Money & Debt · Homestead (creditor protection)
Homestead Exemption from Creditors by State
How much of your home equity is shielded from creditors, for each state. This is asset protection against a judgment creditor forcing a sale, not the property-tax homestead break. Cited to the statute.
Read this first: two different homesteads
The word homestead covers two unrelated protections, and people land on the wrong one constantly. This page is about creditor protection: how much of your home equity a judgment creditor cannot force you to sell. The other homestead, a property-tax break, simply lowers your annual tax bill. If you are worried about a lawsuit or bankruptcy, you want this page. If you are trying to cut your tax bill, you want that one.
On creditor protection, states split three ways. Florida and Texas protect an unlimited value, capped only by acreage. Others protect a dollar amount: Illinois $50,000, California a floor-to-cap range that rises with inflation, New York a figure that varies by county. Pennsylvania protects nothing by state law, leaving homeowners to the federal bankruptcy exemption. We show each honestly rather than forcing one format.
Pick your state
The protected equity, the regime, and the statute on each card.
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What these pages are, and what they aren't
Each state page is a reference for how much home equity is shielded from creditors and what the exemption does not stop. They are deliberately not advice for your situation: liens, bankruptcy choices, and local rules can change the answer, so each page links to the statute and a help resource. This is legal information, not legal advice.