Missouri just tripled the homestead an assessment judgment cannot touch
Missouri just tripled the homestead an assessment judgment cannot touch
2026-09-12 · Missouri · Legislation
What happened. Missouri rewrote its judgment-collection exemptions. From 1 January 2027 the homestead a creditor cannot reach on execution rises from $15,000 to $40,000, and from 2029 it ratchets with inflation every three years. The household-goods exemption goes from $3,000 to $15,000. From 1 January 2028, bank garnishment is narrowed and slowed.1
The bill is House Bill 1870 (2026), official designation SS HCS HB 1870, sponsored by Representative Lane Roberts. The Governor signed it on 6 May 2026. For an association that collects delinquent assessments by suing for a money judgment, this is the most consequential enacted change in Missouri in either of the last two sessions — and it cuts against associations.
The homestead number
Section 513.475.1, as re-enacted, with the deleted figure in brackets:
“513.475. 1. The homestead of every person, consisting of a dwelling house and appurtenances, and the land used in connection therewith, not exceeding the aggregate value of [fifteen] forty thousand dollars, which is or shall be used by such person as a homestead, shall, together with the rents, issues and products thereof, be exempt from attachment and execution.”
And it does not stop there
New section 513.423 builds in an automatic inflation ratchet:
“513.423. 1. On April 1, 2029, and on each three-year interval ending on April first thereafter, each dollar amount in effect under sections 513.430 and 513.475 shall be adjusted:
(1) To reflect the change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, published by the United States Department of Labor, or its successor index, for the most recent three-year period ending immediately before January first preceding such April first; and
(2) To round to the nearest twenty-five dollars, the dollar amount that represents such change.
… 3. Adjustments made in accordance with subsection 1 of this section shall not apply with respect to cases commenced before the date of such adjustments.”
The personal-property exemptions, all of them up
Effective the same day, 1 January 2027, section 513.430 raises: household furnishings, goods, apparel, appliances, books, animals, crops and musical instruments held for personal, family or household use from $3,000 to $15,000 in aggregate; jewellery other than a wedding ring from $500 to $1,700 (the wedding-ring exemption stays at $1,500); the “any property of any kind” wildcard from $600 to $1,700; motor vehicles from $3,000 to $5,000, increasable by unused household-goods allowance up to an additional $10,000; and a mobile home used as a residence from $5,000 to $12,000.
Three different dates
The act's own Section B and section 525.235.12 split the timing, and getting this wrong will cost a board a filing:
“Section B. The enactment of section 513.423 and the repeal and reenactment of sections 513.380, 513.430, and 513.475 of this act shall become effective on January 1, 2027.”
“525.235. … 12. The provisions of subsections 1 to 11 of this section shall be effective January 1, 2028.”
Everything else in the act runs on the default 28 August 2026.
Keep reading with the Missouri State Pass
The rest of this analysis — what an association can actually do, the recent bills and rulings, and how Missouri compares nationally — is for subscribers. $49/month for every Missouri topic on HOA Weekly.
$49/month, $449/year, or a $19.99 day pass.
What you unlock
- The one provision that helps associations
- Bank garnishment, from 2028
- The distinction that decides whether any of this reaches you
and 2 more sections in detail
Already a subscriber? Sign in
Recurring monthly subscription · Cancel anytime · Need help?
Related Missouri HOA Topics
Stay on top of Missouri HOA law
Every week: new Missouri legislation, court rulings, and regulatory developments affecting condos, planned communities, and property managers. Free.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.