Ohio judgment expiration is the question behind “how long is a judgment good for in Ohio”: a money judgment entered by an Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio judgment expiration figures on this page were read in the Ohio statute as of October 2026; confirm the current text before you rely on them.
Ohio Judgment Expiration at a Glance
| Enforceable for | 5 years from entry or the last renewal, whichever is later |
| Renewable | Yes |
| Renewal window | an action to revive must be brought within 10 years after the judgment became dormant (2325.18(A)) |
| Post-judgment interest | the rate set annually under R.C. |
| Statute | Ohio Rev. Code 2329.07 (dormancy, eff. Apr 6 2017); 2325.18 (revivor); 1343.03 (interest) |
In This Ohio Judgment Expiration Guide:
What a Money Judgment Is Before the Ohio Judgment Expiration Clock Starts
A money judgment is a court’s final order that one party owes another a set amount. In Ohio, these come from the courts of common pleas, municipal and county courts (including their small claims divisions), and federal district courts. The judgment on its own does not attach to a house or land.
It becomes a lien on real property only after the creditor files a certificate of judgment in the county where the property is located.
The Ohio Judgment Expiration Figures
| Rule | Bonus Bank Daily verified figure |
|---|---|
| Statute | Ohio Rev. Code 2329.07 (dormancy, eff. Apr 6 2017); 2325.18 (revivor); 1343.03 (interest)statute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Enforceable for | 5 yearsstatute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Clock runs from | entry or the last renewal, whichever is laterstatute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Renewable | Yesstatute — verified Oct 2026 |
| How it is renewed or kept alive | the judgment stays alive if, within each 5-year window, an execution issues, a certificate of judgment is filed, a garnishment order issues or continues, or a proceeding in aid of execution is commenced (2329.07(B)(1)); once dormant, a revivor actionstatute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Renewal window | an action to revive must be brought within 10 years after the judgment became dormant (2325.18(A))statute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Post-judgment interest | the rate set annually under R.C. 5703.47 (federal short-term rate plus 3 percent, published each October by the Tax Commissioner) unless a written contract sets a different rate (1343.03(A)); no interest accrues between dormancy and revival (2325.18(B))statute — verified Oct 2026 |
The Ohio judgment expiration figures on this page were read in the Ohio 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 Ohio are short and they do not wait. An Ohio 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 Ohio Judgment Expiration Actually Means
A “dormant” judgment has not been wiped out. It is asleep. While dormant, the creditor generally cannot use it to garnish wages or bank accounts, start a sheriff’s sale, or keep a lien on real estate. In most cases the debt itself does not go away, and the creditor may ask the court to revive the judgment. Confirm the details with the statute, the court clerk or an attorney.
Renewal and Revival Under the Ohio Judgment Expiration Rule
1) The creditor files a motion or action for revivor in the court that entered the judgment (R.C. 2325.15). 2) The court usually issues a conditional order of revivor, and the debtor is served with notice and a chance to object. Ohio appellate courts require that notice. 3) If the debtor objects, the court holds a hearing.
If the debtor does not show sufficient cause, the judgment stands revived and may again operate as a lien (R.C. 2325.17). Objection windows differ by court, so check with the local clerk.
The Judgment Lien in Ohio
A judgment becomes a lien on a debtor’s land once a certificate of judgment is filed with the clerk of the court of common pleas in that county (R.C. 2329.02). For registered (Torrens) land, a certificate is also filed with the county recorder. Since October 24, 2024, the certificate must include the debtor’s last known address that is not a P.O. box. The lien ends when the judgment goes dormant.
Federal bankruptcy courts applying Ohio law have held that it reaches only land the debtor owns when the certificate is filed, not land acquired later (In re Hunter, Bankr. N.D. Ohio 2014).
Interest on an Ohio Judgment
Post-judgment interest builds on the unpaid balance from the date of judgment until it is paid. Each October the Ohio Department of Taxation publishes the statutory rate for the next calendar year, and the rate in effect for each year applies to that year. If a written contract sets its own rate, the court may use that rate instead.
Confirm how interest was figured on a specific judgment with the court clerk.
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What a Creditor Can Do While the Ohio Judgment Is Alive
Bank levy: Ohio calls this a “garnishment of property other than personal earnings” (R.C. 2716.11), and it reaches non-exempt money in a bank account. Wage garnishment: a “garnishment of personal earnings” (R.C. 2716.03) has the employer withhold part of each paycheck. Property execution: a “writ of execution” lets the sheriff levy on and sell non-exempt property, including real estate covered by a judgment lien.
Debtor examination: a “judgment debtor examination,” part of the proceedings in aid of execution (R.C. 2333.09), requires the debtor to answer questions under oath about income and assets.
What a Debtor Can Do Before the Ohio Judgment Expiration
Claim exemptions: you may file the “Request for Hearing” sent with the Notice to the Judgment Debtor. It must reach the clerk by the end of the fifth business day after you receive the notice, and protected funds are listed in R.C. 2329.66. Negotiate a satisfaction: you may contact the creditor about a payment plan or a payoff, and get the agreement in writing. Pay through the court: under R.C.
2329.70 you may apply to the court for a “trusteeship,” which means paying set amounts to the court for distribution to creditors and generally pauses garnishment. Move to vacate a default: a “motion for relief from judgment” under Civil Rule 60(B) may be filed within a reasonable time on limited grounds, and some grounds must be raised within one year.
Out-of-State Judgments in Ohio
A judgment from another state must first be domesticated in Ohio before it can be enforced here; once it is, the Ohio rules on enforcement and expiration generally apply to it.
Clearing a Paid Ohio 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 in favor of the State of Ohio have longer dormancy periods under R.C. 2329.07. They stay alive if an execution or certificate of judgment issues within 10 years of the judgment or any renewal, or within 15 years of the last execution, whichever is later. Judgments from municipal, county and probate courts become liens on land only through the certificate process in R.C. 2329.02 (R.C. 2329.04).
At a garnishment hearing, only exemptions and the amount withheld are reviewed, not whether the original judgment was correct.
Next rung: what a creditor can take from a bank account, and what is protected, is the next question — the Ohio 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.
Ohio — the bottom line
- Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio judgment expiration date arrives — the rate and who publishes it are in the table.
Ohio Judgment Expiration FAQ
How long is a judgment good for in Ohio?
An Ohio money judgment is enforceable for 5 years from entry or the last renewal, whichever is later, and it can be renewed. A “dormant” judgment has not been wiped out. It is asleep.
Can a judgment be renewed in Ohio?
the judgment stays alive if, within each 5-year window, an execution issues, a certificate of judgment is filed, a garnishment order issues or continues, or a proceeding in aid of execution is commenced (2329.07(B)(1)); once dormant, a revivor action
Does an Ohio judgment expiration mean the debt is gone?
A “dormant” judgment has not been wiped out. It is asleep.
What interest does an Ohio judgment earn?
the rate set annually under R.C. 5703.47 (federal short-term rate plus 3 percent, published each October by the Tax Commissioner) unless a written contract sets a different rate (1343.03(A)); no interest accrues between dormancy and revival (2325.18(B))
Official Ohio Sources & Resources
- Statute — judgment dormancy, renewal and interest (opened and read): https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2329.07
- Statute — judgment dormancy, renewal and interest (opened and read): https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2325.18
- Statute — judgment dormancy, renewal and interest (opened and read): https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-1343.03
- Ohio Legal Help (Money and Debt), with the Franklin County Municipal Court’s garnishment FAQs and request-for-hearing form: https://www.ohiolegalhelp.org/topic/debt_lawsuit
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: consumerfinance.gov
- CFPB — Debt collection: know your rights: consumerfinance.gov
This Ohio judgment expiration guide was last verified against official Ohio sources in October 2026. Rules change — confirm the current rule with the statute or a licensed attorney.
More Ohio Money Rights Guides
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.