Missouri · TitleMissouri judgment liens: which courts' judgments attach, ten years and the homestead

Judgments of the Missouri Supreme Court, federal courts held in the state, the court of appeals, the circuit courts and the probate divisions are liens on the real estate of the person they're entered against in the county where the court sits. Judgments of associate circuit divisions become liens only once filed with the circuit clerk, and small-claims and municipal judgments never become liens on real estate (RSMo 511.350). The lien reaches real estate acquired after the judgment as well as what the debtor owned, starts on the day the judgment is rendered and continues for ten years, subject to revival (RSMo 511.360). A judgment is presumed paid after ten years from its rendition, revival or last recorded payment (RSMo 516.350). A homestead – the dwelling, appurtenances and land used with it – is exempt from attachment and execution up to an aggregate value of $40,000, shared if more than one owner claims it, and one spouse alone can't sell or mortgage it (RSMo 513.475).