How long can a judgment be enforced in Florida?
Asked by: Edmond Zemlak | Last update: October 7, 2025Score: 4.7/5 (60 votes)
Post-judgment discovery is appropriate as long as the judgment is enforceable.” The Court found that Florida judgments have a twenty year life during which those judgments are enforceable.
Do judgements expire in Florida?
A judgment is good, and can be enforced, for up to 20 years. That seems like a long time, and it is. A judgment is good for 10 years and Florida allows a creditor to “renew” a judgment before the expiration of the 10 years for an additional 10 years, thus giving a judgment almost unending life.
How long can a judgement be held against you?
The length of time the judgment is enforceable varies depending on the state you live in. In some states, it's as short as five years, and in other states, it's as long as 20 years. Judgments can also often be renewed. If you can't afford to pay a judgment against you, filing bankruptcy can help eliminate the judgment.
What happens if a defendant does not pay a judgment in Florida?
If the judgment debtor does not pay, you are entitled to get the sheriff to seize the judgment debtor's property. The seizing of property by the sheriff is called a levy. Once the sheriff has levied on the property, the sheriff will then sell it, and pay you out of the money the sheriff receives from the sale.
What is the statute of limitations for debt Judgement in Florida?
Statute of Limitations in Florida for Debt
The statute of limitations for debt in Florida is five years. A creditor has five years to sue you for the money you owe. Most debts are based on written agreements and the statute of limitations period for contract actions is five years.
How Long Does a Judgment Last in Florida?
How long can you legally be chased for a debt in Florida?
The statute of limitations on debt in Florida is generally five years. Therefore, as a creditor, you usually have five years to sue your debtor for the money you are owed.
What makes a judgment void in Florida?
In Florida, a “void judgment” is so defective that it is deemed never to have had legal force and effect, while a “voidable judgment” is a judgment that has been entered based upon some error in procedure that allows a party to have the judgment vacated, but the judgment has legal force and effect unless and until it ...
What happens after 5 years of judgement?
Most judgments (the court order saying what you're owed) expire in 10 years. This means you can't collect on it after 10 years. To avoid this, you can ask the court to renew it.
How can I avoid paying a judgement in Florida?
Taking advantage of these exemptions can help a judgment debtor not pay a judgment. Some of the most important exemptions include the Florida homestead exemption, retirement accounts, tenants by entireties property, head of household earnings, and social security income.
Do judgment liens expire?
Judgments have expiration dates. If they are not timely renewed, they expire. In CA that is 10 years. However, when a judgment lien has been recorded against your property, it has no expiration date.
Can a 10 year old debt still be collected?
Old (Time-Barred) Debts
In California, there is generally a four-year limit for filing a lawsuit to collect a debt based on a written agreement.
Does a Judgement fall off after 7 years?
Generally, a lien of judgment expires six years after the entry of judgment unless revived.
How do you get a Judgement removed in Florida?
- Mistakes, inadvertence, surprise, or excusable neglect;
- Newly discovered evidence that could not have been reasonably discovered previously;
- Fraud, misrepresentation, or other misconduct of an adverse party;
- The judgment is void; or.
What is the statute of limitations in Florida for civil cases?
Civil Statutes of Limitation
Depending on the type of case or procedure, Florida's statutes of limitations range from two to four years. The point at which the clock starts ticking typically is the date of the incident or discovery of a wrong.
What happens if you have a judgement against you in Florida?
While a judgment is enforceable, the creditor has a right to forcefully collect against you. The most common collection tools are wage garnishments, bank garnishments, liens against property and even levy of vehicles and personal property.
Can you go to jail for not paying a Judgement in Florida?
You can't go to jail for failing to pay a debt or a judgment. However, if you do not pay a debt, or if a judgment is entered against you, this information can be reported to credit bureaus and made a part of your credit history. This information can be reported for up to seven years on your credit reports.
How long can a debt collector come after you in Florida?
The statute of limitations in Florida on debt is five years.
This means that once the five-year timeline has expired, creditors can no longer file a lawsuit against the borrower to try and recover the debt. This is only true of debts that include a written agreement, though.
What is exempt from a Judgement in Florida?
The most important exemption from creditors in Florida is the Florida homestead exemption. The homestead exemption is in the Florida Constitution. Florida's homestead law protects up to 1/2 acre of real property in a city and up to 160 acres in an unincorporated county from property liens and forced sale.
How long is a final judgment good for in Florida?
Florida Statute of Limitations on a Judgment Lasts 20 Years | Haber law Haber Law.
Does a judgement against you ever go away?
There are only three ways in which a judgment can be made to go away: paying the debt, vacating the judgment or discharging the debt through bankruptcy.
How long will Judgement last?
In most cases, a renewal of judgment will last 10 years, and this can be done repeatedly. The earliest you can re-renew a judgment is after five years, and many people choose to do this to include interest. However, there are other judgments that can only be renewed once after five years.
What is the expiration of a judgment in Florida?
In Florida “no judgment, order, or decree of any court shall be a lien upon real or personal property within the state after the expiration of 20 years from the date of the entry of such judgment.”18 In order to retain a lien for the maximum period of 20 years, the certified copy of the judgment must be recorded ...
What happens to a Judgement after 10 years in Florida?
In Florida, a judgment lien has a limited lifespan of ten years from the date of its issuance by the court. Accordingly, the judgment creditor must renew the lien to keep the lien in effect beyond these ten years by filing a renewal affidavit with the Clerk of Court in the court responsible for the initial judgment.
What is the final judgment rule in Florida?
Final judgments issued in Florida are the culmination of a lawsuit. They can come at the end of the process from a trial or beforehand through certain procedural mechanisms like default or summary judgment or from an unperformed settlement agreement.