Minnesota judgment expiration is the question behind “how long is a judgment good for in Minnesota”: a money judgment entered by a Minnesota court is enforceable for a fixed number of years, it cannot simply be renewed, and it earns interest the whole time.
This guide gives the Minnesota figures in a dated table, explains what “dormant” means, how a creditor renews or revives a judgment, how the judgment becomes a lien on real property, what each side can do while it is alive, and how a paid judgment is cleared.
The Minnesota judgment expiration figures on this page were read in the Minnesota statute as of October 2026; confirm the current text before you rely on them.
Minnesota Judgment Expiration at a Glance
| Enforceable for | 10 years from entry |
| Renewable | Limited |
| Renewal window | within 10 years of entry; no administrative renewal |
| Post-judgment interest | judgments of $50,000 or less: simple interest at the rate the state court administrator sets each December from the one-year Treasury yield, rounded, never below 4 percent (549.09(c)(1)(i))… |
| Statute | Minn. Stat. 548.09 (entry, docketing, 10-year survival and lien); 550.01 (10-year enforcement); 549.09 (interest) |
In This Minnesota Judgment Expiration Guide:
What a Money Judgment Is Before the Minnesota Judgment Expiration Clock Starts
A money judgment is a court’s final order saying one person owes another a set amount. In Minnesota, money judgments come from district court, and conciliation court (small claims) judgments are usually docketed in district court before they can be enforced. The judgment is the court’s ruling on the debt.
A judgment lien is separate: once the judgment is docketed, it becomes a claim against the debtor’s real estate in that county.
The Minnesota Judgment Expiration Figures
| Rule | Bonus Bank Daily verified figure |
|---|---|
| Statute | Minn. Stat. 548.09 (entry, docketing, 10-year survival and lien); 550.01 (10-year enforcement); 549.09 (interest)statute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Enforceable for | 10 yearsstatute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Clock runs from | entrystatute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Renewable | Limitedstatute — verified Oct 2026 |
| How it is renewed or kept alive | no renewal filing for ordinary money judgments: the judgment survives and the docketed lien continues for 10 years after entry (548.09 subd. 1); enforcement must happen within those 10 years (550.01). A new action on the judgment before it expires is the creditor’s route (the statute provides renewal only for child-support judgments, 548.091)statute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Renewal window | within 10 years of entry; no administrative renewalstatute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Post-judgment interest | judgments of $50,000 or less: simple interest at the rate the state court administrator sets each December from the one-year Treasury yield, rounded, never below 4 percent (549.09(c)(1)(i)); judgments over $50,000: 10 percent per year until paid (549.09(c)(2)); a contract rate applies where the contract provides onestatute — verified Oct 2026 |
The Minnesota judgment expiration figures on this page were read in the Minnesota statute as of October 2026; confirm the current text before you rely on them.
Is there a judgment against you, or one you need to collect?
The renewal window and the exemption deadlines in Minnesota are short and they do not wait. A Minnesota debt defense or collections attorney can read the docket and tell you where you stand, usually in a free first consultation. Every state bar runs a lawyer-referral service that sets up a low-cost first consultation; legal aid represents many people in debt cases at no cost.
What Minnesota Judgment Expiration Actually Means
When the enforcement period ends, the judgment is in most cases no longer enforceable. The creditor generally can no longer use court tools such as garnishment or a writ of execution, and the docketed lien on real estate ends. The underlying debt does not simply disappear. Whether anything can still be collected afterward depends on the facts, so confirm with the statute, the court clerk or an attorney.
Renewal and Revival Under the Minnesota Judgment Expiration Rule
The creditor files for renewal or revival in the court that entered the judgment, inside the window shown in the table. The exact filing and whether the debtor must be notified are set by the statute cited above.
The Judgment Lien in Minnesota
A judgment becomes a lien once it is docketed with the district court administrator in a county. The creditor first files an affidavit of identification of the judgment debtor (form JGM104). The lien covers real estate in that county that the debtor owns then “or thereafter,” so it reaches property bought later. To reach other counties, the judgment is docketed there too.
Registered (Torrens) land is covered only if the judgment is also recorded under Minn. Stat. 508.63 / 508A.63.
Interest on a Minnesota Judgment
Interest is generally simple interest on the unpaid amount, not compounded. For judgments in the lower tier, the rate in effect for the calendar year is set each December by the State Court Administrator. It is published in the “Interest Rates on State Court Judgments” notice on mncourts.gov and in the Minnesota court rules on revisor.mn.gov.
Child-support judgments have accrued no interest since August 1, 2022, and judgments for the state or a political subdivision follow separate rules.
What a Creditor Can Do While the Minnesota Judgment Is Alive
Bank levy: the creditor can serve a garnishment summons on a bank, or have the sheriff levy on bank funds under a writ of execution. The debtor must be sent an exemption notice either way. Wage garnishment: an earnings garnishment summons is served on the employer, who withholds the allowed part of each paycheck.
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Property execution: a writ of execution from the court administrator directs the sheriff to seize and sell nonexempt property. Debtor examination: the creditor can request an Order for Disclosure (JGM302), which requires the debtor to complete a Financial Disclosure Form (JGM301), or can ask for a court examination under Minn. Stat. 575.02.
What a Debtor Can Do Before the Minnesota Judgment Expiration
Claim exemptions: you may return the exemption notice served with a garnishment or levy, or use the Financial Disclosure Form, to claim protected funds such as public assistance or Social Security. Negotiate a satisfaction: you may reach a written payment or settlement agreement with the creditor and ask that a satisfaction be filed once it is paid.
Pay through the court: payment arrangements through the court administrator vary by county, so confirm with the clerk. Move to vacate a default: you may ask the court to reopen a default judgment by motion under Minn. R. Civ. P. 60.02, and court self-help centers have forms.
Out-of-State Judgments in Minnesota
A judgment from another state must first be domesticated in Minnesota before it can be enforced here; once it is, the Minnesota rules on enforcement and expiration generally apply to it.
Clearing a Paid Minnesota Judgment
A paid judgment is cleared when a satisfaction is entered on the judgment roll and docket (Minn. Stat. 548.15). Usually this happens when the creditor or the creditor’s attorney files a signed certificate of satisfaction. When a judgment is satisfied by execution, the creditor must file the certificate within 10 days, or 30 days if payment was by check or other noncertified funds.
If the creditor does not file, the debtor can use a Motion and Affidavit Requesting Satisfaction of Judgment (form JGM202) with proof of payment.
Conciliation court judgments generally have to be docketed in district court before they are enforced or become a lien. Child-support judgments follow their own renewal statute and accrue no interest since August 1, 2022. Judgments for taxes can be docketed without the usual affidavit of identification. The 2025 Debt Fairness Act (2025 Minn. Laws ch. 18) rewrote the garnishment notice and exemption forms, so use the current versions on mncourts.gov.
Next rung: what a creditor can take from a bank account, and what is protected, is the next question — the Minnesota bank-levy page joins this guide when that cluster is live; until then, the CFPB debt-collection page in the sources below is the place to read.
Minnesota — the bottom line
- Minnesota judgment expiration runs on a fixed clock from the date in the table above; when it passes, the creditor’s court tools stop unless the judgment was renewed in time.
- The Minnesota judgment expiration rule here allows no ordinary renewal; the creditor’s only route is a new action on the judgment inside the limitations period in the table.
- Interest keeps running until the judgment is paid or the Minnesota judgment expiration date arrives — the rate and who publishes it are in the table.
Minnesota Judgment Expiration FAQ
How long is a judgment good for in Minnesota?
A Minnesota money judgment is enforceable for 10 years from entry. When the enforcement period ends, the judgment is in most cases no longer enforceable.
Can a judgment be renewed in Minnesota?
no renewal filing for ordinary money judgments: the judgment survives and the docketed lien continues for 10 years after entry (548.09 subd. 1); enforcement must happen within those 10 years (550.01).
Does a Minnesota judgment expiration mean the debt is gone?
When the enforcement period ends, the judgment is in most cases no longer enforceable. The creditor generally can no longer use court tools such as garnishment or a writ of execution, and the docketed lien on real estate ends.
What interest does a Minnesota judgment earn?
judgments of $50,000 or less: simple interest at the rate the state court administrator sets each December from the one-year Treasury yield, rounded, never below 4 percent (549.09(c)(1)(i)); judgments over $50,000: 10 percent per year until paid (549.09(c)(2)); a contract rate applies where the contract provides one
Official Minnesota Sources & Resources
- Statute — judgment dormancy, renewal and interest (opened and read): https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/548.09
- Statute — judgment dormancy, renewal and interest (opened and read): https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/550.01
- Statute — judgment dormancy, renewal and interest (opened and read): https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/549.09
- Minnesota Judicial Branch – Judgments Help Topic and Statewide Self-Help Center: https://www.mncourts.gov/help-topics/judgments
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: consumerfinance.gov
- CFPB — Debt collection: know your rights: consumerfinance.gov
This Minnesota judgment expiration guide was last verified against official Minnesota sources in October 2026. Rules change — confirm the current rule with the statute or a licensed attorney.
More Minnesota Money Rights Guides
- Minnesota Bank Levy Exemptions
- Minnesota Debt Collection Lawsuit
- Minnesota Small Claims Limit
- Money Rights Guides for All 50 States
Disclaimer: This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Bonus Bank Daily is an independent educational resource — not a law firm, not a bank, not a debt collector and not a government agency. Judgment, levy, interest-rate and debt rules change — every figure here carries the date we verified it.
Confirm the current rule with the statute, the court clerk or a licensed attorney in your state before you act.