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- 1). Contact the county clerk's office or your attorney and ask how soon after the court granted the judgment you can legally renew it. Although you must renew the judgment before it expires, some states impose a waiting period for creditors before they can renew their claims. In California, for example, after a creditor renews a judgment once, he must wait a minimum of five years before he can do so again.
- 2). Visit the courthouse. Explain to the clerk that you would like to renew a court judgment and need the appropriate forms with which to do so. Request an application for judgment renewal and, if your state requires that you notify the debtor that you are renewing the judgment, a notice of renewal form.
- 3). Fill out the judgment renewal application. You need basic information about the original case such as the case number, the debtor's name and address and the date your judgment was awarded. You must also include the remaining unpaid balance the debtor owes.
- 4). Fill out the notice of renewal if your state requires that you notify the debtor of the impending reinstatement. Like judgment renewal applications, notice of renewal forms often require the case number and other pertinent details about the original court case.
- 5). Make two copies of each completed form. This ensures that you can keep a copy of each form for your records while also providing the court and the debtor with documentation of the judgment renewal.
- 6). Serve the debtor with the original notice of renewal along with a copy of your judgment renewal application via a process server. After serving the debtor the paperwork, the process server will give you a proof of service document noting that the debtor was properly served. Attach the proof of service document to the original judgment renewal application.
- 7). Take the original judgment renewal application, a copy of the debtor's renewal notice and the proof of service document to the county clerk's office. The county clerk's office will then file your paperwork and reinstate your judgment for a subsequent enforcement period.
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