USA Debt Recovery – Statute of Limitations by State

Are you a UK company that needs to collect a debt from a company in the USA?

This article covers the Statute of Limitations and Interest Rates on a state-by-state basis.

If your company is considering legal action to recover a B2B debt in the USA, contact us and find out how we can help you avoid unnecessary and expensive litigation.

Preparing to Collect a Business Debt in the USA

Before considering legal proceedings to recover an business debt in America we would recommend you first read the preceding three articles in this series:

• Part 1 – How Does USA B2B Debt Collection Work?
• Part 2 – Should We Sue Our US Debtor? Ten Questions to Ask Before Committing
• Part 3 – USA Debt Collection – The Importance of a Court Witnesses

Statute of Limitations List (Reference Only)

The details in the table below have been reviewed by our USA debt collection partner through their network of state-based debt collection attorneys. However, individual states have the power to pass local legislation at any time. Some of the information below may now no longer be correct and is provided for guidance only.

If your company is considering legal action to collect a debt in the USA, you must always speak to an experienced and ethical local attorney first.

State	Open Account	Oral Agreement	Written Contract
Alabama	3 years	6 years	6 years
Alaska	3 years	6 years	6 years
Arizona	3 years	3 years	6 years
Arkansas	3 years	3 years	5 years
California	4 years	2 years	4 years
Colorado	3 years	6 years	6 years
Connecticut	3 years	3 years	6 years
Delaware	3 years	3 years	3 years
District of Columbia	3 years	3 years	3 years
Florida	4 years	4 years	5 years
Georgia	6 years	4 years	6 years
Hawaii	6 years	6 years	6 years
Idaho	4 years	4 years	5 years
Illinois	5 years	5 years	10 years
Indiana	6 years	6 years	10 years
Iowa	5 years	5 years	10 years
Kansas	3 years	3 years	6 years
Kentucky	5 years	5 years	15 years
Louisiana	3 years	10 years	10 years
Maine	6 years	6 years	6 years
Maryland	3 years	3 years	3 years
Massachusetts	6 years	6 years	6 years
Michigan	6 years	6 years	6 years
Minnesota	6 years	6 years	6 years
Mississippi	3 years	3 years	3 years
Missouri	5 years	5 years	10 years
Montana	8 years	5 years	6 years
Nebraska	4 years	4 years	5 years
Nevada	4 years	4 years	6 years
New Hampshire	3 years	3 years	3 years
New Jersey	6 years	6 years	6 years
New Mexico	4 years	4 years	6 years
New York	6 years	6 years	6 years
North Carolina	3 years	3 years	3 years
North Dakota	6 years	6 years	6 years
Ohio	6 years	6 years	15 years
Oklahoma	3 years	3 years	5 years
Oregon	6 years	6 years	6 years
Pennsylvania	4 years	4 years	4 years
Rhode Island	4 years	10 years	5 years
South Carolina	3 years	3 years	3 years
South Dakota	6 years	6 years	6 years
Tennessee	6 years	6 years	6 years
Texas	4 years	4 years	4 years
Utah	4 years	4 years	6 years
Vermont	6 years	6 years	6 years
Virginia	3 years	3 years	5 years
Washington	3 years	3 years	6 years
West Virginia	5 years	5 years	10 years
Wisconsin	6 years	6 years	6 years
Wyoming	8 years	8 years	10 years

Key

• Open Account = Standard credit account with no securities or guarantees
• Oral Agreement = A verbal contract. Note never offer credit on a verbal contract.
• Written Contract = A credit account usually backed up by a guarantee or letter of credit.

Note: Different legal sources report slightly different categories. State statutes vary. The way “open account” vs. “oral” vs. “written contract” are defined also varies.

Please remember that the above information is provided as guidance only and must not be relied upon as legal advice. Individual states may have amended their legislation very recently.

For more information on collecting debts in the USA, contact Safe Collections for a free review of your claim.