Yes, for non payment of taxes.

Steps that can be taken to avoid the legal process of distraint is to pay the rent every month without elapsing on payment. When several payments are missed, the landlord can seize property to sell for payment of the missed rent.

when a sheriff knocks on your door and is armed with a court order to distraint your car

The Laws of Eshnunna were written in Akkadian on two tablets. They were discovered in Iraq. The laws relate to Theft, false distraint, sexual offences, bodily injury, and then damages that were caused by animals or the like. The tablets list fines and penalties for each injustice. They were written around 1930 BC.

According to SOWPODS (the combination of Scrabble dictionaries used around the world) there are 7 words with the pattern -I--R--NT. That is, nine letter words with 2nd letter I and 5th letter R and 8th letter N and 9th letter T. In alphabetical order, they are:

bivariant

disorient

distraint

divergent

miscreant

misorient

vicariant