If the court grants you a judgment for the debt owed to you (sometimes referred to as a judgment creditor), that does not automatically mean you will get the money owed to you. You will need to take steps in order to try and collect the money owed to you. Texas law provides a few different ways in which you can try and collect the debt. Check out the following subpages to learn more about the different options available. For those who have a judgment against them for a debt that is owed (sometimes referred to as a judgment debtor), check out our Debt Collection research guide for resources on your rights as a debtor.
To learn more about the ways someone can try and collect on a money judgment in Texas, see the following subpages:
For creditors who want to try and collect on a judgment issued by a court from another state or foreign country, they must first have their foreign judgment "domesticated" here in Texas. Once domesticated, they may then try to collect the debt owed to them with the methods discussed below. See the resources below for more information.
Judgments awarded in Texas to a non-government creditor are generally valid for ten years but they can be renewed for longer. If a judgment is not renewed, it will become dormant.
You can attempt to revive a dormant judgment in order to continue to try and collect the debt. However, you generally only have two years in which to try and revive a dormant judgment. See the resources below for more information.
You can borrow the e-books below with your library account. Don't have a library account? Texas residents can register for a library account online! Learn more about how to register online.
These print books are not available online. They are available at the Texas State Law Library in Austin. If you can't visit the library in person, these books might be available at a law library near you or a public library near you.