Your Out-of-State Judgment Finally Has Teeth
You won in court. The debtor moved to New York and stopped paying. We enforce sister-state judgments across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island — turning your out-of-state court order into real, collectible money.
Why Creditors Come to Us First
Appointed by the Mayor
Edward F. Guida Jr. holds Badge #14, appointed by the Mayor of New York City — a public officer with statutory enforcement authority no collection agency can match.
Serving NYC Since 1988
This office has enforced judgments across all five boroughs for over 35 years, under two generations of the Guida family.
All Five Boroughs Covered
We are authorized and actively operating in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island — wherever your debtor’s assets are, we can reach them.
Regulated, Bonded, Accountable
Every NYC Marshal carries a $100,000 public officer’s bond and operates under direct oversight from the NYC Department of Investigation.
Enforce Foreign Judgments NYC
What Sister-State Judgment Domestication Actually Means
If you won a lawsuit in Florida, New Jersey, California, Texas, or any other state, that judgment doesn’t automatically work in New York. Before anyone can touch a bank account in Manhattan, garnish wages at a Brooklyn employer, or seize assets in Queens, the judgment has to be registered here first. That process is called domestication.
Under New York’s CPLR Article 54 — the state’s version of the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act — most out-of-state judgments can be registered with the county clerk without filing a brand-new lawsuit. Once it’s on file, it carries the same legal weight as any New York judgment. That’s when enforcement begins. And enforcement is what we do.
Out-of-State Judgment Collection NYC
What Changes Once Your Judgment Is Domesticated in New York
Domestication isn’t the finish line — it’s the starting gun. Here’s what becomes possible the moment your judgment is recognized in New York.
- We can serve an income execution on your debtor’s employer anywhere in the five boroughs, garnishing up to 10% of their gross wages each paycheck.
- Bank accounts held at any New York City branch — Chase, Citibank, TD Bank, and hundreds of others — become reachable through a marshal-issued bank levy.
- Personal property and business assets located in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, or Staten Island can be seized and applied toward what you’re owed.
- Your judgment begins accruing enforceability from the date of domestication, giving you up to 20 years to collect under New York law.
- Real property liens can be placed on any real estate the debtor owns in New York, including homes in Staten Island and commercial property across the other boroughs.
- Marshal enforcement fees are set by statute and are typically added to the judgment amount — meaning the debtor, not you, generally bears the cost of collection.
Domesticate Out of State Judgment New York
The Step Law Firms Don’t Explain
Most attorneys who handle domestication stop at the courthouse. They file the paperwork, they notify the debtor, and then they hand it back to you. What happens next — the actual collection — is a different job entirely, and it belongs to a NYC Marshal.
We are the enforcement mechanism. Once your judgment is recognized in New York, our office issues income executions, levies bank accounts, and seizes property. We work directly with attorneys handling the domestication filing, or we can help connect you with counsel if you need it. Either way, the moment the judgment is on file in the appropriate borough’s county clerk office — whether that’s Kings County in Brooklyn, New York County in Manhattan, Queens County, Bronx County, or Richmond County in Staten Island — we’re ready to move.
Speed matters here. A debtor who knows enforcement is coming may try to move money, change jobs, or close accounts. The faster we act after domestication, the better your odds of recovery.
Marshal Judgment Domestication New York
What a NYC Marshal Can Do That Others Cannot
Collection agencies can call. They can send letters. They cannot walk into a workplace and serve a wage garnishment order. They cannot present a levy to a bank and restrain an account. Only a court-authorized enforcement officer can do that — and in New York City’s five boroughs, that officer is a NYC Marshal.
Edward F. Guida Jr #14 Marshal Services holds official authority to execute on judgments issued by the NYC Civil Court and the New York State Supreme Court. That appointment comes directly from the Mayor of New York City, and it carries real legal weight. When we show up — at an employer in the Bronx, at a bank branch in Manhattan, or at a business in Queens — we’re acting under the authority of the court. That’s not something a collection agency, a law firm, or a private investigator can replicate.
Sister State Judgment New York Process
From Out-of-State Judgment to NYC Enforcement
Register the Judgment in New York
An attorney files an exemplified copy of your judgment and a supporting affidavit with the county clerk in the borough where your debtor holds assets. For most judgments where the debtor appeared in the original case, no new lawsuit is required — just the registration paperwork under CPLR Article 54.
Notify the Debtor
Within 30 days of filing, the debtor must be served with notice of the domestication. Enforcement can begin immediately, but collected funds cannot be distributed until after that 30-day window closes — so acting quickly still protects your position.
Marshal Executes the Judgment
Once the judgment is domesticated, our office takes over. We serve income executions on employers, levy bank accounts, and execute on property — using every tool New York law provides to put money in your hands.
Frequently Asked Questions
My debtor moved to New York — is my out-of-state judgment still valid there?
Yes, and you have a constitutional right to enforce it. Article IV, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution — the Full Faith and Credit Clause — requires New York to recognize valid judgments from every other state. Your judgment doesn’t expire when your debtor crosses state lines. What it does need is domestication: a formal registration process that converts it into a New York judgment before any enforcement action can begin. Once that’s done, the full range of New York enforcement tools — wage garnishment, bank levies, property execution — are available to you. New York judgments are valid for 20 years, so even older judgments may still be collectible.
Do I need to re-litigate my entire case in a New York court to collect here?
In most situations, no. If the defendant appeared in the original action — meaning they were served, showed up, or participated in the case — you can register the judgment in New York under CPLR Article 54 without filing a new lawsuit. You’ll need an exemplified or certified copy of the judgment and a supporting affidavit. The county clerk in the relevant NYC borough handles the filing. The exception is default judgments, where the defendant never appeared. Those require a separate legal proceeding — typically a motion for summary judgment in lieu of complaint under CPLR §3213 — which is still faster than a full trial, but more involved than simple registration. An attorney familiar with New York collections law can advise you on which path applies to your situation.
What is the difference between a NYC Marshal and the Sheriff for enforcing judgments?
Both can enforce judgments in New York City, but NYC Marshals are the primary enforcement officers for Civil Court and Supreme Court judgments across the five boroughs. NYC Marshals are independent public officers appointed by the Mayor — not city employees — which means we operate with a level of focus and specialization that differs from the Sheriff’s office. For judgment creditors with assets to collect in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, or Staten Island, working with our office is typically the most direct path to enforcement. Edward F. Guida Jr #14 Marshal Services has been doing exactly this work since 1988 — it’s not a side function of a broader office; it’s our entire focus.
What if my out-of-state judgment was a default judgment — can I still enforce it in New York City?
Yes, but the process is different. CPLR Article 54’s streamlined registration procedure only applies when the defendant appeared in the original action. If your judgment was entered by default — meaning the other party never showed up — you’ll need to commence a plenary action in New York. The most common approach is a CPLR §3213 motion for summary judgment in lieu of complaint, which uses the judgment itself as the basis for the New York action. It’s more involved than a simple registration, but it’s a well-established procedure and considerably faster than starting a case from scratch. Once the New York court issues its judgment, enforcement through our office proceeds the same way as any other domesticated judgment.
How do I know if my debtor even has assets in New York worth pursuing?
This is a fair question, and it’s worth thinking through before investing in enforcement. New York City — particularly Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens — is one of the densest concentrations of bank branches, employers, and commercial assets in the world. If your debtor lives or works anywhere in the five boroughs, there’s a strong likelihood they have a bank account, wages, or personal property reachable through a marshal’s execution. Post-judgment discovery tools are also available in New York, including information subpoenas and restraining notices, which can be used to locate and freeze assets before a full execution is served. An attorney can help you assess what’s worth pursuing based on what you already know about the debtor’s situation.
My debtor works in Manhattan but lives in New Jersey — can a NYC Marshal still garnish their wages?
Yes. Income execution in New York is served on the employer, not the employee. If your debtor’s employer is located anywhere in the five boroughs — a company in Midtown Manhattan, a business along the Brooklyn waterfront, a firm in Long Island City, Queens — we can serve an income execution on that employer regardless of where the debtor lives. New York City’s role as a major employment hub means that many debtors who reside outside the city still earn their wages here, making income execution one of the most practical enforcement tools available. The garnishment is capped at 10% of the debtor’s gross wages per paycheck, and it continues until the judgment is satisfied or the debtor leaves that employment.
Call us at (718) 779-2134 or email us at gu*****@**********14.com to see how we can help you.