A transcript of any judgment or decree rendered in a circuit or district court of the United States within the State of Nebraska, may be filed in the office of the clerk of the district court in any county in this state. Such transcript, when so filed and entered on the judgment index, shall be a lien on the property of the debtor in any county in which such transcript is so filed, in the same manner and under the same conditions only as if such judgment or decree had been rendered by the district court of such county. Such transcript shall at no time have a greater validity or effect than the original judgment. The lands and tenements of the debtor within the county where the judgment is entered shall be bound for the satisfaction thereof from the day on which such judgment is rendered without the filing of a transcript. Orders reviving dormant judgments shall become liens upon the lands and tenements of the judgment debtor only when such order is entered on the judgment index in the same manner as an original judgment.
§ 25-1305.Federal court judgment; transcript to other county; effect.
Article 13: Judgments · Last amended 2018 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceThis section lets a party file a transcript of a federal court judgment rendered in Nebraska in any county’s district court to create a property lien there, while confirming that a judgment already binds land in its home county from the day it is rendered, without needing a transcript.
Full Text of § 25-1305
Source
Laws 1889, c. 30, § 1, p. 377; R.S.1913, § 7998; C.S.1922, § 8939; Laws 1929, c. 83, § 1, p. 332; C.S.1929, § 20-1305; R.S.1943, § 25-1305; Laws 2018, LB193, § 20.
Plain-English Summary
Section 25-1305 does for federal judgments what § 25-1303 does for Nebraska district court judgments. A transcript of a judgment or decree rendered in a federal circuit or district court within Nebraska may be filed with the clerk of the district court in any county in the state. Once filed and entered on the judgment index, it becomes a lien on the debtor’s property in that county, under the same manner and conditions as if a Nebraska district court in that county had rendered the judgment. As with § 25-1303, the transcript can never carry any greater validity or effect than the original federal judgment.
The section also clarifies something about liens that does not depend on filing a transcript at all: the debtor’s land and tenements within the county where the judgment is entered are bound for its satisfaction from the day the judgment is rendered, with no transcript required for that county. A transcript is only needed to reach property in other counties.
Finally, the section addresses revived judgments. When a dormant judgment is revived, the revival order becomes a lien on the debtor’s land only once that order is entered on the judgment index in the same way an original judgment would be. Reviving a judgment does not automatically restore its lien status until that entry happens.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a federal court judgment create a property lien in Nebraska?
Yes. Section 25-1305 lets a party file a transcript of a federal circuit or district court judgment rendered in Nebraska with any county’s district court clerk, creating a lien there once filed and indexed.
Do I need to file a transcript to get a lien in the county where the judgment itself was rendered?
No. The statute states the debtor’s land in that county is bound for the judgment’s satisfaction from the day the judgment is rendered, without any transcript being filed.
Does a transcript of a federal judgment carry more weight than the original?
No. Section 25-1305 states the transcript shall at no time have a greater validity or effect than the original judgment.
What happens to the lien when a dormant judgment is revived?
The order reviving the dormant judgment becomes a lien on the debtor’s land only once it is entered on the judgment index the same way an original judgment is — revival alone does not restore lien status.
Does this section cover state court judgments from other states?
No. It addresses judgments and decrees rendered in a circuit or district court of the United States within Nebraska, not judgments from other states’ courts.
How is this different from § 25-1303?
Section 25-1303 covers transcribing a Nebraska district court judgment to another county; § 25-1305 covers the same transcript mechanism for federal court judgments rendered within Nebraska.
Source & verification. Section text and the amendment-history citation are
reproduced verbatim from the Nebraska Legislature, Revisor of Statutes, enacted by the
Nebraska Legislature. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
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