Connecticut State Marshal Fees for Judgment Collection

The Marshal Is Your Enforcement Partner — Not the Court

Connecticut courts don't collect judgments. Once you win in small claims, the court issues execution papers, but the actual enforcement — serving employers, freezing bank accounts, seizing property — falls to State Marshals. They're the only officers authorized to levy on assets under Connecticut law, and understanding their fee structure keeps you from losing money on your own judgment.

How Marshal Fees Work Under CGS § 52-261

Each wage, bank, or property execution application also carries a $105 statutory fee paid to the court clerk; it may be recoverable as a taxable cost.

State Marshals charge two types of fees:

Service fees cover the physical act of delivering papers — serving a wage execution on an employer, presenting a bank levy to a financial institution, or delivering a subpoena for a debtor examination. These are set by statute.

Collection commissions apply when the marshal actually collects money on your behalf. Under CGS § 52-261(a)(6), the marshal receives a statutory fee of 15% of the execution amount, included in the total demand.

The fee is retained from collections before the net is remitted to you, and execution costs are charged against the debtor's balance. For a $1,000 execution amount, the fee is $150 and the total demand is $1,150; if collected in full, $1,000 is sent to you.

Finding a Marshal in the Right County

State Marshals operate within authorized county boundaries. You need a marshal who can serve papers where the debtor's employer is located (for wage execution), where the bank branch is located (for bank levy), or where the debtor's property sits (for property execution).

The State Marshal Commission, housed under the Department of Administrative Services, maintains a public directory of active marshals organized by county. You can access the directory through the State Marshal Commission website.

When selecting a marshal, you're hiring someone to perform a specific enforcement action — not engaging ongoing legal representation. Call, explain you have a small claims judgment and an issued execution, and ask about their availability and current service fees.

What to Give the Marshal

A marshal needs a complete package before they can act:

• The court-issued execution (Form JD-CV-3 for wages, JD-CV-24 or JD-CV-24N for banks, JD-CV-5 for property)
• The debtor's identifying information — name, address, and location details for the employer, bank, or property
• Clear written instructions specifying what you're asking them to do
• Any required exemption claim forms that must accompany service (JD-CV-3a for wage executions, JD-CV-24A for bank levies on individuals, JD-CV-5b for property)

Marshals won't research where the debtor works or banks — that's your job. If you don't have that information yet, post-judgment interrogatories (Form JD-CV-23) and debtor examinations (Form JD-CV-54) are the statutory tools to get it.

When Do You Actually Pay Out of Pocket?

In most cases, you advance the marshal's service fee when you hand over the execution. This is a relatively small amount — typically under $100 for routine service. The commission only applies if money is collected, so there's no upfront percentage charge.

If the execution succeeds, the marshal deducts the commission from collected funds and forwards the net to you. Service fees and commissions are charged against the debtor's balance, but the commission still reduces the funds you receive from that levy.

If the execution comes back empty (the debtor had no money in the account, the employer is out of business), you're out the advance service fee with nothing recovered.

For a complete breakdown of every enforcement tool, fee structure, and form sequence in Connecticut judgment collection, the Collecting a Small Claims Judgment in Connecticut guide covers the full process from first demand to final satisfaction.

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