how to record judgments in arizona
So, you want to know how to record a judgment? Courts do not report judgments to credit agencies. However, landlords may report the judgment to the credit bureaus.
An Arizona judgment is a matter of public record, but the only way to guarantee the judgment shows up on their credit report is to record it with the relevant county recorder. A recorded judgment will follow the debtor until it is paid or until it expires.
It is important to note that a new Arizona law which took effect September 24, 2022 requires that eviction records be sealed when: the court enters an order dismissing the case prior to a judgment, the court enters a judgment in favor of the tenant, or the landlord and tenant stipulate to set aside the judgment. A Motion to Set Aside and Seal must be filed with the court to start the process.
certified judgment and superior court
In Arizona, most residential evictions judgments are obtained in a Justice Court. In order to record the judgment, it will have to be certified in Justice Court, sent to Superior Court to receive a new case number and be certified, and then sent to the county recorder to be recorded. Each step requires a filing fee – as of now, the total is just over $100.
The judgment will remain on the credit report until it gets paid off, or for as long as the judgment is valid, which is 10 years. Before that time expires, you can renew the judgment with another 10 years. The Judgment Renewal Affidavit will need to be filed with the Court and also recorded with the County. In fact, any court document that affects the status of the judgment will need to be recorded once the initial judgment is recorded. This includes a Satisfaction of Judgment. You can get into trouble if you fail to satisfy a judgment once it has been paid off, especially if that judgment is on a credit report.
So, to sum up, here are the main things to know about a recording a judgment:
- The only way to ensure a judgment shows up on a credit report is to record it;
- If the judgment gets paid off, you MUST file a Satisfaction of Judgment with the court AND with the county recorder;
- If not paid off, the judgment will remain on the credit report for 10 years, and 10 more if it is renewed.
If you have questions about recording an Arizona judgment against a judgment debtor then contact the Dunaway Law Group at 480-702-1608 or message us HERE.
* The information provided is informational only, does not constitute legal advice, and will not create an attorney-client or attorney-prospective client relationship. Additionally, the Dunaway Law Group, PLC limits its practice to the states of Arizona and New York.
