How to Collect Your Judgment in Texas

A Texas judgment is enforceable for 10 years, and can be renewed before it expires. A judgment becomes dormant if no writ of execution is issued within 10 years of rendition (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 34.001). A dormant judgment may be revived by scire facias or an action of debt brought not later than 2 years after it becomes dormant; revival extends enforceability for another 10 years. A judgment lien on real property lasts 10 years from recording the abstract and can be extended by filing a new abstract (Tex. Prop. Code 52.006).

Texas bars or heavily restricts wage garnishment for ordinary consumer debts. RESTRICTED: Texas constitutionally prohibits wage garnishment for ordinary consumer and commercial debts (Tex. Const. art. XVI, sec. 28). Creditors must instead use a writ of execution against non-exempt personal property, a bank-account garnishment for funds already on deposit, a turnover order, and a judgment lien on non-exempt real property. NOTE: once wages are deposited and lose their 'current wages' character, the funds in the account can be reached by garnishment.

Through Post-judgment discovery / order for examination of judgment debtor — the court orders the debtor to appear and disclose their assets under oath. Post-judgment discovery is available under Tex. R. Civ. P. 621a, allowing the creditor to serve interrogatories, requests for production, and depositions, and to compel the debtor to appear and answer about assets in aid of enforcement.

Record a certified abstract of judgment with the county clerk in each county where the debtor owns (or may own) non-exempt real property; the lien attaches on recording and indexing (Tex. Prop. Code 52.001-52.006). The lien does NOT attach to homestead property. The lien lasts 10 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 Texas-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 10 years and is renewable) and try again when their situation changes. We give you the tools, not a guaranteed payout.