A money judgment entered by a New Jersey court lasts 20 years from the date it was entered, and a creditor who acts in time can renew it for another 20. That is the short answer to how long a judgment lasts in NJ, and it comes straight from N.J.S.A. 2A:14-5, which applies to judgments from any court of record in the state.1Justia. New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 2A:14-5
When the 20-Year Clock Starts and Stops
The 20 years run from the date the court enters the judgment, not from the date the creditor first tries to collect. Throughout that window, the creditor can use the court’s full set of enforcement tools: wage garnishment, bank levies, and seizure of non-exempt property. The statute is strict about the cutoff. Once 20 years pass, no action can be brought on that judgment “thereafter.”1Justia. New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 2A:14-5
Creditors don’t have to move right away. Many wait for a debtor’s finances to improve, knowing the judgment sits enforceable for two decades. If a judgment lien has been docketed with the Clerk of the Superior Court, it also encumbers any real estate the debtor owns or later acquires in New Jersey, which often forces payment when the debtor eventually tries to sell or refinance.
Renewing a Judgment Before It Expires
A creditor who wants to keep collecting past year 20 can revive the judgment through “proper proceedings,” the phrase N.J.S.A. 2A:14-5 uses.1Justia. New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 2A:14-5 In practice that means filing a motion before the original window closes, showing the judgment is still valid and unpaid, and giving the debtor formal notice so they can respond. If the court grants the motion, a new 20-year enforcement period begins.
Timing is unforgiving. Miss the deadline by a day and the judgment is dead; no court will revive it. For a debtor, that date is worth knowing. For a creditor, it belongs on the calendar well in advance.
What Happens When a Judgment Expires
An expired judgment loses all legal force. The creditor cannot garnish wages, levy bank accounts, seize property, or use any other court-ordered collection method. A judgment lien recorded against the debtor’s real estate also falls away, freeing the property to be sold or refinanced without paying the old debt.
Federal law adds a second layer of protection. Under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Regulation F, a debt collector is prohibited from bringing or threatening a lawsuit to collect a time-barred debt.2Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Regulation F Section 1006.26 – Collection of Time-Barred Debts A collector who sues on an expired New Jersey judgment violates federal law. The underlying debt may still exist in principle, but the courts are closed as a collection tool.
The Balance Grows During the 20 Years
A judgment in New Jersey does not sit frozen at the original amount. Under Court Rule 4:42-11, interest accrues on the unpaid balance from the date of judgment. The rate is tied to the average rate of return for the State of New Jersey Cash Management Fund, which the courts publish and update periodically. Over 20 years, the total can climb well above the original judgment. The accrued interest is enforceable the same way the principal is.
Out-of-State Judgments Enforced in New Jersey
If a creditor holds a judgment from another state, two time limits matter. New Jersey allows an action on a foreign judgment within 20 years or within whatever shorter period the originating state allows, whichever comes first.1Justia. New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 2A:14-5 If the home state gives creditors only 10 years, a New Jersey court will not extend that.
Instead of filing a new lawsuit, the creditor can use the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act (N.J.S.A. 2A:49A-25 through 2A:49A-33). Once an authenticated copy of the judgment is filed with the Clerk of the Superior Court, it is treated as a New Jersey judgment with the same enforcement tools, procedures, and available defenses.3Justia. New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 2A:49A-27 – Filing of Copy of Foreign Judgment The creditor files an affidavit with the debtor’s last known address, the court clerk mails notice, and no enforcement action can begin until at least 14 days later. A debtor served with such notice can raise any defense available against a New Jersey judgment, including lack of jurisdiction in the original court or proof the debt has already been paid.
Options for the Debtor Before 20 Years Run
Waiting out the clock is rarely the best strategy. Several routes can end a judgment earlier.
Asking the Court to Vacate It
New Jersey Court Rule 4:50-1 allows a debtor to ask the court to set aside a judgment on several grounds:
- Mistake or excusable neglect, such as never receiving proper notice of the lawsuit.
- Newly discovered evidence that would likely change the outcome and could not have been found earlier with reasonable effort.
- Fraud or misconduct by the other side in obtaining the judgment.
- A void judgment, meaning the court lacked jurisdiction or due process was violated.
- Satisfaction, release, or reversal of the underlying order.
- A catch-all for any other reason that makes it unjust for the judgment to stand.
The first three grounds carry a hard one-year deadline from the date of judgment. The others must be raised within a “reasonable time,” which gives the court discretion but will not excuse years of inaction without explanation.
Bankruptcy
A bankruptcy discharge can wipe out many money judgments. Most pre-filing debts, including typical breach-of-contract and personal injury judgments, are eliminated. The creditor can no longer collect even if years remain on the 20-year clock.
Some debts survive bankruptcy regardless. Child support and alimony, most taxes, student loans (absent a hardship finding), criminal restitution, and debts arising from fraud or intentional harm all stay collectible. If the judgment falls into one of these categories, bankruptcy will not help.
There is also a step that often gets missed. Even when the debt is discharged, a judgment lien on the debtor’s real estate does not vanish automatically. A separate motion under 11 U.S.C. § 522(f) is required to strip a judicial lien that impairs a claimed exemption.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 USC 522 – Exemptions Without that motion, the lien can outlive the bankruptcy and keep clouding title.
Paying and Clearing the Record
Paying off a judgment does not automatically clean up the public record. After receiving full payment, the creditor must either enter an acknowledgment of satisfaction on the court record or hand the debtor a warrant directing the clerk to mark the judgment satisfied, identifying the specific book and page where the judgment is recorded.5Justia. New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 2A:16-46 You file that warrant with the Clerk of the Superior Court in Trenton, and the lien comes off your property records.
Until the satisfaction is filed, the lien stays visible to title companies, lenders, and anyone searching your records, even though the debt is paid. If a creditor refuses to provide the warrant after receiving full payment, a motion to compel satisfaction may be necessary.