After you are Served with the State?s Petition, you usually have around 20 days (see Question 20 or Question 38) to file your Answer. If you do not respond to the State?s Petition in time, the court will enter a ?default judgment? against the property and the property will automatically go to the State. Although it is possible to reopen a case within 14 days after a default judgment, you really want to avoid a default judgment if you want attempt to get your property back.
A default judgment is the most common way that property is forfeited to law enforcement. See Question 38 and Question 39 for more information on default judgments.