This is not a substitute for legal advice.  An attorney must be consulted.

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A judgment is a final decree, decision, order, or other ruling by a court determining the rights and obligations of the parties to a lawsuit. A lien is a claim, interest, or right to property or a portion of it for payment of a debt or liability. A judgment lien is a lien arising from a judgment which gives the holder of the judgment the right to levy upon or seize the property of another to pay off or satisfy the judgment subject to rights of exemption or redemption belonging to the judgment debtor.

Levy or seizure of property pursuant to a judgment lien usually is done through a writ of execution issued to a sheriff or constable directing him/her to seize a property and sell it, usually through public sale.

In most states, a judgment becomes a lien upon real estate located in the county where the judgment was entered when registered in the county where the real estate is located. It becomes a lien on real estate located in other counties or districts when registered in the county where the real estate is located. The lien lasts ten(10) years from the date of entry of the judgment. The judgment may be renewed by petitioning the court.  Please see specific state for details and/or differences.

Black�s Law Dictionary Fifth Edition.

ALABAMA | ALASKA | ARIZONA | ARKANSAS | CALIFORNIA | COLORADO | CONNECTICUT | DELAWARE | FLORIDA 
 GEORGIA | HAWAII | IDAHO | ILLINOIS | INDIANA | IOWA | KANSAS | KENTUCKY | LOUISIANA | MAINE | MARYLAND 
 MASSACHUSETTS | MICHIGAN | MINNESOTA | MISSISSIPPI | MISSOURI | MONTANA | NEBRASKA | NEVADA 
 NEW HAMPSHIRE | NEW JERSEY | NEW MEXICO | NEW YORK | NORTH CAROLINA | NORTH DAKOTA | OHIO 
 OKLAHOMA | OREGON | PENNSYLVANIA | RHODE ISLAND | SOUTH CAROLINA | SOUTH DAKOTA | TENNESSEE 
 TEXAS | UTAH | VERMONT | VIRGINIA | WASHINGTON | WEST VIRGINIA | WISCONSIN | WYOMING

ALABAMA
Alabama Code 6-9-211.

ALASKA
Alaska Code 09.30.010.

ARIZONA
Arizona Code 33-961 through 964.

ARKANSAS
Arkansas Code 16-65-117, 501.

CALIFORNIA
California CCP 697.310-.410; CCP 683.130-.160.

COLORADO
Colorado Code 13-52-102; Rule of Procedure 54(h).

CONNECTICUT
Connecticut Code 52-380a.

DELAWARE
Delaware Code 10-4701 through 4715.

FLORIDA
Florida Code 55.081-.10; 95.11.

GEORGIA
Georgia Code 9-12-60 through 66, 80, 81.

HAWAII
Hawaii Code 636-3.

IDAHO
Idaho Code 10-1110.

ILLINOIS
Illinois Code 735-5/12-101 through 104; 765-35/85, 86.

INDIANA
Indiana Code 34-1-45-2; 33-17-2-3.

IOWA
Iowa Chapter 624.

KANSAS
Kansas Code 60-2202(a).

KENTUCKY
Kentucky Code 426.720; 413.090.

LOUISIANA
Louisiana CC 3322, 3547; CCP 2031.

MAINE
Maine T.14, 4651-A.

MARYLAND
Maryland Courts Art. 11-402; Real Prop. Art. 2-622 through 625.

MASSACHUSETTS
Massachusetts C. 185, 86, 88.

MICHIGAN
Michigan CLA 600.5809, .6051.

MINNESOTA
Minnesota Code 548.09, .11, .63; 548A.63.

MISSISSIPPI
Mississippi Code 11-7-191, 195; 15-1-47, 51, 191.

MISSOURI
Missouri Code 511.350, .424; CR 74.09.

MONTANA
Montana Code 25-9-301, 302; 25-31-914; 25-13-102.

NEBRASKA
Nebraska Code 25-1303, 1305, 1419, 1420, 1504, 1515.

NEVADA
Nevada Code 17.150.

NEW HAMPSHIRE
New Hampshire C. 511, 55.

NEW JERSEY
New Jersey Code 2A-16-1; 2A-17-3; 2A-14-5, 22, 23.

NEW MEXICO
New Mexico Code 39-1-6.

NEW YORK
New York C.P.L.R. 5203, 5235.

NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina Code 1-47, 234-237.

NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota Code 28-20-13, 21, 22, 35.

OHIO
Ohio Code 2329.02-.07; 2325.15-.18.

OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma Code 12-706, 735, 770.

OREGON
Oregon Code 52.630; 46.274; 18.360.

PENNSYLVANIA
Pennsylvania Code 42-1722, 4303, 5526.

RHODE ISLAND
Rhode Island Code �9-1-17.

SOUTH CAROLINA
South Carolina Code �15-35-530; 810.

SOUTH DAKOTA
South Dakota Code �15-16-7, 33-35.

TENNESSEE
Tennessee Code �25-5-101.

TEXAS
Texas Prop. Code 52.001; Civ. P. Rem. Code 31.006, 34.001.

UTAH
Utah Code 78-22-1; 78-5-119.

VERMONT
Vermont Code 12-2901.

VIRGINIA
Virginia None

WASHINGTON
Washington Code 4.56.190-.210.

WEST VIRGINIA
West Virginia Code 38-3-6 onward.

WISCONSIN
Wisconsin Code 806.10-.15.

WYOMING
Wyoming Code 1-17-302 onward; 1-16-502, 503.