Short answer. The sheriff must, without delay, make a return to the issuing court with a full statement of proceedings under the writ and a complete inventory of the property attached, together with any counter-bond given, and must serve copies of that return on the applicant.

What the law says

After enforcing the writ, the sheriff must likewise without delay make a return thereon to the court from which the writ issued, with a full statement of his proceedings under the writ and a complete inventory of the property attached, together with any counter-bond given by the party against whom attachment is issued, and serve copies thereof on the applicant.

Rule 57, Section 6 — Sheriff' s return. Read the full provision →

The return closes the loop with the court

Rule 57, Section 6 requires the sheriff to report back to the court after enforcing an attachment writ, and to do so without delay. This return is the official record of what the sheriff actually did in carrying out the court's order, and it keeps the issuing court informed of the outcome of its own writ. Without a prompt return, the court would have no reliable way of knowing whether the writ it issued was ever actually enforced, against what property, or on what specific terms.

What the return must contain

The return must include a full statement of the sheriff's proceedings under the writ — essentially an account of how and where the attachment was carried out — together with a complete inventory of the property actually attached. If the party against whom attachment is issued gave a counter-bond instead of surrendering property, that counter-bond is also included with the return. Together, these components let the court and the parties verify exactly what happened: which assets were reached, how the sheriff went about reaching them, and whether the defendant chose to substitute a bond for the property itself rather than have it physically seized.

Copies go to the applicant

The section requires the sheriff to serve copies of the return on the applicant — the party who sought the attachment — so that party is kept informed of exactly what property was secured, or what counter-bond was posted in its place, without having to separately request the information from the court. Prompt service also lets the applicant assess quickly whether the attachment actually reached property sufficient to satisfy the eventual judgment, and to raise any concerns with the court while the writ is still fresh. A sheriff who delays the return without justification, or who omits required details such as the full inventory, exposes both the sheriff and potentially the applicant to challenges over whether the attachment was properly and completely carried out, since the return is often the only contemporaneous record either side can point to later if a dispute arises over what was actually seized.

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.