How Long Is a Judgment Good for in Tennessee?

The 10-Year Rule

Under T.C.A. § 28-3-110, a Tennessee judgment has a 10-year statute of limitations. The clock starts on the date the judgment was entered by the General Sessions judge. If 10 years pass without renewal, the judgment expires and becomes unenforceable — you lose the right to garnish wages, levy bank accounts, or seize property.

How to Renew Before It Expires

Tennessee allows judgment renewal through a show-cause procedure under Tenn. R. Civ. P. 69.04:

1. File a Motion for Show Cause Order in the court that entered the original judgment. This must be filed before the 10-year period expires — not after
2. Serve the debtor — the clerk or creditor mails the motion and a Show Cause Notice to the debtor's last known address via certified mail
3. The debtor has 30 days from the date of mailing to file a written response explaining why the judgment should not be extended
4. If no response is filed, the judge signs an Order Renewing Judgment, extending enforceability for another 10 years

This process can be repeated every 10 years indefinitely. A judgment debtor in Tennessee can theoretically owe a debt for decades if the creditor keeps renewing.

Re-Recording Judgment Liens

If you recorded a judgment lien at the county Register of Deeds, the lien also expires after 10 years from the original judgment entry date. Renewing the judgment in court doesn't automatically renew the lien. You must:

1. Obtain a certified copy of the Order Renewing Judgment from the court clerk
2. Record that certified copy at the Register of Deeds in every county where the original lien was filed
3. Complete this before the original 10-year lien expires

If you let the lien lapse, you can re-record after renewal, but you lose your original priority position — any liens recorded by other creditors between the lapse and your re-recording will jump ahead of yours.

What Happens If You Miss the Deadline

If 10 years pass without filing the renewal motion, the judgment is dead. The statute of limitations has run. You cannot:

• File garnishments or bank levies
• Execute against personal property
• Enforce the judgment lien (even if it's still technically recorded)
• Collect post-judgment interest

There is no grace period and no way to revive an expired judgment. Mark the renewal deadline in your calendar with a reminder at least 6 months before expiration to give yourself time to file.

Foreign Judgments Get a Fresh Clock

If your judgment originated in another state and was domesticated in Tennessee under the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act (T.C.A. § 26-6-101 et seq.), the domesticated judgment functions as a new Tennessee judgment with its own fresh 10-year statute of limitations. Even if the original judgment would have expired under the other state's rules, the Tennessee version stands independently.

Strategy for Long-Running Judgments

Some debtors are genuinely broke right now but won't be forever. If the debtor has no garnishable wages, no bank accounts worth levying, and no real property, your judgment sits dormant — but it doesn't have to stay that way. Interest keeps accruing at the statutory rate (8.75% per annum as of July 2026), and you can resume enforcement at any point when the debtor's circumstances improve.

For General Sessions judgments over $500, record a judgment lien in each county where the debtor owns real property or may later acquire it. Run a debtor examination every year or two to check for new employment or assets. The cost is minimal — $50 for the sheriff to serve the subpoena — and it keeps pressure on the debtor while giving you updated information.

The Tennessee Judgment Collection guide includes a renewal timeline calculator and the full show-cause filing procedure, including how to re-record liens after renewal.

See more Tennessee guides →