Whats the best way to collect on a judgement won in small claims court?
Every state has its own laws and rules governing enforcing judgments. Basically, you need to figure out what mechanisms for collection the small claims court in your jurisdiction offers. My first step would be to call the court staff, and be very nice to them, they can be a huge help. Ask them how to execute on the judgment, they probably have basic forms that you need to fill out. The easiest property to go after is a defendant’s automobile. This is because the sheriff is probably no permitted to enter a person’s house for execution purposes without a permission, so you cannot execute on items inside their home. But a car will often be outside = available to the sheriff. Also, my experience has been that cars are so important to people that as soon as they realize they are about to lose the car, they miraculously find the money needed to satisfy the judgment.
