Paul, I don't know if anyone from Washington State replied to you yet,
but it looks like in WA the maximum limitation is 20 years (with perhaps
one or two exceptions).  See subsection (7) on the webpage linked below.

 http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=6.17.020

Andrew Penta
Records Officer
Records Management Division,
Clark County General Services Dept. 
ext. 4009, or (360) 397-2191
e-mail:  [log in to unmask]

-----Original Message-----
From: Records Management Program [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Scott, Paul (FPM)
Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2006 1:53 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [RM] State Laws Limiting Periods That JP & Small Claims Court
Judgments are Enforceable

Esteemed Colleagues,

This question is directed primarily at local government and law firm
records managers and is asked on behalf of myself and an assistant
county attorney (who are trying to avoid researching up to 49 sets of
state codes).

We are asking your help in identifying statutes in other U. S. states
that limit how long a monetary judgment issued by a Justice of the Peace
or Small Claims Court can be EXTENDED or how long those case files must
be retained.

Judgments are enforceable for a limited period (typically 10-years) but
at least in Texas can be extended 10-years at a time into perpetuity by
obtaining a new writ of execution or abstract of judgments before the
old one expires; and this necessitates the retention of those case files
indefinitely.  So, to repeat the question, do other states have
limitations on how many times a court judgment can be revived?

Paul R. Scott, CA, CRM
Records Management Officer
Harris County, TX

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