How to Collect Your Judgment in Georgia

A Georgia judgment is enforceable for 7 years, and can be renewed before it expires. A Georgia judgment becomes dormant if no execution (fi. fa.) is entered on the general execution docket and no entry of levy/action is made within 7 years (O.C.G.A. 9-12-60). A dormant judgment may be renewed/revived by action or scire facias within 3 years from the time it became dormant (O.C.G.A. 9-12-61); chained renewals can keep it alive indefinitely.

Yes. Garnishment in Georgia can reach Lesser of 25% of weekly disposable earnings, or the amount by which weekly disposable earnings exceed 30x the federal minimum wage ($217.50/wk at $7.25). Private student-loan judgments: 15%.. Exemptions: Social Security, unemployment, public assistance, most pensions/retirement, workers' comp, and other benefits are generally exempt. Debtor files an exemption/traverse claim; right to claim may be lost if not filed within the statutory window after the garnishee's answer (commonly ~20 days).

Through Post-Judgment Interrogatories (and post-judgment discovery / examination of debtor) (Mag 14-05 (Post-Judgment Interrogatories), per O.C.G.A. 15-10-50(d) in magistrate court) — the court orders the debtor to appear and disclose their assets under oath. In magistrate court, the judgment creditor serves statutory Post-Judgment Interrogatories (the specific questions in O.C.G.A. 15-10-50(d)) on the debtor; forms are available from the Magistrate Court Clerk and at georgiamagistratecouncil.com/forms. Debtor must answer under oath. Broader post-judgment discovery is also available under O.C.G.A. 9-11-69.

A Writ of Fieri Facias (Fi. Fa.) is recorded on the General Execution Docket maintained by the Clerk of Superior Court in each county where the debtor owns real property; this creates the lien. The lien lasts 7 years.

You pay the court and sheriff their own filing/levy fees directly (usually modest, and recoverable from the debtor). Our Judgment Collection service is a flat $299 — we prepare your Georgia-specific enforcement forms and a step-by-step filing playbook; you file them. Compared with collection firms that take 33–50% of what they recover, that's hundreds to thousands less on a typical judgment.

Some debtors are "judgment-proof" — no job, no bank account, no equity — and no tool can squeeze money that isn't there. The honest play is the debtor's exam to confirm what exists, then keep the judgment alive (it lasts 7 years and is renewable) and try again when their situation changes. We give you the tools, not a guaranteed payout.