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How Long is a Judgment Good For in California?

Sarah Edwards | May 31, 2024

Sarah Edwards
Legal Expert
Sarah Edwards, BS

Sarah Edwards is a professional researcher and writer specializing in legal content. An Emerson College alumna, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication from the prestigious Boston institution.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Hannah Locklear
Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: Losing a lawsuit can result in a judgment lien that gives creditors certain rights over your property or finances. In California, a judgment can last 10 years, and creditors can renew past this period. SoloSuit provides options for addressing these judgments both before and after they happen.

Losing a lawsuit can be devastating — especially since a judgment lien can follow you for years. A judgment against you will give your creditors power to collect money from you, and you’ll be legally obligated to comply.

How long does a judgment last in the state of California? Under California law, a judgment lasts for 10 years from the date it is entered by the court. Here’s what you need to know about your rights and how to respond to a judgment against you.

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What is a judgment lien?

When you fail to pay a debt, the creditor or debt collector can sue you to recover its money. If you lose the case, the court can render a judgment against you, which gives it certain rights to collect the debt.

In a judgment lien, a creditor has the legal right to take control of your property in order to recover its funds. Other types of judgments can include wage or bank account garnishment, where creditors can collect money directly from your bank account or by taking a portion of your paycheck until the debt is paid in full.

In some cases, the court may issue what’s known as a stipulated judgment. This means that you and your creditor will agree to a lower sum than what the creditor was originally suing for.

How long does a judgment last in California?

According to California law, all judgments last for a full 10 years from the date of their issue. After this period, your debt does not disappear, but your creditor no longer has any legal claim over you, nor can they enforce any sort of judgment lien or garnishment to collect the money.

However, California law allows creditors to renew judgments for an additional 10 years. If a creditor fails to renew within this window, it can still try to renew the judgment by filing a claim for Action on a Judgment, but the court may or may not grant this request.

Options for responding to a court judgment

What is the best way to respond to a judgment? Debtors have several options when they are faced with a judgment in California.

Avoid the judgment

The best way to approach the problem is to not receive the judgment in the first place.

You can avoid a money judgment by responding promptly to a debt collection lawsuit. Filing an Answer with the court will indicate your willingness to fight the lawsuit. If you fail to file by the deadline, which is generally 30 days in California, the court could render a default judgment in favor of your creditor or debt collector.

That’s why SoloSuit makes it easy to draft and file an Answer. Just answer a few basic questions to generate a legal Answer, and you can even have SoloSuit file it on your behalf.

Get some tips for drafting an Answer in this helpful video.

Let’s look at an example of how this works:

Example: Andrew knew he’d gotten behind in his credit card payments. He’d been ignoring calls from debt collectors — until he received notice of a debt collection lawsuit. After some online research, Andrew turned to SoloSuit to help him respond to the lawsuit promptly. Using SoloSuit’s online tool, he was able to draft a legal Answer to the lawsuit and even had SoloSuit’s attorneys review the document before filing. Andrew therefore avoided a default judgment and was able to buy time to consider other options for resolving his debt.


Draft your Answer today using SoloSuit’s online tool.

Wait for the judgment to expire

Once you have a judgment against you, another next option is to wait for it to expire. This is not always the worst idea since the creditor will have no legal claim against you once the expiration date passes. In the meantime, the law prevents a judgment creditor from seizing certain assets like your house or car.

But remember: Creditors can still take steps outlined in the judgment, such as seizing other property or garnishing your income. And in California, creditors have the option to renew the judgment, which extends the time in which you’ll have the judgment hanging over your head.

Pay the judgment

If you have a judgment against you, your best option is to pay it as quickly as possible. Even if you don’t have the resources for a lump-sum payment, you may be able to work out a payment plan.

Remember that the sooner you pay off your judgment, the sooner you can start rebuilding your credit score. You’ll also save on interest payments accrued through your debt.

Just make sure that your creditor files a Satisfaction of Judgment through the clerk’s office. This document will ensure you’re officially cleared of debt and any judgment liens that may have been placed against you.

File for bankruptcy

Bankruptcy can be the nuclear option when all else fails. It can eliminate certain kinds of debt like credit card debt or medical debt. And if you file after a judgment, you may be able to recover money that you lost through wage garnishment.

However, bankruptcy will not eliminate student loans, tax debt, or unpaid child support. Also, while the judgment may be canceled, the lien might still be left in place. Finally, bankruptcy has a devastating impact on your credit history, staining your credit report for at least seven years.

Resolve debt out of court

California residents can expect a judgment to follow them around for 10 years — or more if the creditor applies for renewal. That’s why it helps to settle debt before it becomes a legal case. SoloSuit can help you negotiate with creditors and debt collectors to resolve debt without the threat of a lawsuit.

Use SoloSettle to resolve your debt quickly and painlessly.

Check out the following video to for attorney tips on how to negotiate with debt collectors and creditors.

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