Rule 3-645.Garnishment of property — Generally

District Court · Last amended July 1, 2026 · Last verified July 13, 2026

This rule prints two full, separately-dated versions in the official compilation (a pending-amendment straddle); both are shown below.

In one sentenceRule 3-645 sets the process for garnishing a judgment debtor's property in the hands of a third party — everything but wages and charged partnership interests — from issuing the writ through the garnishee's answer to how the writ finally terminates.

Full Text of Rule 3-645

Text sizeEffective until July 1, 2026 — jump to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (j) (k) (l)

Effective July 1, 2026 — jump to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (j) (k) (l)

Rule 3-645. Garnishment of property — Generally — Effective until July 1, 2026

(a) Availability. — Subject to the provisions of Rule 3-645.1, this Rule governs garnishment of any property of the judgment debtor, other than wages subject to Rule 3-646 and a partnership interest subject to a charging order, in the hands of a third person for the purpose of satisfying a money judgment. Property includes any debt owed to the judgment debtor, whether immediately payable or unmatured.

(b) Issuance of writ. — The judgment creditor may obtain issuance of a writ of garnishment by filing in the same action in which the judgment was entered a request that contains (1) the caption of the action, (2) the amount owed under the judgment, (3) the name and last known address of each judgment debtor with respect to whom a writ is requested, and (4) the name and address of the garnishee. Upon the filing of the request, the clerk shall issue a writ of garnishment directed to the garnishee.

(1) contain the information in the request, the name and address of the person requesting the writ, and the date of issue,

(2) direct the garnishee to hold, subject to further proceedings or to termination of the writ, the property of each judgment debtor in the possession of the garnishee at the time of service of the writ and all property of each debtor that may come into the garnishee’s possession after service of the writ,

(3) notify the garnishee of the time within which the answer must be filed and that failure to do so may result in judgment by default against the garnishee,

(4) notify the judgment debtor and garnishee that federal and state exemptions may be available,

(5) notify the judgment debtor of the right to contest the garnishment by filing a motion asserting a defense or objection, and

(6) notify the judgment debtor that, if the garnishee files an answer pursuant to section (e) of this Rule and no further filings concerning the writ of garnishment are made with the court within 120 days following the filing of the answer, the garnishee may file a notice of intent to terminate the writ of garnishment pursuant to subsection (k)(2) of this Rule.

(d) Service. — The writ shall be served on the garnishee in the manner provided by Chapter 100 of this Title for service of process to obtain personal jurisdiction and may be served in or outside the county. Promptly after service upon the garnishee, the person making service shall mail a copy of the writ to the judgment debtor’s last known address. Proof of service and mailing shall be filed as provided in Rule 3-126. Subsequent pleadings and papers shall be served on the creditor, debtor, and garnishee in the manner provided by Rule 1-321.

(e) Answer of garnishee. — The garnishee shall file an answer within 30 days after service of the writ. The answer shall admit or deny that the garnishee is indebted to the judgment debtor or has possession of property of the judgment debtor and shall specify the amount and nature of any debt and describe any property. The garnishee may assert any defense that the garnishee may have to the garnishment, as well as any defense that the judgment debtor could assert. After answering, the garnishee may pay any garnished indebtedness into court and may deliver to the sheriff any garnished property, which shall then be treated as if levied upon by the sheriff. A garnishee who has filed an answer admitting indebtedness to the judgment debtor or possession of property of the judgment debtor is not required to file an amended answer solely because of an increase in the garnishee’s indebtedness to the judgment debtor or the garnishee’s receipt of additional property of the debtor.

(f) When no answer filed. — If the garnishee fails to file a timely answer, the judgment creditor may proceed pursuant to Rule 3-509 for a judgment by default against the garnishee.

(g) When answer filed. — If the garnishee files a timely answer, the matters set forth in the answer shall be treated as established for the purpose of the garnishment proceeding unless the judgment creditor files a reply contesting the answer within 30 days after its service. If a timely reply is not filed, the court may enter judgment upon request of the judgment creditor, the judgment debtor, or the garnishee. If a timely reply is filed to the answer of the garnishee, the matter shall proceed as if it were an original action between the judgment creditor as plaintiff and the garnishee as defendant and shall be governed by the rules applicable to civil actions.

(h) Interrogatories to garnishee. — The judgment creditor may serve interrogatories directed to the garnishee pursuant to Rule 3-421. The interrogatories shall contain a notice to the garnishee that, unless answers are served within 30 days after service of the interrogatories or within the time for filing an answer to the writ, whichever is later, the garnishee may be held in contempt of court. The interrogatories shall also inform the garnishee that the garnishee must file a notice with the court pursuant to Rule 3-401 (b). If the garnishee fails to serve timely answers to interrogatories, the court, upon petition of the judgment creditor and proof of service of the interrogatories, may enter an order in compliance with Rule 15-206 treating the failure to answer as a contempt and may require the garnishee to pay reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.

(i) Release of property; claim by third person. — Before entry of judgment, the judgment debtor may seek release of the garnished property in accordance with Rule 3-643, except that a motion under Rule 3- 643 (d) shall be filed within 30 days after service of the writ of garnishment on the garnishee. Before entry of judgment, a third person claimant of the garnished property may proceed in accordance with Rule 3-643 (e).

(j) Judgment. — The judgment against the garnishee shall be for the amount admitted plus any amount that has come into the hands of the garnishee after service of the writ and before the judgment is entered, but not to exceed the amount owed under the creditor’s judgment against the debtor and enforcement costs.

(k) Termination of writ. —

(1) Upon Entry of Judgment. — Upon entry of a judgment against the garnishee pursuant to section (j) of this Rule, the writ of garnishment and the lien created by the writ shall terminate and the garnishee shall be under no obligation to hold any additional property of the debtor that may come into its possession after the judgment was entered.

(2) By the Garnishee. — If the garnishee has filed an answer and no further filing concerning the writ of garnishment is made within 120 days after the filing of the answer, the garnishee may file, at any time more than 120 days after the filing of the answer, a notice of intent to terminate the writ of garnishment. The notice shall (A) contain a statement that a party may object to termination of the writ by filing a response within 30 days after service of the notice and (B) be served on the judgment debtor and the judgment creditor. If no response is filed within 30 days after service of the notice, the garnishee may file a termination of the garnishment, which shall release the garnishee from any further obligation to hold any property of the debtor.

(l) Statement of satisfaction. — Upon satisfaction by the garnishee of a judgment entered against it pursuant to section (j) of this Rule, the judgment creditor shall file a statement of satisfaction setting forth the amount paid. If the judgment creditor fails to file the statement of satisfaction, the garnishee may proceed under Rule 3-626.

Rule 3-645. Garnishment of property — Generally — Effective July 1, 2026

(1) contain the information in the request, the name and address of the person requesting the writ, and the date of issue;

(3) notify the garnishee of the time within which the answer must be filed and that the failure to do so may result in judgment by default against the garnishee;

(4) notify the judgment debtor and garnishee that federal and state exemptions may be available, and that up to an aggregate amount of $500 in deposit accounts of the debtor held by a depository institution pursuant to Code, Courts Article, § 11-504 is exempt from execution without the necessity of an election by the debtor;

(5) notify the judgment debtor of the right to contest the garnishment by filing a motion asserting a defense or objection; and

(f) When no answer filed. — If the garnishee fails to file a timely answer, the judgment creditor may proceed pursuant to Rule 3-509 for a judgment by default against the garnishee.

(k) Termination of writ. —

Amendment History

Effective until July 1, 2026

Amended Apr. 7, 1986, effective July 1, 1986; Mar. 22, 1991, effective July 1, 1991; June 7, 1994, effective Oct. 1, 1994; June 5, 1996, effective Jan. 1, 1997; Dec. 10, 1996, effective July 1, 1997; Nov. 12, 2003, effective Jan. 1, 2004; April 21, 2011, effective May 1, 2011; November 19, 2019, effective January 1, 2020.

Effective July 1, 2026

Committee Note & Source

Effective until July 1, 2026

Committee note. A writ of garnishment may direct a garnishee to hold the property of more than one judgment debtor if the name and address of each judgment debtor whose property is sought to be attached is stated in the writ.

Committee note. The methods of termination of a writ of garnishment provided in section (k) of this Rule are not exclusive. Section (k) does not preclude a garnishee or other party from filing a motion for a court order terminating a writ of garnishment on any other appropriate basis.

Source. This Rule is derived as follows: Section (a) is new but is consistent with former M.D.R. G47 a and G50 a. Section (b) is new. Section (c) is new. Section (d) is in part derived from former M.D.R. F6 c and 104 a (iii) and is in part new. Section (e) is in part new and in part derived from former M.D.R. G52 a and b. Section (f) is new. Section (g) is new. Section (h) is derived from former M.D.R. G56. Section (i) is new. Section (j) is new. Section (k) is new. Section (l) is new.

Effective July 1, 2026

Plain-English Summary

Rule 3-645 covers garnishment of property — including debts owed to the debtor, whether due now or later — that sits in someone else's hands. It doesn't reach wages, which Rule 3-646 handles separately, or a partnership interest under a charging order. Garnishment of a financial-institution account also has to satisfy Rule 3-645.1's added protections for federal benefit payments. To start, the creditor files a request with the caption, the amount owed, the debtor's name and last known address, and the garnishee's name and address; the clerk then issues the writ. The writ has to tell the garnishee to hold the debtor's property — both what it already has and what comes in later — and it has to warn the garnishee about the answer deadline and default risk, notify both debtor and garnishee that exemptions may be available, tell the debtor how to contest the garnishment, and explain the 120-day rule that lets a garnishee eventually walk away from the writ.

The garnishee serves the writ like any other process for personal jurisdiction, then promptly mails a copy to the debtor. It has 30 days to answer, admitting or denying the debt or property and describing what it holds; it can raise its own defenses or any defense the debtor could raise. If it never answers, the creditor can seek a default judgment under Rule 3-509. If it does answer, the answer's contents are treated as established unless the creditor files a reply contesting it within 30 days — and if that happens, the dispute plays out like an ordinary civil case between creditor and garnishee. The creditor can also serve interrogatories, and a debtor or third party who wants the property released can move under Rule 3-643 — though a debtor's motion to elect an exemption specifically has a 30-day deadline running from service on the garnishee; the debtor's other release grounds and a third party's claim carry no such deadline.

Judgment against the garnishee is capped at what it admitted holding plus anything that came in before judgment, up to the total the creditor is owed. Once that judgment is entered, the writ and its lien terminate automatically. A garnishee can also end things on its own: if 120 days pass after its answer with no further filings, it can give notice of intent to terminate, and if nobody objects within 30 days, it can file the termination and walk away from any further obligation to hold the debtor's property.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of property can be garnished under this rule?

Any property of the debtor in a third party's hands, including debts owed to the debtor whether or not they're due yet. Wages are handled separately under Rule 3-646, and a partnership interest reached by a charging order falls outside this rule too.

How long does the garnishee have to answer the writ?

30 days after being served. The answer has to admit or deny holding the debtor's property or owing a debt, and describe the property or debt involved.

What if the garnishee never files an answer?

The creditor can move for a default judgment against the garnishee under Rule 3-509.

Can the debtor fight the garnishment?

Yes. The writ itself has to notify the debtor of the right to contest it by filing a motion raising a defense or objection. A debtor electing to exempt property under Rule 3-643(d) must do so within 30 days of service on the garnishee; the debtor’s other grounds for release carry no fixed deadline.

How does a garnishment eventually end?

Two ways. Entering judgment against the garnishee automatically terminates the writ and its lien. Or, if the garnishee has answered and 120 days pass with no further filings, it can give notice of intent to terminate, and file the termination if no one objects within 30 days.

Is there anything changing about this rule in 2026?

A version of the rule effective July 1, 2026 adds language to the required writ notice telling the debtor and garnishee that up to $500 in a deposit account is automatically exempt from garnishment under Courts Article § 11-504, without the debtor having to claim it.

Source & verification. Rule text, Committee Note, Source note, and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Maryland Rules, adopted by the Supreme Court of Maryland. Last verified July 13, 2026. · Official source

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