“Time-barred” debts are so old that a creditor or debt collector can no longer sue you to collect them. The law varies from state to state. But in most states, the statute of limitations period on debts is between three and 10 years. Here’s a state-by-state guide.
|
State |
Oral Agreements (in years) |
Written Contracts (in years) |
Promissory Notes (in years) |
Open Accounts (in years) |
|
Alabama |
6 |
6 |
6 |
3 |
|
Alaska |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
Arizona |
3 |
6 |
5 |
3 |
|
Arkansas |
3 |
5 |
6 |
3 |
|
California |
2 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
|
Colorado |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
Connecticut |
3 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
Delaware |
3 |
3 |
6 |
3 |
|
District of Columbia |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
Florida |
4 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
|
Georgia |
4 |
6 |
6 |
4 |
|
Hawaii |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
Idaho |
4 |
5 |
10 |
4 |
|
Illinois |
5 |
10 |
6 |
5 |
|
Indiana |
6 |
10 |
10 |
6 |
|
Iowa |
5 |
10 |
5 |
5 |
|
Kansas |
3 |
5 |
5 |
3 |
|
Kentucky |
5 |
15 |
15 |
5 |
|
Louisiana |
10 |
10 |
10 |
3 |
|
Maine |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
Maryland |
3 |
3 |
6 |
3 |
|
Massachusetts |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
Michigan |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
Minnesota |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
Mississippi |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
Missouri |
5 |
10 |
10 |
5 |
|
Montana |
5 |
8 |
8 |
5 |
|
Nebraska |
4 |
5 |
6 |
4 |
|
Nevada |
4 |
6 |
3 |
4 |
|
New Hampshire |
3 |
3 |
6 |
3 |
|
New Jersey |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
New Mexico |
4 |
6 |
6 |
4 |
|
New York |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
North Carolina |
3 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
|
North Dakota |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
Ohio |
6 |
15 |
15 |
- |
|
Oklahoma |
3 |
5 |
5 |
3 |
|
Oregon |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
Pennsylvania |
4 |
6 |
4 |
6 |
|
Rhode Island |
15 |
15 |
10 |
10 |
|
South Carolina |
10 |
10 |
3 |
3 |
|
South Dakota |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
Tennessee |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
Texas |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
|
Utah |
4 |
6 |
6 |
4 |
|
Vermont |
6 |
6 |
5 |
6 |
|
Virginia |
3 |
5 |
6 |
3 |
|
Washington |
3 |
6 |
6 |
3 |
|
West Virginia |
5 |
10 |
6 |
5 |
|
Wisconsin |
6 |
6 |
10 |
6 |
|
Wyoming |
8 |
10 |
10 |
8 |
1 response so far ↓
1 Joann Hollander // Oct 14, 2009 at 11:45 am
Thank you for your no hassle way of getting information. I was on the FTC website for 30 minutes before I gave up. I then did a search and there you were with just the information I was looking for. Thanks for your to the point information.
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