Louisiana judgment expiration is the question behind “how long is a judgment good for in Louisiana”: a money judgment entered by a Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana judgment expiration figures on this page were verified against a dated 50-state compilation and Louisiana sources as of October 2026; the statute named here is where to check them yourself.
Louisiana Judgment Expiration at a Glance
| Enforceable for | 10 years from signing (or, if appealed, the date the judgment becomes final) |
| Renewable | Yes |
| Renewal window | before the 10-year prescription runs; revival can repeat |
| Post-judgment interest | the judicial interest rate set each year: on the first business day of October the Commissioner of Financial Institutions takes the Federal Reserve discount rate and adds 3.25 points; that rate… |
| Statute | La. Civ. Code art. 3501 (10-year prescription; revival); La. C.C.P. art. 2031 (revival procedure); La. R.S. 13:4202 (judicial interest) |
In This Louisiana Judgment Expiration Guide:
What a Money Judgment Is Before the Louisiana Judgment Expiration Clock Starts
A money judgment is a signed court ruling that one person or business owes another a set amount. In Louisiana these are usually entered by a parish district court, or by a city or parish court for smaller claims. The judgment is the court’s ruling. A “judicial mortgage” is a separate claim on real estate, and it exists only after the judgment is recorded in a parish’s mortgage records (La.
Civ. Code art. 3300).
The Louisiana Judgment Expiration Figures
The Louisiana Judgment Expiration figures in the table above apply to this part as well.
| Rule | Bonus Bank Daily verified figure |
|---|---|
| Statute | La. Civ. Code art. 3501 (10-year prescription; revival); La. C.C.P. art. 2031 (revival procedure); La. R.S. 13:4202 (judicial interest)compilation / agency — verified Oct 2026 |
| Enforceable for | 10 yearscompilation / agency — verified Oct 2026 |
| Clock runs from | signing (or, if appealed, the date the judgment becomes final)compilation / agency — verified Oct 2026 |
| Renewable | Yescompilation / agency — verified Oct 2026 |
| How it is renewed or kept alive | any party with an interest in the money judgment may have it revived before it prescribes, as provided in Code of Civil Procedure Article 2031; a revived judgment gets a new 10-year prescription (La. Civ. Code art. 3501)compilation / agency — verified Oct 2026 |
| Renewal window | before the 10-year prescription runs; revival can repeatcompilation / agency — verified Oct 2026 |
| Post-judgment interest | the judicial interest rate set each year: on the first business day of October the Commissioner of Financial Institutions takes the Federal Reserve discount rate and adds 3.25 points; that rate applies for the following calendar year and is published in the December Louisiana Register and Bar Journal (La. R.S. 13:4202(B))compilation / agency — verified Oct 2026 |
The Louisiana judgment expiration figures on this page were verified against a dated 50-state compilation and Louisiana sources as of October 2026; the statute named here is where to check them yourself.
Is there a judgment against you, or one you need to collect?
The renewal window and the exemption deadlines in Louisiana are short and they do not wait. A Louisiana 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 Louisiana Judgment Expiration Actually Means
This part of the Louisiana Judgment Expiration guide uses the same sources listed at the end of the page.
Louisiana does not use the word “dormant.” A judgment that is not revived in time is “prescribed.” After that, the creditor generally can no longer use court tools such as seizures or garnishment to collect it. In most cases the underlying debt does not simply vanish, but the court’s power to enforce it ends. Confirm the status of a specific judgment with the court clerk or an attorney.
Renewal and Revival Under the Louisiana Judgment Expiration Rule
Check each Louisiana Judgment Expiration point here against your own court papers before you act.
(1) The holder files an ex parte motion to revive in the same court and suit where the judgment was entered. (2) The holder attaches an affidavit saying the judgment has not been satisfied. (3) No citation or service on the debtor is required, and in most cases no hearing is held.
(4) After the court signs the revival judgment, the clerk mails notice to the debtor’s last known address in the record. (5) The debtor may later seek annulment by contradictory motion by proving the judgment was paid before revival. The court may also order the debtor to pay added court costs and attorney fees.
The Judgment Lien in Louisiana
If your paperwork differs from this Louisiana Judgment Expiration summary, the court record controls.
A judgment becomes a judicial mortgage when it is recorded in the mortgage records of each parish where the debtor owns or may own real estate (La. Civ. Code arts. 3300, 3346). It is a general mortgage, so it covers real estate the debtor owns in that parish now and real estate the debtor acquires there later (art. 3303). The mortgage has its own expiration clock.
It generally lapses unless the creditor records a separate notice of reinscription in each parish (arts. 3357–3362), even if the judgment itself has been revived.
Interest on a Louisiana Judgment
Every Louisiana Judgment Expiration figure on this page is dated and tied to a source below.
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Judicial interest generally runs on the unpaid amount until the judgment is paid. The rate can change each calendar year, so a judgment that stays unpaid over several years may accrue interest at more than one yearly rate. The Louisiana State Bar Association and the Louisiana Register publish the yearly rate and a judicial interest calculator.
What a Creditor Can Do While the Louisiana Judgment Is Alive
Keep the Louisiana Judgment Expiration deadlines above in mind as you read this section.
Property seizure: the creditor gets a “writ of fieri facias” so the sheriff can seize and sell non-exempt property (La. C.C.P. art. 2291). Bank levy: once that writ issues, the creditor can serve a “garnishment” petition and interrogatories on the debtor’s bank (art. 2411). Wage garnishment: the employer is cited as “garnishee” and must withhold the non-exempt share of pay, generally capped at 25% of disposable earnings (La. R.S.
13:3881, 13:3921). Debtor examination: the creditor can ask the court for a “judgment debtor examination,” where the debtor answers questions under oath about income and property (art. 2451).
What a Debtor Can Do Before the Louisiana Judgment Expiration
Exemptions: you may claim exemptions under La. R.S. 13:3881, which protects most wages plus certain property and benefits, and the homestead exemption may protect part of a home’s value. Satisfaction: you may negotiate a payment or a reduced payoff, and ask for a written acknowledgment of satisfaction to record.
Paying through the court: in a wage garnishment, payments go first to the sheriff, marshal or constable, who passes them to the creditor (La. R.S. 13:3921). Default judgments: you may file a motion for new trial (La. C.C.P. art. 1971) or an action for nullity (arts. 2001–2004), each with its own deadlines. Confirm those deadlines with the clerk or an attorney.
Out-of-State Judgments in Louisiana
A judgment from another state or a federal court can be filed in Louisiana under the Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act (La. R.S. 13:4241 et seq.). The creditor files a certified copy with an ex parte petition, and the clerk mails notice to the debtor. The creditor may instead file an ordinary lawsuit to have the judgment recognized (La. C.C.P. art. 2541). Under La. Civ. Code art.
3501, the time to enforce generally runs from the date the judgment was rendered. It cannot be enforced in Louisiana if it is already prescribed or unenforceable where it was rendered.
Clearing a Paid Louisiana Judgment
To clear a paid judgment from a parish’s records, a written request to cancel is filed with that parish’s recorder of mortgages (the clerk of court), usually with an acknowledgment of satisfaction signed by the creditor (La. Civ. Code art. 3366). The request must be filed in every parish where the judgment was recorded. A statewide statutory deadline for a creditor to provide the release was not verified.
Confirm with the parish clerk.
Judgments in favor of the State of Louisiana or its political subdivisions follow a separate prescription statute (La. R.S. 9:5685), so the general rules above may not apply to them. Child and spousal support judgments and arrearages follow their own prescription rules (La. Civ. Code art. 3501.1). Confirm both with the statute, the court clerk or an attorney.
Next rung: what a creditor can take from a bank account, and what is protected, is the next question — the Louisiana 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.
Louisiana — the bottom line
- Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana judgment expiration date arrives — the rate and who publishes it are in the table.
Louisiana Judgment Expiration FAQ
How long is a judgment good for in Louisiana?
A Louisiana money judgment is enforceable for 10 years from signing (or, if appealed, the date the judgment becomes final), and it can be renewed. Louisiana does not use the word “dormant.” A judgment that is not revived in time is “prescribed.” After that, the creditor generally can no longer use court tools such as seizures or garnishment to collect it.
Can a judgment be renewed in Louisiana?
any party with an interest in the money judgment may have it revived before it prescribes, as provided in Code of Civil Procedure Article 2031; a revived judgment gets a new 10-year prescription (La. Civ. Code art. 3501)
Does a Louisiana judgment expiration mean the debt is gone?
Louisiana does not use the word “dormant.” A judgment that is not revived in time is “prescribed.” After that, the creditor generally can no longer use court tools such as seizures or garnishment to collect it. In most cases the underlying debt does not simply vanish, but the court’s power to enforce it ends.
What interest does a Louisiana judgment earn?
the judicial interest rate set each year: on the first business day of October the Commissioner of Financial Institutions takes the Federal Reserve discount rate and adds 3.25 points; that rate applies for the following calendar year and is published in the December Louisiana Register and Bar Journal (La. R.S.
Official Louisiana Sources & Resources
- Statute — judgment dormancy, renewal and interest (opened and read): https://law.justia.com/codes/louisiana/civil-code/article-3501/
- Statute — judgment dormancy, renewal and interest (opened and read): https://law.justia.com/codes/louisiana/revised-statutes/title-13/rs-13-4202/
- Louisiana statute / opinion: https://www.legis.la.gov/LEGIS/Law.aspx?d=111373
- Louisiana Law Help (Louisiana legal-aid network), Garnishment Issues: https://louisianalawhelp.org/resource/garnishment-issues
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: consumerfinance.gov
- CFPB — Debt collection: know your rights: consumerfinance.gov
This Louisiana judgment expiration guide was last verified against official Louisiana sources in October 2026. Rules change — confirm the current rule with the statute or a licensed attorney.
More Louisiana Money Rights Guides
- Louisiana Bank Levy Exemptions
- Louisiana Debt Collection Lawsuit
- Louisiana 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.