Short answer. The clerk of court enters satisfaction in the court docket and execution book once the writ of execution is returned showing full satisfaction, or once an admission of satisfaction, executed like a real-property conveyance, is filed or endorsed by the judgment obligee or counsel.

What the law says

Satisfaction of a judgment shall be entered by the clerk of court in the court docket, and in the execution book, upon the return of a writ of execution showing the full satisfaction of the judgment, or upon the filing of an admission to the satisfaction of the judgment executed and acknowledged in the same manner as a conveyance of real property by the judgment obligee or by his counsel unless a revocation of his authority is filed, or upon the endorsement of such admission by the judgment obligee or his counsel on the face of the record of the judgment.

Rule 39, Section 44 — Entry of satisfaction of judgment by clerk of court. Read the full provision →

Entry through the returned writ

Satisfaction of a judgment is entered by the clerk of court in the court docket, and also in the execution book, once a writ of execution is returned showing that the judgment has been fully satisfied. Where that return exists, the entry follows automatically from it. This is the most direct route, since the writ's return already documents, in the sheriff's own account, that the judgment has been paid. A judgment obligor who pays through the sheriff during execution typically does not need to take any further separate step to have the satisfaction recorded, since the return itself supplies the basis for the clerk's entry.

Entry through a filed admission, subject to a revocation caveat

Satisfaction may also be entered upon the filing of an admission of satisfaction, executed and acknowledged in the same manner required for a conveyance of real property, by the judgment obligee himself or by his counsel, unless a revocation of that counsel's authority to act has been filed with the court beforehand. Requiring the same formalities used for a real-property conveyance underscores how seriously the admission is treated, since it permanently closes out the judgment on record.

Alternative: endorsement directly on the record

As a further alternative, satisfaction may be entered upon the endorsement of that same admission by the judgment obligee or his counsel directly on the face of the record of the judgment, giving the parties more than one practical route to get the satisfaction formally recorded. Either the filed-admission route or this direct endorsement accomplishes the same end result of formally closing out the judgment as satisfied. This flexibility matters where payment happens directly between the parties, outside of a sheriff's execution, and there is accordingly no returned writ that could otherwise trigger the entry automatically.

Related provisions

Note. Statute text quoted on this page is reproduced from the official enactment and is linked to the full provision. The explanation around it is general legal information from Vivas & Nobles Law Office, not legal advice. Whether it applies to your situation depends on facts only a lawyer reviewing them can assess.