Washington judgment expiration is the question behind “how long is a judgment good for in Washington”: a money judgment entered by a Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington judgment expiration figures on this page were read in the Washington statute as of October 2026; confirm the current text before you rely on them.
Washington Judgment Expiration at a Glance
| Enforceable for | 10 years from entry (or filing of a foreign judgment in Washington) |
| Renewable | Limited |
| Renewal window | within the 90 days before the original 10-year period expires (RCW 6.17.020(3)) |
| Post-judgment interest | consumer-debt judgments: 9 percent from entry (RCW 4.56.110(5)); private student loan judgments: prime plus 2 points (4.56.110(4)); judgments on a written contract with a stated rate: that rate if… |
| Statute | RCW 6.17.020 (10-year enforcement; one 10-year extension); RCW 4.56.110 (judgment interest) |
In This Washington Judgment Expiration Guide:
What a Money Judgment Is Before the Washington Judgment Expiration Clock Starts
A money judgment is a court’s final order that one party owes another a set amount. In Washington, superior courts, district courts and small claims departments enter them. The judgment is the debt order itself. A judgment lien is a separate claim against the debtor’s real estate, and it arises only under the lien rules in RCW 4.56.190–.200.
The Washington Judgment Expiration Figures
| Rule | Bonus Bank Daily verified figure |
|---|---|
| Statute | RCW 6.17.020 (10-year enforcement; one 10-year extension); RCW 4.56.110 (judgment interest)statute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Enforceable for | 10 yearsstatute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Clock runs from | entry (or filing of a foreign judgment in Washington)statute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Renewable | Limitedstatute — verified Oct 2026 |
| How it is renewed or kept alive | the creditor applies to the court that rendered (or where it filed) the judgment for an order granting ONE additional 10 years of enforcement (RCW 6.17.020(3)); a district court judgment transcribed to superior court is extended only in superior courtstatute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Renewal window | within the 90 days before the original 10-year period expires (RCW 6.17.020(3))statute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Post-judgment interest | consumer-debt judgments: 9 percent from entry (RCW 4.56.110(5)); private student loan judgments: prime plus 2 points (4.56.110(4)); judgments on a written contract with a stated rate: that rate if set out in the judgment (4.56.110(1)); all others: the maximum rate under RCW 19.52.020 on the date of entry (4.56.110(6))statute — verified Oct 2026 |
The Washington judgment expiration figures on this page were read in the Washington 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 Washington are short and they do not wait. A Washington 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 Washington Judgment Expiration Actually Means
When the enforcement period ends without an extension, the judgment expires in most cases. The creditor can no longer use garnishment, execution or other court collection process, and the real-estate lien ends with it (RCW 4.56.210). The underlying debt is not wiped out, but the court tools to force payment stop working. Confirm with the statute, the court clerk or an attorney.
Renewal and Revival Under the Washington 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 Washington
A superior court judgment becomes a lien on the debtor’s non-exempt real estate in that county once the clerk enters it on the execution docket. For other counties, the creditor files a certified abstract with the county clerk where the property sits (RCW 4.56.200). A district court judgment becomes a lien only after it is transcribed to superior court.
The lien also reaches real estate the debtor acquires later (RCW 4.56.190), and it ends when the judgment’s enforcement period ends unless extended (RCW 4.56.210). On a homestead, it reaches only value above the homestead exemption (RCW 6.13.090).
Interest on a Washington Judgment
Interest runs on the unpaid judgment amount from the date of entry at the rate fixed when the judgment is entered, and the rate is generally written into the judgment itself. For judgments that use the general usury-based rate, the Washington State Treasurer calculates the maximum rate under RCW 19.52.020 each month, and it is published in the Washington State Register.
What a Creditor Can Do While the Washington Judgment Is Alive
Bank levy: the creditor serves a writ of garnishment on the debtor’s bank (chapter 6.27 RCW). Wage garnishment: a continuing lien writ of garnishment on the employer takes a non-exempt share of each paycheck (RCW 6.27). Property execution: the creditor gets a writ of execution, and the sheriff can seize and sell non-exempt property (chapter 6.17 RCW).
Debtor examination: in supplemental proceedings the debtor is ordered to court to answer questions about income and assets (chapter 6.32 RCW; CR 69).
💰 Get Free Bonus Alerts
Free · No spam · Unsubscribe anytime
What a Debtor Can Do Before the Washington Judgment Expiration
Claim exemptions: you may file the exemption claim form served with a writ of garnishment to protect exempt wages, benefits or bank funds (RCW 6.27.140, .160; chapters 6.15 and 6.13 RCW). Negotiate a satisfaction: you may work out payment with the creditor, who then files a full or partial satisfaction. Pay through the court: you may pay the clerk, who records the payment (RCW 4.56.100).
Vacate a default: you may file a motion to vacate under CR 60(b) in superior court or CRLJ 60(b) in district court.
Out-of-State Judgments in Washington
A judgment from another state or federal court is enforced under the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act (chapter 6.36 RCW). The creditor files an authenticated copy with a superior court clerk, along with an affidavit giving the debtor’s last known address. The creditor then mails notice of the filing to the debtor, and once filed the judgment is treated like a Washington superior court judgment.
A separate 10-year limit applies to actions on judgments from other states (RCW 4.16.020(2)), so confirm timing with the clerk or an attorney.
Clearing a Paid Washington Judgment
When a judgment is paid, the creditor files a satisfaction of judgment with the court so the record shows it is closed; a debtor who paid can ask the court to compel that filing if the creditor does not make it.
Judgments for accrued child support follow a different clock. Execution and garnishment may be issued until 10 years after the 18th birthday of the youngest child named in the order, and the lien runs on the same schedule (RCW 6.17.020; RCW 4.56.210). Exemptions generally do not protect income from child support collection, federal student loan collection or certain other federal debts.
A debtor cannot be jailed just for being unable to pay, but ignoring a court order to appear at a supplemental proceeding can lead to an arrest warrant.
Next rung: what a creditor can take from a bank account, and what is protected, is the next question — the Washington 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.
Washington — the bottom line
- Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington judgment expiration date arrives — the rate and who publishes it are in the table.
Washington Judgment Expiration FAQ
How long is a judgment good for in Washington?
A Washington money judgment is enforceable for 10 years from entry (or filing of a foreign judgment in Washington). When the enforcement period ends without an extension, the judgment expires in most cases.
Can a judgment be renewed in Washington?
the creditor applies to the court that rendered (or where it filed) the judgment for an order granting ONE additional 10 years of enforcement (RCW 6.17.020(3)); a district court judgment transcribed to superior court is extended only in superior court
Does a Washington judgment expiration mean the debt is gone?
When the enforcement period ends without an extension, the judgment expires in most cases. The creditor can no longer use garnishment, execution or other court collection process, and the real-estate lien ends with it (RCW 4.56.210).
What interest does a Washington judgment earn?
consumer-debt judgments: 9 percent from entry (RCW 4.56.110(5)); private student loan judgments: prime plus 2 points (4.56.110(4)); judgments on a written contract with a stated rate: that rate if set out in the judgment (4.56.110(1)); all others: the maximum rate under RCW 19.52.020 on the date of entry (4.56.110(6))
Official Washington Sources & Resources
- Statute — judgment dormancy, renewal and interest (opened and read): https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=6.17.020
- Statute — judgment dormancy, renewal and interest (opened and read): https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=4.56.110
- Washington LawHelp (Northwest Justice Project), “Avoid or stop garnishment,” and the Clark County Law Library, “Collecting a Court Judgment”: https://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/en/avoid-or-stop-garnishment
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: consumerfinance.gov
- CFPB — Debt collection: know your rights: consumerfinance.gov
This Washington judgment expiration guide was last verified against official Washington sources in October 2026. Rules change — confirm the current rule with the statute or a licensed attorney.
More Washington Money Rights Guides
- Washington Bank Levy Exemptions
- Washington Debt Collection Lawsuit
- Washington 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.