Title 18, Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-110
§3613 Civil Remedies for Satisfaction of an Unpaid Fine
Title 18 › PART II — CRIMINAL PROCEDURE › CHAPTER 229 — POSTSENTENCE ADMINISTRATION › SUBCHAPTER B — FINES › § 3613
Summary
The United States can collect a criminal fine the same way it collects a civil money judgment under federal or state law. It can go after a person’s property and property rights, except property specifically protected by Internal Revenue Code section 6334(a)(1),(2),(3),(4),(5),(6),(7),(8),(10), and (12). One federal rule (28 U.S.C. 3014) does not apply to federal enforcement, and the limits in the Consumer Credit Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 1673) do apply. A fine, certain assessments, or an order of restitution becomes a lien on the person’s property when the judgment is entered, and that lien acts like a federal tax lien. The lien lasts 20 years or until the debt is paid, canceled, set aside, or ended under the 20-year rules. The government can file the lien like a tax lien under IRC section 6323(f)(1)–(2), and such a filing is valid against buyers and other creditors except where IRC section 6323(b),(c),(d) would block a same-day tax lien. State recording rules also count as filing. Bankruptcy does not cancel the fine or the lien. A person’s responsibility to pay a fine ends at death or the later of 20 years from judgment or 20 years after release from prison; restitution responsibility ends at the later of those two 20-year dates, but the person’s estate must pay any unpaid restitution until the estate gets a written release.
Full Legal Text
Title 18, §3613
Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Enforcement.—
The United States may enforce a judgment imposing a fine in accordance with the practices and procedures for the enforcement of a civil judgment under Federal law or State law. Notwithstanding any other Federal law (including section 207 of the Social Security Act), a judgment imposing a fine may be enforced against all property or rights to property of the person fined, except that—
(1)property exempt from levy for taxes pursuant to section 6334(a)(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (10), and (12) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 shall be exempt from enforcement of the judgment under Federal law;
(2)section 3014 of chapter 176 of title 28 shall not apply to enforcement under Federal law; and
(3)the provisions of section 303 of the Consumer Credit Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 1673) shall apply to enforcement of the judgment under Federal law or State law.
(b)Termination of Liability.—
The liability to pay a fine shall terminate the later of 20 years from the entry of judgment or 20 years after the release from imprisonment of the person fined, or upon the death of the individual fined. The liability to pay restitution shall terminate on the date that is the later of 20 years from the entry of judgment or 20 years after the release from imprisonment of the person ordered to pay restitution. In the event of the death of the person ordered to pay restitution, the individual’s estate will be held responsible for any unpaid balance of the restitution amount, and the lien provided in subsection (c) of this section shall continue until the estate receives a written release of that liability.
(c)Lien.—
A fine imposed pursuant to the provisions of subchapter C of chapter 227 of this title, an assessment imposed pursuant to section 2259A of this title, or an order of restitution made pursuant to section 2248, 2259, 2264, 2327, 3663, 3663A, or 3664 of this title, is a lien in favor of the United States on all property and rights to property of the person fined as if the liability of the person fined were a liability for a tax assessed under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. The lien arises on the entry of judgment and continues for 20 years or until the liability is satisfied, remitted, set aside, or is terminated under subsection (b).
(d)Effect of Filing Notice of Lien.—
Upon filing of a notice of lien in the manner in which a notice of tax lien would be filed under section 6323(f)(1) and (2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, the lien shall be valid against any purchaser, holder of a security interest, mechanic’s lienor or judgment lien creditor, except with respect to properties or transactions specified in subsection (b), (c), or (d) of section 6323 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 for which a notice of tax lien properly filed on the same date would not be valid. The notice of lien shall be considered a notice of lien for taxes payable to the United States for the purpose of any State or local law providing for the filing of a notice of a tax lien. A notice of lien that is registered, recorded, docketed, or indexed in accordance with the rules and requirements relating to judgments of the courts of the State where the notice of lien is registered, recorded, docketed, or indexed shall be considered for all purposes as the filing prescribed by this section. The provisions of section 3201(e) of chapter 176 of title 28 shall apply to liens filed as prescribed by this section.
(e)Discharge of Debt Inapplicable.—
No discharge of debts in a proceeding pursuant to any chapter of title 11, United States Code, shall discharge liability to pay a fine pursuant to this section, and a lien filed as prescribed by this section shall not be voided in a bankruptcy proceeding.
(f)Applicability to Order of Restitution.—
In accordance with section 3664(m)(1)(A) of this title, all provisions of this section are available to the United States for the enforcement of an order of restitution.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
section 207 of the Social Security Act, referred to in subsec. (a), is classified to section 407 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. The Internal Revenue Code of 1986, referred to in subsecs. (a)(1), (c), and (d), is classified generally to Title 26, Internal Revenue Code.
Prior Provisions
For a prior section 3613, applicable to offenses committed prior to Nov. 1, 1987, see note set out preceding section 3601 of this title.
Amendments
2018—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 115–299 inserted “an assessment imposed pursuant to section 2259A of this title,” after “pursuant to the provisions of subchapter C of chapter 227 of this title,”. 2016—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 114–324 inserted at end “The liability to pay restitution shall terminate on the date that is the later of 20 years from the entry of judgment or 20 years after the release from imprisonment of the person ordered to pay restitution. In the event of the death of the person ordered to pay restitution, the individual’s estate will be held responsible for any unpaid balance of the restitution amount, and the lien provided in subsection (c) of this section shall continue until the estate receives a written release of that liability.” 1996—Pub. L. 104–132 amended section generally, reenacting section catchline without change and substituting, in subsec. (a), provisions relating to
Enforcement
for provisions relating to lien, in subsec. (b), provisions relating to termination of liability for provisions relating to expiration of lien, in subsec. (c), provisions relating to lien for provisions relating to application of other lien provisions, in subsec. (d), provisions relating to effect of filing notice of lien for provisions relating to effect of notice of lien, in subsec. (e), provisions relating to inapplicability of bankruptcy discharges of debt for provisions relating to alternative
Enforcement
, and in subsec. (f), provisions relating to applicability to order of restitution for provisions relating to inapplicability of bankruptcy discharges of debt. 1990—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 101–647, which directed amendment of “section 3613(c)” by striking the period before the closing quotation marks and inserting a period after such marks, without identifying a Code title or Act for section 3613, was executed by substituting “construed to mean ‘fine’.” for “construed to mean ‘fine.’ ” in subsec. (c) of this section to reflect the probable intent of Congress. 1986—Subsecs. (b) to (d). Pub. L. 99–514 substituted “Internal Revenue Code of 1986” for “Internal Revenue Code of 1954” wherever appearing.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1996 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 104–132 to be effective, to extent constitutionally permissible, for sentencing proceedings in cases in which defendant is convicted on or after Apr. 24, 1996, see section 211 of Pub. L. 104–132, set out as a note under section 2248 of this title.
Effective Date
Section effective Nov. 1, 1987, and applicable only to offenses committed after the taking effect of this section, see section 235(a)(1) of Pub. L. 98–473, set out as a note under section 3551 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
18 U.S.C. § 3613
Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Last Updated
Sep 23, 2026
Release point: 119-110