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State Collection Law

Statute of Limitations and Allowable Interest Rates on Unpaid Debts by State

The data presented represents the situation in 2008 (to the best of our knowledge) and is for reference only and not intended to replace the advice of a qualified attorney.

The statute of limitations usually begins running on an unpaid debt from the date of the last activity or the date it was written off as bad debt by the creditor.

A C D F G H I K L M N O P R S T U V W

U.S. State	Statute of Limitations	Allowable Interest Rates
Alabama	Open Account-3 years Written Contract-6 years Domestic Judgment-20 years Foreign Judgment-20 years	Legal-6% Judgment-12%
Alaska	Sale of Goods-4 years Written Contract-6 years Domestic Judgment-10 years Foreign Judgment-10 years	Legal-10.5% Judgment-10.5% or contractual
Arizona	Open Account-3 years Written Contract in Arizona-6 years Written Contract outside Arizona-4 years Domestic Judgment-5 years renewable at 5 years (indefinitely) Foreign Judgment-4 years	Legal-10% Judgment-10% or contractual
Arkansas	Open Account-3 years Sales of Goods (UCC-2)-4 years Written Contract-5 years Domestic Judgment-10 years, renewable Foreign Judgment-10 years	Legal-6% or 5 points above Federal Discount Rate Judgment-10% or contract rate
California	Open Account in writing-4 years Open Account not in writing-2 years Written Contract-4 years Domestic Judgment-10 years renewable at 10 years Foreign Judgment-10 years	Legal-10% Judgment-10% or contractual amount
Colorado	Open Account-3 years Promissory Note Signed-6 years Written Contract for Goods or Services-3 years Domestic Judgment (District Court)-20 years and renewable Domestic Judgment (County Court)-6 years and renewable Foreign Judgment-6 years	Legal-8% Judgment-8% or contractual, note, or state amount
Connecticut	Open Account-6 years Written Contract-6 years Oral Contract-3 years Domestic Judgment-20/25 years Small Claims Judgment-10/15 years Foreign Judgment-20 years	Legal-8% Judgment-10%
Delaware	Open Account-4 years Sale of Goods-4 years Written Contract-3 years Domestic Judgment-no provision Foreign Judgment-no provision	Legal-Federal Reserve Discount Rate plus 5% Judgment-same as above
District of Columbia	Open Account-3 years Written Contract-3 years Domestic Judgment-20 years Foreign Judgment-foreign statute	Legal-6% Judgment-70% of interest rate on taxes to IRS
Florida	Open Account-4 years Written Contract-5 years Domestic Judgment-7 years, renewable Foreign Judgment-5 years if not recorded in-state	Legal-10% Judgment-10% Contract-18%
Georgia	Open Account-4 years Written Contract-6 years Domestic Judgment-7 years Foreign Judgment-5 years	Legal-7% Judgment-12% Commercial Accounts-18%
Hawaii	Open Account-6 years Sales of Goods-6 years Written Contract-6 years Domestic Judgment-10 years Foreign Judgment-6 years before registration; 10 after registration	Legal-10% (no written contract) Judgment-10% (No written contract)
Idaho	Open Account-4 years Oral Contract-4 years Written Contract-5 years Domestic Judgment-5 years, renewable Foreign Judgment-6 years, renewable	Legal-12% Judgment-10.875% plus base rate
Illinois	Open Account-5 years Sales (UCC)-4 years Written Contract-10 years Domestic Judgment-20 years Foreign Judgment-same as foreign jurisdiction	Legal-5% Judgment-9%
Indiana	Open Account-6 years Written Contract for payment of money-6 years Written Contract for other-10 years Written Contract sale of goods-4 years Domestic Judgment-10 years on real estate; 20 against the person Foreign Judgment-10 years	Legal-8% Judgment-8%
Iowa	Open Account-5 years Written Contract-10 years Domestic Judgment-10 years, renewable Foreign Judgment-10 years, renewable	Legal-5% Judgment-10%
Kansas	Open Account-3 years Written Contract-5 years Domestic Judgment-5 years, renewable Foreign Judgment-5 years, renewable	Legal-10% Judgment-12%
Kentucky	Open Account-5 years Oral Contract-5 years Written Contract-15 years Domestic Judgment-15 years Foreign Judgment-15 years	Legal-8% Judgment-12%
Louisiana	Open Account-3 years Promissory Note-5 years Written Contract-10 years Domestic Judgment-10 years Foreign Judgment-10 years	Legal-9.75% Judgment-9.75%
Maine	Open Account-6 years Written Contract-6 years + 20 (with attestment) Domestic Judgment-20 years Foreign Judgment-20 years	Legal-8% Judgment-15% annual up to $30,000; T-bill rate if over $30,000
Maryland	Open Account-3 years UCC-4 years Specialty-12 years (contract under seal) Written Contract-3 years Domestic Judgment-12 years Foreign Judgment-12 years	Legal-6% Judgment-10%
Massachusetts	Open Account-6 years Sales (UCC) Contract-4 years Written Contract-6 years Domestic Judgment-20 years Foreign Judgment-20 years Contract under Seal-20 years	Legal-6% Judgment-12% Contract-12%
Michigan	Open Account-6 years Sales (UCC) Contract-4 years Written Contract-6 years Domestic Judgment-10 years, renewable Foreign Judgment-10 years	Legal-5% Judgment-about 7% (changes semiannually) Usury limited-25%
Minnesota	Open Account-6 years Goods Sold & Delivered (UCC)-4 years Written Contract-6 years Transportation Services-3 years Domestic Judgment-10 years Foreign Judgment-10 years	Legal-6% Judgment-about 5% (changes annually)
Mississippi	Open Account-3 years Sales (UCC) Contract-6 years Written Contract-3 years Domestic Judgment-7 years Foreign Judgment-7 years (3 if resident)	Legal-8% Judgment-contract rate or court decides%
Missouri	Open Account-5 years Sales of Goods-4 years Written Contract-10 years Domestic Judgment-10 years (revived every 3 years) Foreign Judgment-10 years (revived every 3 years)	Legal-9% Judgment-9%
Montana	Open Account-5 years Written Contract-8 years Domestic Judgment-6 years (over $5000), renewable Foreign Judgment-6 years, renewable	Legal-10% Judgment-10% Binding written agreement-15% or 6% above prime
Nebraska	Open Account-4 years Written Contract-5 years Domestic Judgment-5 years, renewable Foreign Judgment-5 years, non-renewable	Legal-12% or contract rate Judgment-1% over bone equivalent yield as published by U.S. Treasury
Nevada	Open Account-4 years Written Contract-6 years Domestic Judgment-6 years Foreign Judgment-6 years	Legal-2% over prime rate Judgment-2% over prime rate
New Hampshire	Open Account-3 years OA for Goods-4 years Written Contract-3 years Written Contract for Goods-4 years Domestic Judgment-20 years Foreign Judgment-20 years	Judgment-7.6%
New Jersey	Open Account-6 years Sale of Goods-4 years Written Contract-6 years Domestic Judgment-20 years Foreign Judgment-20 years	Legal-6% Judgment-no statutory provision
New Mexico	Open Account-4 years Written Contract-6 years Domestic Judgment-14 years Foreign Judgment-14 years	Judgment-8.75% or contract rate
New York	Open Account-6 years Written Contract-6 years Domestic Judgment-20 years, renewable Foreign Judgment-20 years, renewable	Legal-16% Judgment-9%
North Carolina	Open Account-3 years Sale of Goods-4 years Written Contract-3 years Domestic Judgment-10 years Foreign Judgment-10 years	Legal-8% Judgment-8%
North Dakota	Open Account (services)-6 years Sale of Goods-4 years Written Contract-6 years Domestic Judgment-10 years, renewable Foreign Judgment-10 years, renewable	Legal-6% Judgment-12%
Ohio	Open Account-4 years Written Contract-15 years Domestic Judgment-21 years, renewable every 5 Foreign Judgment-21 years, renewable every 5	Legal-10% Judgment-10%
Oklahoma	Open Account-3 years Written Contract-5 years Domestic Judgment-5 years, renewable Foreign Judgment-3 years	Legal-6% Judgment-4% over U.S. Treasury Bill rate of previous year
Oregon	Open Account-6 years Sale of Goods-6 years (4 years UCC transaction) Written Contract-6 years Domestic Judgment-10 years, renewable at 10 Foreign Judgment-10 years	Legal-9% simple interest per annum Judgment-9% simple interest per annum or contract rate
Pennsylvania	Open Account-4 years Written Contract-4 years Domestic Judgment-5 years, (writ of revival within 5 years) Foreign Judgment-4 years	Legal-6% Judgment-6%
Puerto Rico	Open Account-3 years Merchandise Open Account-3 years Written Contract-15years Domestic Judgment-15years Foreign Judgment-15years	Legal-9.25% (changes every six months) Judgment-changes every six months
Rhode Island	Open Account-10 years Written Contract-10 years Domestic Judgment-20 years Foreign Judgment-20 years	Legal-12% Judgment-12%
South Carolina	Open Account-3 years Written Contract-3 years Domestic Judgment-10 years Foreign Judgment-10 years	Legal-8.75% Judgment-12%
South Dakota	Open Account-6 years Sale of Goods-4 years Written Contract-6 years Domestic Judgment-20 years Foreign Judgment-10 years	Legal-12% Judgment-10%
Tennessee	Open Account-6 years Written Contract-6 years Domestic Judgment-10 years Foreign Judgment-10 years	Legal-10% Judgment-10% or contract rate (varies with type of transaction)
Texas	Open Account-4 years Written Contract-4 years Domestic Judgment-10 years, renewable Foreign Judgment-10 years, renewable	Legal-6% with agreement; up to 18% Judgment-10%
Utah	Open Account-4 years Written Contract-6 years Domestic Judgment-8 years Foreign Judgment-8 years	Legal-7.35% Judgment-contract rate of Federal judgment rate
Vermont	Open Account-6 years Written Contract-6 years Domestic Judgment-8 years Foreign Judgment-8 years	Legal-12% Judgment-12% Contract-Legal rate Corporate-No limit
Virginia	Open Account-3 years Sale of Goods (under UCC2)-4 years Written Contract-5 years Domestic Judgment-20 years Foreign Judgment-10 years	Legal-8% Judgment-9% or contract rate
Washington	Open Account-3 years Written Contract-6 years Domestic Judgment-10 years Foreign Judgment-10 years	Legal-12% Judgment-12%
West Virginia	Open Account-5 years Written Contract-10 years Domestic Judgment-10 years Foreign Judgment-10 years	Legal-6% Judgment-10%
Wisconsin	Open Account-6 years Written Contract-6 years Domestic Judgment-20 years Foreign Judgment-20 years	Legal-5% Judgment-12%
Wyoming	Open Account-8 years Written Contract-10 years Domestic Judgment-5 years Foreign Judgment-5 years	Legal-7% Judgment-10% or contract rate

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to be legal advice and is not a substitute for competent legal advice on the referenced subject.

Information provided by ABC-Amega Inc. Since 1929, providing first party accounts receivable collections outsourcing and third party debt collection for management of your commercial receivables portfolio. For further information on our receivable management services, email info@abc-amega.com.