Upon the written request of the holder of a judgment awarding possession of property, the clerk shall issue a writ directing the sheriff to place that party in possession of the property. The request shall be accompanied by instructions to the sheriff specifying (a) the judgment, (b) the property and its location, and (c) the party to whom the judgment awards possession. The clerk shall transmit the writ and the instructions to the sheriff. When a judgment awards possession of property or the payment of its value, in the alternative, the instructions shall also specify the value of the property, and the writ shall direct the sheriff to levy upon real or personal property of the judgment debtor to satisfy the judgment if the specified property cannot be found. When the judgment awards possession of real property located partly in the county where the judgment is entered and partly in an adjoining county, the sheriff may execute the writ as to all of the property.
Rule 3-647.Enforcement of judgment awarding possession
District Court · Last amended January 1, 2014 · Last verified July 13, 2026
In one sentenceRule 3-647 lets the holder of a judgment awarding possession get a writ directing the sheriff to put that party in possession of the property.
Full Text of Rule 3-647
Amendment History
Amended Apr. 7, 1986, effective July 1, 1986; amended Nov. 21, 2013, effective Jan. 1, 2014.
Committee Note & Source
Source. This Rule is new.
Plain-English Summary
When a judgment awards someone possession of property, Rule 3-647 supplies the mechanism for making it real: a written request to the clerk, accompanied by instructions identifying the judgment, the property and where it is, and who the judgment says gets possession. The clerk issues the writ and sends it, with the instructions, to the sheriff, who carries it out.
Some judgments award possession or, in the alternative, payment of the property's value. For those, the instructions also state the value, and the writ directs the sheriff to levy on the debtor's real or personal property if the specific item awarded can't be located — converting a possession judgment into an ordinary money-collection remedy when the property itself isn't there to hand over. And if the real property in question straddles two adjoining counties, the sheriff isn't limited to acting within one county's borders; the writ can be executed as to the whole property.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the sheriff do with a writ under this rule?
Places the party the judgment names in possession of the property described in the instructions that accompany the writ.
What happens if the sheriff can't find the specific property?
When the judgment awarded possession or payment of the property's value in the alternative, the writ directs the sheriff to levy on the debtor's real or personal property to satisfy the judgment instead.
Does this rule apply to real property that crosses a county line?
Yes. If the property awarded is located partly in the county where the judgment was entered and partly in an adjoining county, the sheriff may execute the writ as to all of 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
Also known as: writ to recover possession of propertysheriff enforce possession judgmentjudgment awarding possession marylandpossession writ district court