Recording a Writ of Fi. Fa. on the General Execution Docket in Georgia

Getting a Fi. Fa. Is Only the First Step

You request a Writ of Fieri Facias from the Magistrate Court clerk after winning your judgment, but the writ alone does not create a lien on anything. The Fi. Fa. only becomes enforceable against the debtor's real property once it is recorded on the General Execution Docket, maintained by the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the debtor owns property.

The statutory fee to issue a Fi. Fa. from Magistrate Court is $4 under O.C.G.A. § 15-10-80(c). Recording it on the GED costs a separate $25 filing fee at the Superior Court Clerk's office (O.C.G.A. § 9-12-81). These are two distinct transactions at two different offices, and both must happen for the lien to take effect.

What the General Execution Docket Does

The GED is the county-level public record where all execution writs — including writs of fieri facias — are indexed. When a clerk enters your Fi. Fa. on the docket, three things happen:

• The Fi. Fa. becomes a recorded lien against all real property the debtor owns in that county.
• The recorded lien remains attached to the debtor's land or home and can appear in title searches when the debtor sells or refinances.
• The Fi. Fa. also attaches to personal property within the county, though enforcing that priority typically requires physical seizure by a sheriff or marshal.

The Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA at gsccca.org) maintains a statewide index that helps you research property records across counties. A lien is created by recording on the GED in each county where you want it to attach; one county's recording does not create a lien in every county.

How to Record in Multiple Counties

A single GED recording only covers property in that one county. Georgia has 159 counties, and a debtor who owns a rental property in Chatham County and a primary home in Gwinnett County requires two separate recordings.

The process for multi-county recording:

1. Request a certified copy of the Fi. Fa. from the Magistrate Court that issued it.
2. Take or mail the certified copy to the Clerk of Superior Court in the target county.
3. Pay the $25 recording fee at each additional county.

Each recording creates an independent lien against property in that county. If you are unsure where the debtor owns property, the GSCCCA's online real property search can help identify counties with recorded deeds in the debtor's name.

Timing and Priority

Record the Fi. Fa. as soon as the enforcement window opens — after 10 days for a contested judgment, or immediately for a default judgment. Recording establishes the lien in that county; existing mortgages, tax liens, security interests, and other priority rules can affect what you recover.

Senior mortgages, tax liens, and security interests filed before your Fi. Fa. recording also take priority. The lien does not guarantee full recovery — it secures your position in line.

Keeping the Lien Active

A recorded Fi. Fa. does not last forever. Under O.C.G.A. § 9-12-60, a Georgia judgment becomes dormant seven years after entry if no Writ of Fi. Fa. is issued and recorded on the GED, or seven years after the last recorded execution entry. To prevent dormancy, re-record the Fi. Fa. on the GED before the seven-year mark. Each re-recording resets the clock and keeps the lien enforceable.

If you let the lien go dormant, you have a three-year revival window (years 7 through 10). After 10 years without revival, the judgment expires permanently.

Costs and Records

Track each Fi. Fa. issuance, GED recording, and certified-copy expense, but do not assume every charge automatically increases the debtor's balance. Advanced levy costs are recoverable from sale proceeds; other costs need separate authority before you add them to the amount sought.

The Georgia Small Claims Judgment Collection Guide walks through the full recording process step by step, including how to track costs on a balance ledger and what to do if the debtor's property is in a county different from where you filed your case.

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