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North Dakota · LiensNorth Dakota judgment liens: docketing, the 2021 change to twenty years and the homestead exception

In North Dakota a money judgment becomes a lien by docketing. The clerk dockets the judgment in the judgment docket of the county where it was rendered, and it can be docketed in any other county by filing a transcript there (N.D.C.C. §28-20-13(1)). A judgment docketed before August 1, 2021 is a lien on all the debtor's real property except the homestead in each county where docketed – including property acquired later – for ten years from docketing in the county of rendition (§28-20-13(2)); it can be renewed by the creditor's affidavit within the ninety days before the ten years run out (§28-20-21), which continues the lien for ten more years (§28-20-23). A judgment docketed after August 1, 2021 is a lien on the same property for twenty years (§28-20-13(3)). In every case the homestead is excepted.

What the statutes set

  1. Docketing (§28-20-13(1))

    In the county of judgment; elsewhere by filing a transcript.

  2. Before August 1, 2021 (§28-20-13(2))

    Ten years from docketing, renewable by affidavit (§§28-20-21, 28-20-23).

  3. After August 1, 2021 (§28-20-13(3))

    Twenty years from docketing.

  4. Homestead (§28-20-13)

    Excepted from the lien in every case.

What the TC does when a North Dakota title search shows a judgment

  • List each docketed judgment against the seller with its docketing date.
  • If the property is the seller's homestead, ask the title company how it treats the judgment.
  • Otherwise get a payoff and a recorded satisfaction for each lien before closing.

Questions about North Dakota judgment liens

How long does a North Dakota judgment lien last?

Twenty years for judgments docketed after August 1, 2021; ten years, renewable, for those docketed before (N.D.C.C. §28-20-13).

Does a North Dakota judgment lien attach to a homestead?

No. The lien covers the debtor's real property except the homestead (N.D.C.C. §28-20-13).

Related guides

Track each judgment payoff and satisfaction as tasks on the deal in ClosingCode.

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Sources: N.D.C.C. §§28-20-13, 28-20-21, 28-20-23 (ndlegis.gov), read October 31, 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.