Satisfaction of Judgment Oregon: How to File When a Judgment Is Paid

Once a debtor has paid an Oregon money award in full, the judgment creditor must provide and file a satisfaction. ORS 18.225 governs satisfactions generally; ORS 18.162(3) adds the lien-record requirements for justice and municipal court judgments.

If the debtor cannot otherwise obtain a satisfaction document, the debtor may move under ORS 18.235. If the creditor fails to file within 10 days after receiving a written request, the court may award attorney fees under the statute unless the failure was not the creditor's fault.

What a Satisfaction of Judgment Does

Filing and recording a satisfaction documents that the money award has been partially or fully paid, as stated in the document. It:

• Releases a recorded judgment lien in the county where the satisfaction is recorded
• Updates the court record to show the money award has been satisfied

It does not delete the court case or guarantee that the judgment will be removed from a credit report.

When to File

File the satisfaction after the debtor has paid the full amount owed. "Full amount" means:

• The original judgment principal
• Post-judgment interest, generally at 9% per year under ORS 82.010; a judgment may specify another accrual date, and a contract rate above 9% applies to a judgment on that contract
• Court costs and enforcement fees included in the money award or otherwise authorized as recoverable

If the debtor paid through wage garnishment over several months, wait until cumulative payments satisfy the total balance including accrued interest before filing.

Partial Satisfaction

If the debtor has paid part of the judgment but not all of it, you can file a partial satisfaction to reduce the recorded balance. This is useful when you've recovered money through garnishment or voluntary payments and want to keep the judgment active for the remaining amount while acknowledging what's already been paid.

How to File a Circuit Court Satisfaction

The Oregon Judicial Department provides a Satisfaction of Judgment form. Here's the process:

1. Calculate the final balance — confirm that total payments received cover the judgment principal plus all accrued interest and recoverable costs
2. Complete the form — identify the case number, parties, court, and date of original judgment entry. State whether the satisfaction is full or partial
3. File with the court — submit the completed satisfaction to the trial court administrator of the court that entered the judgment
4. Deliver the satisfaction to the debtor as required by ORS 18.225

If the judgment was recorded in the County Clerk Lien Record of another county, ORS 18.225 requires you to deliver the debtor a full satisfaction document for each county where the judgment was recorded. The debtor may record a certified copy in the county lien record to release the recorded lien.

Justice and Municipal Court Judgment Liens

Under ORS 18.162(3), when a justice or municipal court judgment is fully satisfied, file the satisfaction in any circuit court to which the judgment was transcribed, record it in the County Clerk Lien Record if a certified copy or lien abstract was recorded there, and deliver the debtor an executed satisfaction for any other county where a certified copy or lien abstract was recorded.

What If You Recorded a Lien in Multiple Counties

Oregon creditors can extend their judgment lien to real property in other counties by recording an Abstract of Judgment or certified copy in each county's Clerk Lien Record under ORS 18.152. If you did this, filing a satisfaction only in the court of entry does not replace the duty to deliver a satisfaction document for each county where the judgment was recorded.

Deliver the debtor a satisfaction document for every county where you recorded the judgment. A certified satisfaction may also be recorded in each county's lien record to release the recorded lien.

What Happens If You Don't File

If you receive full payment and the debtor cannot otherwise obtain the satisfaction, the debtor may move under ORS 18.235 to compel compliance. The court may award attorney fees under the conditions in that statute.

Meanwhile, the unreleased judgment lien can block the debtor from selling or refinancing real property, creating real financial harm that you could be held responsible for.

Tracking Payments Before Filing

If the debtor is paying in installments or through garnishment, keep a running ledger of every payment received. Record the date, amount, and how you applied it (first to court-authorized costs, then to accrued interest, then to principal). Oregon's default 9% annual interest rate means the balance changes every day; apply any judgment-specified accrual date or contract rate above 9% when relevant.

The Oregon Judgment Collection Guide includes a judgment balance tracker worksheet designed for exactly this — logging payments, calculating running interest, and knowing when the total owed reaches zero so you can file the satisfaction with confidence.

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