Kentucky judgment expiration is the question behind “how long is a judgment good for in Kentucky”: a money judgment entered by a Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky judgment expiration figures on this page were read in the Kentucky statute as of October 2026; confirm the current text before you rely on them.
Kentucky Judgment Expiration at a Glance
| Enforceable for | 15 years from the date of the last execution on the judgment |
| Renewable | Yes |
| Renewal window | keep executions issuing; an action on the judgment within 15 years of the last one |
| Post-judgment interest | 6 percent compounded annually from the date the judgment is entered, for judgments entered on or after June 29 2017; a judgment on a contract, promissory note or other written obligation bears the… |
| Statute | KRS 413.090(1) (15 years from the last execution); KRS 360.040 (6 percent) |
In This Kentucky Judgment Expiration Guide:
What a Money Judgment Is Before the Kentucky Judgment Expiration Clock Starts
A money judgment is a court’s final order that one party owes another a set amount. In Kentucky, District Court (which includes small claims) or Circuit Court enters it, depending on the amount. The judgment alone does not encumber a home.
It becomes a judgment lien on real property only after the creditor files a notice of judgment lien with the county clerk in each county where the debtor owns real estate (KRS 426.720).
The Kentucky Judgment Expiration Figures
| Rule | Bonus Bank Daily verified figure |
|---|---|
| Statute | KRS 413.090(1) (15 years from the last execution); KRS 360.040 (6 percent)statute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Enforceable for | 15 yearsstatute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Clock runs from | the date of the last execution on the judgmentstatute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Renewable | Yesstatute — verified Oct 2026 |
| How it is renewed or kept alive | an action upon a judgment must be commenced within 15 years, the period computed from the date of the LAST EXECUTION on it — so each execution restarts the 15 years (KRS 413.090(1), effective July 15 2014)statute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Renewal window | keep executions issuing; an action on the judgment within 15 years of the last onestatute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Post-judgment interest | 6 percent compounded annually from the date the judgment is entered, for judgments entered on or after June 29 2017; a judgment on a contract, promissory note or other written obligation bears the rate in that document; unpaid child support 12 percent; on unliquidated damages the court may set less than 6 percent after a hearing (KRS 360.040, as amended 2017 Ky. Acts ch. 17)statute — verified Oct 2026 |
The Kentucky judgment expiration figures on this page were read in the Kentucky 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 Kentucky are short and they do not wait. A Kentucky 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 Kentucky Judgment Expiration Actually Means
If no execution issues within the period shown above, the judgment goes stale. The creditor can then no longer bring an action on it or use court collection tools such as garnishment or execution. In most cases the debt itself does not disappear. What ends is the creditor’s ability to collect it through the court. Confirm whether a specific judgment is still enforceable with the court clerk or an attorney.
Renewal and Revival Under the Kentucky Judgment Expiration Rule
Kentucky has no separate renewal motion or hearing. In most cases the creditor keeps the judgment alive by asking the clerk of the court that entered it to issue a new writ of execution, or by filing a garnishment on that judgment. The statute does not require a separate renewal notice to the debtor. Garnishment orders do come with a notice of the debtor’s rights to claim exemptions.
Confirm the current procedure with the circuit or district court clerk.
The Judgment Lien in Kentucky
Recording the judgment (an abstract or certificate) in the county land records turns it into a lien on the debtor’s real property there. The lien has its own life, which may differ from the judgment’s, and the statute cited above sets both.
Interest on a Kentucky Judgment
Interest builds on the unpaid judgment amount starting from the date the judgment is entered, and the court may say so in the judgment itself. Kentucky sets the rate in the statute; no agency publishes a separate yearly rate. For contract judgments, the rate comes from the underlying document. Confirm the figure on any payoff statement with the court clerk.
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What a Creditor Can Do While the Kentucky Judgment Is Alive
Bank levy: a “non-wage garnishment” (affidavit AOC-145 and order AOC-150.1, KRS 425.501–.506) tells a bank to hold the debtor’s funds. Wage garnishment: a “wage garnishment” order makes the employer withhold up to the lesser of 25% of weekly disposable earnings or the amount above 30 times the federal minimum wage (KRS 427.010(2)). Property execution: a “writ of execution” lets the sheriff levy and sell non-exempt property.
Debtor examination: “discovery in aid of execution” under CR 69.03 and a debtor examination under KRS 425.316 let the creditor ask about assets.
What a Debtor Can Do Before the Kentucky 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 Kentucky
Kentucky follows the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act (KRS 426.950–.975). The creditor files the judgment with an affidavit, usually AOC-160, and the clerk mails notice to the debtor. No execution can issue until 20 days after filing (KRS 426.960). In most cases the same Kentucky limitation period applies to judgments from other states. Confirm with the statute or the clerk.
Clearing a Paid Kentucky 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.
Judgment liens created before June 29, 2023 expire at the earlier of the end of the judgment’s enforcement period or 10 years after June 29, 2023 (KRS 426.720 as amended 2023). The wage-garnishment cap in KRS 427.010 does not apply to court orders for support. Child-support withholding runs under KRS 405.465 instead.
Next rung: what a creditor can take from a bank account, and what is protected, is the next question — the Kentucky 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.
Kentucky — the bottom line
- Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky judgment expiration date arrives — the rate and who publishes it are in the table.
Kentucky Judgment Expiration FAQ
How long is a judgment good for in Kentucky?
A Kentucky money judgment is enforceable for 15 years from the date of the last execution on the judgment, and it can be renewed. If no execution issues within the period shown above, the judgment goes stale. The creditor can then no longer bring an action on it or use court collection tools such as garnishment or execution.
Can a judgment be renewed in Kentucky?
an action upon a judgment must be commenced within 15 years, the period computed from the date of the LAST EXECUTION on it — so each execution restarts the 15 years (KRS 413.090(1), effective July 15 2014)
Does a Kentucky judgment expiration mean the debt is gone?
If no execution issues within the period shown above, the judgment goes stale. The creditor can then no longer bring an action on it or use court collection tools such as garnishment or execution.
What interest does a Kentucky judgment earn?
6 percent compounded annually from the date the judgment is entered, for judgments entered on or after June 29 2017; a judgment on a contract, promissory note or other written obligation bears the rate in that document; unpaid child support 12 percent; on unliquidated damages the court may set less than 6 percent…
Official Kentucky Sources & Resources
- Statute — judgment dormancy, renewal and interest (opened and read): https://law.justia.com/codes/kentucky/2021/chapter-360/section-360-040/
- Statute — judgment dormancy, renewal and interest (opened and read): https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/LAW/STATUTES/statute.aspx?id=43545
- Kentucky statute / opinion: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=54153
- Kentucky Court of Justice – Legal Self-Help and Legal Forms (AOC-145, AOC-150 series, AOC-160): https://kycourts.gov/legal-help
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: consumerfinance.gov
- CFPB — Debt collection: know your rights: consumerfinance.gov
This Kentucky judgment expiration guide was last verified against official Kentucky sources in October 2026. Rules change — confirm the current rule with the statute or a licensed attorney.
More Kentucky Money Rights Guides
- Kentucky Bank Levy Exemptions
- Kentucky Debt Collection Lawsuit
- Kentucky 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.