Form 20D: Writ of Seizure and Sale of Land

What the 20D is

Form 20D puts your judgment against the debtor’s real property. Once issued and filed with the enforcement office in the jurisdiction where the debtor owns (or may own) land, it binds their interest in land there — meaning the debtor generally cannot sell or refinance without the writ being paid out, because no purchaser’s or lender’s lawyer will close over an execution.

Most 20D writs are never enforced by an actual sheriff’s sale (that process is slow and technical); they work as patient leverage, collecting when the property eventually changes hands or is refinanced. Writs are renewable, so a 20D can wait out even a stubborn debtor.

How to fill it out

1. Prepare the Form 20P affidavit with the judgment balance calculation.
2. Complete the 20D and have the clerk issue it.
3. File it with the Court Enforcement Office in each jurisdiction where the debtor owns or might acquire land — a writ only binds land in the territory where it is filed. Pay the filing fee for each office.
4. Verify the debtor’s ownership (a title/parcel search by name) so you file where it counts; exact legal names matter, so writs should match the judgment name precisely.
5. Diarize renewal (Form 20N) and keep your address current with the enforcement office so you’re found when a sale or refinance triggers a payout request.