An Act to provide that a judgment or decree of the District of Columbia court of general sessions shall not constitute a lien until filed arid recorded in, the office of the Recorder of Deeds of the District of Columbia, and for other purposes
PL 89-745 (H.R.17798), enacted 11/02/1966

80 STAT. ] 
PUBLIC LAW 89-745-NOV. 2, 1966 
1177 
Public Law 89-745 
A N A C T 
November 2, 1966 
To provide that a judgment or decree of the District of Columbia Court of 
[H. R. 17798] 
General Sessions shall not constitute a lien until filed and recorded in the 
office of the Recorder of Deeds of the District of Columbia, and for other 
purposes. 
D.C. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ 
SECTION 1. (a) Section 15-101 (a) (2) of the District of Columbia ne^nt?"''^'"^ 
Code is amended by striking out "when certified to and docketed in 
77 stat. 522. 
the clerk's office of the District Court" and inserting in lieu thereof 
"when filed and recorded in the office of the Recorder of Deeds of the 
District of Columbia". 
SEC. 2. (a) Section 15-102(a) of the District of Columbia Code is 
amended to read as follows: 
"(a) Each— 
"(1) final judgment or decree for the payment of money ren-
dered in the L^nited States District Court for the District of 
Columbia from the date when it is rendered, 
"(2) final judgment or decree rendered in the civil division of 
the District of Columbia Court of General Sessions, from the date 
such judgment or decree is filed and recorded in the office of the 
Recorder of Deeds of the District of Columbia, 
"(3) recognizance taken by the United States District Court 
for the District of Columbia, or a judge thereof, from the date 
when such recognizance is declared forieited, and 
"(4) recognizance taken by the criminal division of the District 
of Columbia Court of General Sessions, or a judge thereof, from 
the date the entry or order of forfeiture of such recognizance is 
filed and recorded in the office of the Recorder of Deeds of the 
District of Columbia, 
shall constitute a lien on all the freehold and leasehold estates, legal 
and equitable, of the defendants bound by such judgment, decree, or 
recognizance, in any land, tenements, or hereditaments in the District 
of Columbia, whether the estates are in possession or are reversions or 
remainders, vested or contingent. 
Such liens on equitable interests 
may be enforced only by an action to foreclose." 
(b) Subsection (b) of section 16-102 of the District of Columbia 
Repeal. 
Code is repealed and subsection (c) is redesignated subsection (b). 
SEC. 3. (a) The section heading for section 15-132 of the District 
of Columbia Code and subsection (a) of such section are amended to 
read as follows: 
"§ 15-132. Enforceable period of unrecorded judgments—Enforce-
ment of judgments, etc., of the District of Columbia 
Court of General Sessions 
"(a) A judgment entered by the District of Columbia Court of 
General Sessions shall remain in force only during the six-year period 
beginning on the date such judgment is entered unless it is filed and 
recorded in the office of the Recorder of Deeds of the District of 
Columbia within such six-year period. 
The provisions of this title 
relating to enforcement of judgments, executions thereon, and writs 
and proceedings in aid of execution thereof, shall be applicable to 
Ante, p. 264. 
1178 
PUBLIC LAW 89-745-NOV. 2, 1966 
[80 STAT. 
judgments entered on or after November 1, 1966, in the District of 
Columbia Court of General Sessions." 
(b) The table of sections for chapter 1 of title 15, District of Colum-
bia Code, is amended by striking out— 
"15-132. Enforceable period of judgments—Effect of docketing in District Court— 
Domestic Relations Branch." 
and inserting in lieu thereof— 
"15-132. Enforceable period of unrecorded judgments—Enforcement of judg-
ments, etc., of the District of Columbia Court of General Sessions." 
Ante, p. 264. 
gj^^, 4 Sectiou 15-310(b) of the District of Columbia Code is 
amended by striking out "may be levied on real estate" and inserting 
in lieu thereof the following: "may be levied on real estate, but only 
after such judgment has been filed and recorded in the office of the 
Recorder of Deeds of the District of Columbia". 
SEC. 5. Section 15-311 (b) of the District of Columbia Code is 
amended by striking out "debtor in land" and inserting in lieu thereof 
the following: "debtor in land, but only after such judgment has been 
filed and recorded in the office of the Recorder of Deeds of the District 
of Columbia". 
SEC. 6. Section 552 of the Act of March 3, 1901 (D.C. Code, sec. 
4
9 Stat. 384. 
45-708), is amended by inserting after the ninth paragraph the fol-
lowing paragraphs: 
"For filing and recording a certified copy of a judgment, decree, or 
entry or order of forfeiture of a recognizance, filed and recorded under 
Ante, p. 1177. 
gectlou 15-102(a) of the District of Columbia Code, $1.00. 
"For recording the release of a lien established by the recordation 
of a judgment, decree, or an entry or order of forfeiture of a recog-
nizance under section 15-102(a) of the District of Columbia Code, 
Repeals. 
SJ,^. 7. Sectlous 8, 9, and 10 of the Act of July 5,1966 (Public Law 
89-493), are repealed. 
SEC. 8. (a) (1) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (2), the 
amendments made by sections 1, 2, and 3 of this Act shall apply only 
with respect to a judgment or decree rendered, or a recognizance 
declared forfeited, by the United States District Court for the District 
of Columbia or the District of Columbia Court of General Sessions 
on and after November 1,1966. 
(2) A judgment or decree rendered, or an entry or order of for-
feiture of a recognizance made, before November 1, 1966, by the Dis-
trict of Columbia Court of General Sessions which was not docketed 
in the office of the clerk of the United States District Court for the 
District of Columbia before such date may be filed and recorded in 
the office of the Recorder of Deeds of the District of Columbia on and 
after such date but not later than six years following the date such 
judgment or decree was rendered or entry or order made. 
(b) The amendments made by sections 4 and 5 of this Act shall 
apply only with respect to executions and writs of fieri facias issued 
on and after November 1,1966. 
(c) The amendment made by section 6 of this Act shall take effect 
on and after November 1,1966. 
(d) The amendment made by section 7 of this Act shall take effect 
on the date of the enactment of this Act. 
Approved November 2, 1966.