Statute of Limitations on Debt in Louisiana (2026): The 3-Year Prescription Rule

Last updated 07/30/2026 by

Andrew Latham

Edited by

Andrew Latham

Summary:

The statute of limitations on debt in Louisiana is three years for credit card debt and open accounts, and ten years for written contracts, measured from your last payment. Louisiana calls this window “prescription” under its civil-law system.

Credit cards and open accounts: Three years under Civil Code article 3494.
Written contracts: Ten years under Civil Code article 3499.
Promissory notes: Five years under Civil Code article 3498.

Louisiana is the one state that runs on civil law, so it uses “prescription” where other states say statute of limitations.

For credit card debt, that prescription period is three years.

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What is the statute of limitations on debt in Louisiana

Louisiana gives creditors and collectors three years to sue on credit card debt and open accounts, set by Louisiana Civil Code article 3494, a period the state calls liberative prescription.

Written contracts carry a ten-year prescription under article 3499. Once three years pass from your last payment, credit card debt is prescribed and a collector cannot win a lawsuit to force payment.

The debt still exists after prescription runs. You continue to owe it, but the legal power to sue over it is gone.

Louisiana prescription periods by debt type

The period that applies depends on how your debt is classified under the Civil Code.

Debt type	Prescription period	Louisiana Civil Code
Credit card / open account	3 years	La. Civ. Code art. 3494
Money lent	3 years	La. Civ. Code art. 3494
Promissory note	5 years	La. Civ. Code art. 3498
Written contract	10 years	La. Civ. Code art. 3499

Why credit card debt is three years, not ten

Credit card debt in Louisiana falls under the three-year prescription for open accounts in Civil Code article 3494, not the ten-year period for written contracts.

Collectors sometimes call a cardholder agreement a written contract to claim the longer ten-year window, but Louisiana courts treat revolving credit card balances as open accounts.

The ten-year prescription under article 3499 is reserved for genuine written contracts, not standard card accounts.

When prescription starts in Louisiana

Prescription starts on the date of your last payment or last activity on the account, not the day you opened it.

If you made your final credit card payment in June 2023, the three-year period would generally close around June 2026.

Pro Tip: In Louisiana, making a payment or acknowledging an old debt in writing can interrupt prescription and restart the three-year clock.

With a window this short, confirm your date of last payment before you respond to a collector, because acknowledging the debt can hand it a fresh three-year period.

Time-barred debt and your Louisiana credit report

The three-year prescription period is separate from credit reporting. Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, most negative debts stay on your report for seven years from the first delinquency.

A Louisiana credit card debt can be prescribed for suing after three years yet remain on your credit report for four more.

Key takeaways

Louisiana allows three years to sue on credit card debt and open accounts, under Civil Code article 3494.
Written contracts carry a ten-year prescription under article 3499, and promissory notes five years under article 3498.
Louisiana calls this window prescription under its civil-law system.
Prescription starts on your last payment or account activity.
A payment or written acknowledgment can interrupt prescription and restart the clock.
Prescribed debt can still appear on your credit report for up to seven years.

Frequently asked questions

What is the statute of limitations on credit card debt in Louisiana?

Three years. Louisiana treats credit card debt as an open account under Civil Code article 3494, with prescription running from your last payment. After three years the debt is prescribed and a collector cannot win a lawsuit over it.

What does “prescription” mean in Louisiana?

Prescription is Louisiana’s civil-law term for the deadline other states call a statute of limitations. Liberative prescription bars a creditor from enforcing a debt in court once the period has run.

Can a debt collector still contact me after three years in Louisiana?

Yes. Prescription only bars lawsuits, not contact. A collector can still ask you to pay, but under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act they cannot sue or threaten to sue over a prescribed debt.

If old balances are piling up, comparing structured debt relief options can consolidate several collector accounts into one negotiated plan.