Georgia Judgment Dormancy and Revival: How Long Is a Judgment Good For?

The Three Stages of a Georgia Judgment's Life

A Georgia money judgment does not last forever. Under O.C.G.A. §§ 9-12-60 and 9-12-61, every judgment passes through three stages: active, dormant, and expired. Understanding the timeline is essential because a dormant judgment cannot be enforced, and an expired one is permanently dead.

Active (years 0–7): You can enforce the judgment using any available tool — garnishment, levy, liens. The clock starts from the date the judgment is entered or the date of the last recorded execution activity on the General Execution Docket (GED).

Dormant (year 7): If seven years pass from the date of entry without a Writ of Fi. Fa. being issued and recorded on the GED — or seven years from the date of the last recorded activity on the docket — the judgment becomes dormant. A dormant judgment loses its legal force. No writ of garnishment or levy can issue on it.

Expired (year 10): If 10 years pass from entry without the judgment being revived, it is permanently extinguished. No court action can bring it back.

Keeping a Judgment Active

The simplest way to prevent dormancy is to record your Fi. Fa. on the GED promptly after winning the judgment, then re-record it before the seven-year mark. Each recording or re-recording of a Fi. Fa. on the General Execution Docket resets the seven-year clock. The recording fee is $25 at the Superior Court Clerk's office.

If you recorded the Fi. Fa. in year one and the debtor still has not paid by year six, re-record before year seven to keep the judgment alive. You can repeat this cycle indefinitely — there is no statutory limit on how many times a Fi. Fa. can be re-recorded, as long as you do it before each seven-year window closes.

Reviving a Dormant Judgment

If you missed the window and the judgment went dormant, Georgia law gives you a three-year revival period — between years 7 and 10 from the original entry date. Revival requires filing an Action to Revive or a Motion to Revive Dormant Judgment in the court that entered the original judgment.

The revival proceeding (historically called a scire facias action) notifies the debtor that you are reactivating the judgment. If the debtor does not contest the revival, the court reinstates the judgment to active status, and you can resume enforcement. If the debtor objects, the court holds a hearing — but the debtor's options are narrow, since the underlying judgment has already been decided.

Revival costs include the court filing fee and service on the debtor. Once revived, the judgment returns to active status with a new seven-year enforcement window.

Permanent Expiration

If year 10 passes without revival, the judgment is gone. No court can restore it. Any recorded liens associated with the judgment lose their force. This is why tracking the dormancy deadline matters from day one — if you win a judgment and the debtor has no assets today, the judgment may become valuable years later when the debtor gets a job, buys property, or inherits money. But only if the judgment is still alive.

Post-Judgment Interest Keeps Running

Even when a judgment sits idle, post-judgment interest continues to accrue under O.C.G.A. § 7-4-12. A $5,000 judgment at 11% simple interest grows by $550 per year. After seven years, the debtor owes $8,850 plus any enforcement costs already incurred. That growing balance is part of what makes keeping the judgment active worthwhile — the longer the debtor waits, the more they owe.

The Practical Takeaway

Record the Fi. Fa. immediately after the enforcement window opens. Set a calendar reminder for six years out to re-record. If you are approaching the seven-year mark and have not taken action, file the re-recording urgently — once dormancy hits, revival is possible but costs more and takes longer.

The Georgia Small Claims Judgment Collection Guide covers the complete dormancy timeline, including how to calculate your specific deadlines and the step-by-step process for re-recording a Fi. Fa. or filing a revival action.

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