Section 155.

“Support order” means a judgment or order of support in favor of an obligee, whether temporary or final, or subject to modification, termination, or remission, regardless of the kind of action or proceeding in which it is entered. For the purposes of Section 685.020 of the Code of Civil Procedure, only the initial support order, whether temporary or final, whether or not the order is contained in a judgment, shall be considered an installment judgment. No support order or other order or notice issued, which sets forth the amount of support owed for prior periods of time or establishes a periodic payment to liquidate the support owed for prior periods, shall be considered a money judgment for purposes of subdivision (b) of Section 685.020 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026