Lands, tenements, goods and chattels, not exempt by law, shall be subject to the payment of debts, and shall be liable to be taken on execution and sold as hereinafter provided.
§ 25-1503.Property subject to levy and sale.
Article 15: Execution, Exemptions, and Foreign Judgments · Not amended since original codification · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceThis section states the general rule that a debtor’s land, buildings, goods, and personal belongings — except property the law specifically exempts — can be taken on execution and sold to pay a debt.
Full Text of § 25-1503
Source
R.S.1867, Code § 476, p. 472; R.S.1913, § 8044; C.S.1922, § 8985; C.S.1929, § 20-1503; R.S.1943, § 25-1503.
Plain-English Summary
Section 25-1503 sets the broad boundary for what a creditor can reach. Lands, tenements, goods, and chattels not exempt by law are subject to the payment of debts and can be seized on execution and sold. The phrase “not exempt by law” is doing real work here: it points to a separate body of exemption statutes that shield certain property — homesteads, tools of a trade, and other categories — from being taken no matter how large the judgment.
Read together with the rest of Article 15, this section is the starting premise, not the full picture. It tells a creditor that debtor property is generally fair game, while the exemption laws referenced elsewhere in the article, and the notice-and-hearing procedure a debtor can use to claim them, carve out what cannot be touched.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kinds of property can be taken to satisfy a judgment in Nebraska?
Lands, tenements, goods, and chattels belonging to the debtor, so long as the specific property is not exempt by law.
Does this mean a creditor can take absolutely everything a debtor owns?
No. The section itself carves out property that is exempt by law, which is why a debtor gets a chance to claim exemptions before nonexempt property is sold.
What does “not exempt by law” refer to?
It points to Nebraska’s exemption statutes, which protect specific categories of property from execution regardless of the judgment amount.
Does this section cover real estate as well as personal property?
Yes. It lists lands and tenements alongside goods and chattels, covering both real and personal property.
Where does the actual seizure and sale process happen?
This section states the general rule of what is subject to execution; the procedures for levy and sale appear in the sections that follow it in this article.
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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