How long a civil judgment lasts

A civil judgment is a court's final decision that one party owes another money. Once it is entered, the person who won (the judgment creditor) can use the court's collection tools, and the clock that matters is no longer the debt's statute of limitations but how long the judgment itself can be enforced.

The clock is set by state law

How long a judgment lasts, and whether it can be renewed, depends on the state whose court entered it. Many states allow enforcement for ten years or more, and many let the creditor renew or revive it before it expires, sometimes more than once. Find the answer in your state's statutes or court self-help site, or ask the clerk; do not assume it has lapsed because the debt was old.

Even in federal court, collecting a money judgment generally follows the procedure of the state where the court sits (Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 69).

Two federal figures

• Interest. A money judgment in a federal district court earns interest from the day it is entered, at a rate tied to the one-year Treasury yield for the week before (28 U.S.C. 1961). State judgments earn interest at a rate state law sets.
• Judgments the United States holds. When the federal government has a judgment, its lien lasts 20 years and can be renewed once for another 20, with court approval (28 U.S.C. 3201).

How judgments get collected

A creditor with a judgment may be able to garnish wages, levy a bank account, or place a lien on property. Federal law caps wage garnishment for most ordinary debts at 25 percent of disposable earnings, or the amount by which weekly pay exceeds 30 times the federal minimum wage, whichever is less (15 U.S.C. 1673); some states protect more. Credit Help explains the federal garnishment limits with a worked table.

If you think a judgment is wrong

If you were never told about the case, read default judgments: courts have ways to set aside a judgment entered without proper notice, but the time to ask is limited. If the judgment is for a debt, the CFPB's guide to being sued by a creditor or collector is a good next read.