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Delaware · LiensDelaware judgment liens on real estate: the 10-year lien, renewal and loss

A Delaware judgment binds lands only from the time it is actually entered or signed (10 Del. C. §4702). A money judgment entered or recorded in the Superior Court – including one transferred there from another court – doesn't continue as a lien on real estate for longer than 10 years after the day of entry or recording, or, if the money wasn't yet due, after the day it became wholly due, unless within those 10 years the lien is renewed and continued by a written agreement signed by the plaintiff and the defendant, or by a writ of scire facias (§4711). Once the renewal is minuted and certified on the record, or final judgment on the scire facias is entered, the lien continues for a further 10 years, and it can be renewed again the same way as often as needed (§4712). After the 10-year term without renewal, the lien on real estate is lost and the real estate can't be seized by execution on that judgment (§4713).

What the statutes set

  1. Binding (§4702)

    From actual entry or signing of the judgment.

  2. Ten years (§4711)

    From entry or recording, or from when the money became due.

  3. Renewal (§§4711, 4712)

    Written agreement or scire facias; each renewal adds 10 years.

  4. Lost (§4713)

    No renewal: the lien is lost and the land can't be seized.

What the TC does when a Delaware title search shows a judgment

  • Confirm the judgment is against the seller and not someone with a similar name – the title company may accept an affidavit.
  • Request a payoff and a satisfaction or release, and list the payoff on the settlement statement.
  • Check the entry date and any renewal under Delaware law.

Questions about Delaware judgment liens

How long does a judgment lien last in Delaware?

Ten years from entry or recording, unless renewed within that time by written agreement or scire facias for further 10-year terms (10 Del. C. §§4711, 4712).

What happens to an old Delaware judgment lien that wasn't renewed?

After the 10-year term the lien on real estate is lost, and the real estate can't be seized by execution on that judgment (10 Del. C. §4713).

Related guides

Track judgment payoffs and releases as tasks on the deal in ClosingCode.

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Sources: 10 Del. C. §§4702, 4711, 4712, 4713 (delcode.delaware.gov), read October 30, 2026.

General information, not legal advice. ClosingCode is software; it is not a law firm or brokerage. This guide is not a substitute for the advice or services of an attorney.