How Long Does a Judicial Mortgage Last in Louisiana?

A judicial mortgage in Louisiana does not last forever, and the clock starts running from a date that surprises many creditors — the date the judgment was signed, not the date you recorded it.

The 10-Year Rule

Under Louisiana Civil Code art. 3359, a judicial mortgage is effective for 10 years from the date of the judgment. If the judge signed your judgment on March 15, 2026, your judicial mortgage expires on March 15, 2036 — regardless of when you actually filed the certified copy with the parish clerk.

This means that if you wait two years to record the judgment, you have already lost two years of lien coverage. Recording promptly matters.

Reinscription Before Expiration

If 10 years is not enough — and for judgment-proof debtors who may acquire property slowly, it often is not — you can extend the judicial mortgage by filing a Notice of Reinscription with the Clerk of Court before the 10-year period expires.

Reinscription is not automatic. You must affirmatively file the notice in every parish where the judicial mortgage is recorded. If you miss the deadline, the lien expires and you lose your secured position against other creditors and subsequent purchasers of the property.

The Judgment Also Has a 10-Year Clock

The judicial mortgage's life is tied to the underlying judgment, which also prescribes after 10 years under Louisiana Civil Code art. 3501. You can revive the judgment before it prescribes by filing an ex parte motion under La. C.C.P. art. 2031. A revived judgment is enforceable for another 10 years.

If you let the judgment prescribe without reviving it, the judicial mortgage becomes unenforceable regardless of whether you reinscribed it. Both clocks need to be managed.

What Happens When the Mortgage Expires

Once the 10-year period passes without reinscription:

• The lien ceases to encumber the debtor's property
• Subsequent purchasers take the property free of your claim
• Other creditors who recorded after you now have priority over you
• You cannot retroactively reinstate the lien

The judgment itself may still be alive (if you revived it), so you could record a new judicial mortgage — but it would only have priority from the new recording date, not the original one. Any liens recorded in the gap take priority ahead of you.

Practical Timeline for a Small Claims Creditor

For a typical small claims judgment under $5,000, the 10-year window is more than enough time for most debtors' circumstances to change. People get jobs, buy houses, sell property, inherit assets. The judicial mortgage ensures you are positioned to collect when that happens.

Set a calendar reminder for year 9 — that gives you a comfortable window to file the reinscription and the revival motion if needed. Both are relatively simple filings, but missing the deadline has permanent consequences.

For the full judicial mortgage process from initial recording through reinscription and eventual cancellation, see our Louisiana Judgment Collection Guide.

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