Old debt has a shelf life on lawsuits. Every state's number, what restarts it, and why partial payments are the tripwire . sOurced, dated, and citable.
The statute of limitations (SOL) is the window in which a creditor or collector can win a lawsuit on a debt. The table runs one row per state, split by debt type: open accounts like cards, written contracts, promissory notes, and in some states oral contracts and retail installments.
Two warnings before you read any number. These windows vary widely by state and debt type, and the clock starts from different events depending on the state, usually the last payment or the default. The table says which. Every cell links to the primary statute and carries a last-checked date. This is a map to the law, not legal advice. When a number matters to you, verify it in your state's current text or ask a consumer lawyer. Many offer free consults.
This is where old debt gets dangerous. In many states, a partial payment, a promise to pay, or even an acknowledgment of the debt can restart the clock from that day. Collectors know this. It is why a small goodwill payment on decade-old debt can be the worst move you make.
What generally does not restart it: taking a call, receiving a letter, or disputing that you owe the money. But the exact line varies by state, and courts have argued about what counts as a small payment. So follow one rule instead of memorizing exceptions: make no payment and give no written promise on an old debt until you know its status in your state. Already did? That is why the table keeps a restart-triggers column. Verify yours before you assume the worst or the best.
When the clock runs out, the debt does not vanish. It becomes time-barred. A collector can still ask you to pay. What they cannot do is win a suit on it, and federal collection rules do not let them mislead you about their right to sue.
Your shields are boring and they work. First, request validation of the debt in writing, a right federal law gives you, and ask them to state the age and the original creditor. Second, send a written request to stop contact if you want quiet. Third, if a lawsuit lands anyway, respond before the deadline and raise the time-bar as a defense. Default judgments happen when no one shows up. Log anything that feels wrong with the CFPB and your state attorney general.
A collector's letter usually names an original creditor and a date. Treat that as a claim until documents back it up. Ask in writing for the original creditor's name, the date of first default, the chain of ownership showing how the account got to them, and the balance at charge-off. You are entitled to validation, and with old sold debt, gaps in that chain are common.
Then compare their dates with your own paper trail: credit report entries, old statements, bank records showing your last payment. The last-payment date matters most because that is where the clock often starts. If the story changes between documents, keep every version. That trail is your defense, and it is exactly what the CFPB and your state attorney general want to see if you file.
Same deal as our fee cap table: original compilation, free to cite, two asks. Link back to this page so readers get the live version with its check dates, and note the date you pulled whatever number you quote. SOL tables get copied around the internet long after a state amends its law, so an undated citation is a small public hazard.
Want the dataset as a file for journalism or research? Email editor@thepennybrief.com first. And if you are citing this in a real legal matter, cite the statute itself, not us. Our table is a map to the primary text, never a substitute for it.
Every entry comes from the state statute itself, cross-checked against the state consumer protection agency's guidance, because some of these rules live in agency regulations rather than the main code. Each row logs its citation and the date we last read it, and we recheck quarterly since legislatures move.
Where the text is ambiguous or courts in a state disagree, the row carries a to-verify marker instead of a confident answer. For anything that matters, go to the people who can speak for your situation: your state attorney general's consumer line, a consumer lawyer through your state or local bar's referral service, or legal aid if money is tight. We show our work so you can check it, then check the law.