Utah judgment expiration is the question behind “how long is a judgment good for in Utah”: a money judgment entered by a Utah court is enforceable for a fixed number of years, it can be renewed if the creditor acts inside the window, and it earns interest the whole time.
This guide gives the Utah 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 Utah judgment expiration figures on this page were read in the Utah statute as of October 2026; confirm the current text before you rely on them.
Utah Judgment Expiration at a Glance
| Enforceable for | 8 years from entry (or the last renewal) |
| Renewable | Yes |
| Renewal window | before the 8-year period (or the current renewal period) expires (78B-6-1802(2)) |
| Post-judgment interest | the federal post-judgment interest rate as of January 1 of each year plus 2 percent, fixed at the rate in effect when the judgment is entered (Utah Code 15-1-4(3)); a contract rate applies to… |
| Statute | Utah Code 78B-2-311 (8 years; renewal per the Renewal of Judgment Act, amended 2025); 78B-6-1802 (renewal by motion); 15-1-4 (judgment interest) |
In This Utah Judgment Expiration Guide:
What a Money Judgment Is Before the Utah Judgment Expiration Clock Starts
A money judgment is a court’s final order saying one person owes another a set amount. In Utah, district courts and justice courts (including small claims) enter them. The judgment is the court’s ruling that the debt is owed.
A judgment lien is a separate claim against the debtor’s real estate, and it exists only after the judgment, or an abstract of it, is recorded with the county recorder (Utah Code 78B-5-202).
The Utah Judgment Expiration Figures
| Rule | Bonus Bank Daily verified figure |
|---|---|
| Statute | Utah Code 78B-2-311 (8 years; renewal per the Renewal of Judgment Act, amended 2025); 78B-6-1802 (renewal by motion); 15-1-4 (judgment interest)statute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Enforceable for | 8 yearsstatute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Clock runs from | entry (or the last renewal)statute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Renewable | Yesstatute — verified Oct 2026 |
| How it is renewed or kept alive | a motion to renew filed in the original action, with an affidavit accounting for the judgment and every post-judgment payment and credit and affirming that notice was sent to the debtor’s most current known address; the court renews once the response time has run (78B-6-1802); a renewed judgment carries a new 8 years (78B-2-311(2))statute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Renewal window | before the 8-year period (or the current renewal period) expires (78B-6-1802(2))statute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Post-judgment interest | the federal post-judgment interest rate as of January 1 of each year plus 2 percent, fixed at the rate in effect when the judgment is entered (Utah Code 15-1-4(3)); a contract rate applies to judgments on a lawful contract that sets one (15-1-4(2)); deferred-deposit (payday) loan judgments are limited by 15-1-4(2)(b)-(3)(a) and 7-23-401statute — verified Oct 2026 |
The Utah judgment expiration figures on this page were read in the Utah 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 Utah are short and they do not wait. A Utah 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 Utah Judgment Expiration Actually Means
When the enforcement period ends and the judgment has not been renewed, the creditor generally can no longer use court collection tools on it, such as writs, garnishments or the real property lien. Utah law treats an expired judgment as no longer enforceable through the court. The underlying debt does not usually vanish, but collecting it in court becomes much harder in most cases.
Confirm the details with the statute, the court clerk or an attorney.
Renewal and Revival Under the Utah Judgment Expiration Rule
1) The creditor files the renewal motion and affidavit in the same court and case where the judgment was entered. 2) The debtor is sent notice at their most current known address. 3) The debtor may file a response or objection in that case. 4) If no response is filed, the court generally rules on the papers without a hearing.
If an objection is filed, the court may set a hearing. Renewal keeps the original judgment date and its collection priority (78B-5-202).
The Judgment Lien in Utah
A Utah judgment becomes a lien on real property when the judgment or an abstract is recorded with the county recorder, sometimes along with a separate judgment information statement (78B-5-202). The lien covers the debtor’s real property in that county, including property acquired later, for as long as the judgment stays in effect. A judgment in favor of a state agency reaches the debtor’s real property anywhere in Utah.
A small claims judgment generally becomes a lien only after it is abstracted to district court and recorded.
Interest on a Utah Judgment
Utah fixes post-judgment interest on the date the judgment is entered, and that rate stays the same for the life of the judgment. It is not recalculated each year. The Utah State Courts publish the current and historic rates by calendar year at utcourts.gov (Court Records & Publications > Interest Rates). The table also notes that some judgment categories carry a different rate.
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What a Creditor Can Do While the Utah Judgment Is Alive
Bank levy: a Writ of Garnishment served on a bank holding the debtor’s account. Wage garnishment: a Writ of Continuing Garnishment served on the debtor’s employer. Property execution: a Writ of Execution, which lets the sheriff or constable seize and sell non-exempt property the debtor controls.
Debtor examination: a supplemental proceeding, where the court orders the debtor to appear and answer questions about their property (the “supp order”); missing it can lead to a contempt finding or a bench warrant.
What a Debtor Can Do Before the Utah Judgment Expiration
A judgment debtor can claim the exemptions the state provides, negotiate a satisfaction for less than the face amount, pay through the court, or move to vacate a default judgment that was entered without proper service.
Out-of-State Judgments in Utah
A judgment from another U.S. court is enforced under Utah’s Foreign Judgment Act. The creditor files an authenticated copy with a district court clerk plus an affidavit listing both parties’ last known addresses, and the clerk mails notice to the debtor (78B-5-302, 78B-5-303). The judgment is then treated like a Utah district court judgment. For U.S. judgments, the time limit in 78B-2-311 runs from entry in the original court.
Judgments from other countries follow a separate recognition act (78B-5-450 and following).
Clearing a Paid Utah Judgment
Under Utah Rule of Civil Procedure 58B, the judgment creditor generally must file an acknowledgment of satisfaction within 28 days after full payment, in the court that entered the judgment. A creditor who acquired the judgment by assignment must also attach proof of ownership. If the creditor does not file, the court may declare the judgment satisfied on motion and proof.
Once satisfied, the judgment is discharged and stops being a lien.
Child support orders and past-due sum-certain support judgments can be enforced for four years after the youngest child reaches majority (age 18 or marriage) or eight years from a sum-certain judgment, whichever is longer (78B-5-202). Judgments in favor of a state agency create a statewide real property lien. Wages are generally not exempt from garnishment, but other property may be, under the Utah Exemptions Act.
Next rung: what a creditor can take from a bank account, and what is protected, is the next question — the Utah 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.
Utah — the bottom line
- Utah 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.
- Renewal under the Utah judgment expiration rule is the creditor’s job, on the window in the table; a judgment nobody renewed is the one a debtor can finally stop paying on.
- Interest keeps running until the judgment is paid or the Utah judgment expiration date arrives — the rate and who publishes it are in the table.
Utah Judgment Expiration FAQ
How long is a judgment good for in Utah?
A Utah money judgment is enforceable for 8 years from entry (or the last renewal), and it can be renewed. When the enforcement period ends and the judgment has not been renewed, the creditor generally can no longer use court collection tools on it, such as writs, garnishments or the real property lien.
Can a judgment be renewed in Utah?
a motion to renew filed in the original action, with an affidavit accounting for the judgment and every post-judgment payment and credit and affirming that notice was sent to the debtor’s most current known address; the court renews once the response time has run (78B-6-1802); a renewed judgment carries a new 8 years…
Does a Utah judgment expiration mean the debt is gone?
When the enforcement period ends and the judgment has not been renewed, the creditor generally can no longer use court collection tools on it, such as writs, garnishments or the real property lien. Utah law treats an expired judgment as no longer enforceable through the court.
What interest does a Utah judgment earn?
the federal post-judgment interest rate as of January 1 of each year plus 2 percent, fixed at the rate in effect when the judgment is entered (Utah Code 15-1-4(3)); a contract rate applies to judgments on a lawful contract that sets one (15-1-4(2)); deferred-deposit (payday) loan judgments are limited by…
Official Utah Sources & Resources
- Statute — judgment dormancy, renewal and interest (opened and read): https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title78B/Chapter2/78B-2-S311.html
- Statute — judgment dormancy, renewal and interest (opened and read): https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title78B/Chapter6/78B-6-S1802.html
- Statute — judgment dormancy, renewal and interest (opened and read): https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title15/Chapter1/15-1-S4.html
- Utah statute / opinion: https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title78B/Chapter5/C78B-5-S202_2026031320260313.html
- Utah State Courts Self-Help Center (utcourts.gov) – Supplemental Proceedings / Registering a Judgment from Another State: https://www.utcourts.gov/en/self-help/case-categories/consumer/judgment/supplemental-proceeding.html
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: consumerfinance.gov
- CFPB — Debt collection: know your rights: consumerfinance.gov
This Utah judgment expiration guide was last verified against official Utah sources in October 2026. Rules change — confirm the current rule with the statute or a licensed attorney.
More Utah Money Rights Guides
- Utah Bank Levy Exemptions
- Utah Debt Collection Lawsuit
- Utah 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.