Title VII: Judgment · Last amended July 1, 2016 · Last verified July 14, 2026
(Adopted March 1, 2016, effective July 1, 2016.)
Once a judgment has been paid off completely, the person who won it cannot walk away. Rule 58.1 obligates that party to file a satisfaction of judgment with the court that entered it, formally telling the record that the debt has been resolved. This protects the paying party from having an old, satisfied judgment linger on the books and cause problems later, such as with credit or property titles.
Because a judgment or an abstract of it may have been recorded in multiple counties, for example to create a lien on real property, the satisfaction must be recorded in every county where that happened, not just where the case was filed. The satisfaction must also carry the signature of the winning party or that party's attorney, so there is no doubt about who is confirming payment.
As soon as the judgment has been paid in full, the party who won it must file a satisfaction of judgment with the court where the judgment was entered.
Yes. It must also be recorded in every county where the judgment or an abstract of the judgment was recorded, since that is where any lien tied to the judgment lives.
Either the party in whose favor the judgment was entered, or that party's attorney, may sign it.
It clears the public record so that a paid-off judgment no longer appears as an outstanding debt or lien, protecting the paying party from lingering collection problems or title issues.
The judgment may continue to appear as unresolved on the record, potentially clouding property titles or credit reports, until the required satisfaction is filed and recorded.