Q: Has my renewed 2004 Texas civil judgment expired?

A: This question is governed by statute:

(a) If a writ of execution is not issued within 10 years after the rendition of a judgment of a court of record or a justice court, the judgment is dormant and execution may not be issued on the judgment unless it is revived.

(b) If a writ of execution is issued within 10 years after rendition of a judgment but a second writ is not issued within 10 years after issuance of the first writ, the judgment becomes dormant. A second writ may be issued at any time within 10 years after issuance of the first writ.

(c) This section does not apply to a judgment for child support under the Family Code.

Credits

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 959, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1985. Amended by Acts 2009, 81st Leg., ch. 767, § 31, eff. June 19, 2009.

Editors' Notes

Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. § 34.001 (West)

A: In Texas, a civil judgment is valid for **10 years** from the date it was signed, but it can be renewed for another 10 years if an abstract of judgment is properly filed and renewed before it expires. If your judgment from 2004 was renewed in 2014, that renewal likely extended its enforceability **until 2024**, assuming all the required steps were followed.

If no further renewal or action was taken before that second 10-year window closed, then the judgment has likely **expired** and is no longer enforceable as of 2024. Once a judgment expires, you generally lose the right to collect through the court, including through liens, garnishments, or other enforcement tools. However, it’s always wise to confirm whether a **renewal or abstract of judgment** was filed again before expiration.

To be sure, you can check with the **county clerk’s office** where the judgment was recorded to see if it’s still listed as active. If nothing was done to extend it again before the deadline, it’s most likely no longer valid. You’ve already waited a long time, and now is the right time to close the loop on it.