§ 9-12-66.Venue of action to renew judgment

Renewing a dormant judgment by action, rather than by scire facias, has its own venue rule, and this section supplies it. The action belongs in the county where the defendant in judgment resides, and residence is measured as of the commencement of the renewal action — not where the defendant lived when the original judgment was entered, and not where the underlying lawsuit was originally filed.

That timing detail matters because people move. A defendant who resided in one county when the original judgment was entered may have relocated by the time dormancy sets in and the creditor wants to renew. This section directs the creditor to file where the defendant is found now, at the moment the renewal action begins, rather than chasing an outdated address tied to the earlier proceeding.

This venue rule applies specifically to the action route for renewal. The companion sections in this article addressing scire facias set their own rules for where that writ issues and returns, tied instead to the county where the original judgment was obtained.