Statute of Limitations on Debt in Washington, D.C. (2026): The 3-Year Rule

Last updated 08/04/2026 by

Andrew Latham

Edited by

Andrew Latham

Summary:

The statute of limitations on debt in Washington, D.C. is three years for nearly every type of debt, including credit cards, measured from your last payment. The District applies one short window across debt types.

Three-year limit: Written contracts, credit cards, and open accounts.
Clock from last payment: The countdown starts when you stop paying.
Same rule for oral debt: Verbal agreements also fall under three years.

Washington, D.C. keeps this simple with a three-year deadline that covers almost every consumer debt.

The date that starts it is your last payment, not the day the account opened.

Get Competing Personal Loan Offers In Minutes

Compare rates from multiple vetted lenders. Discover your lowest eligible rate.

Get Personalized Rates

It's quick, free and won’t hurt your credit score

What is the statute of limitations on debt in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. gives creditors and collectors three years to sue on a debt, set by D.C. Code 12-301, covering credit cards, written contracts, and open accounts.

Once three years pass from your last payment, the debt is time-barred and a collector cannot win a lawsuit to force payment.

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

Washington, D.C. statute of limitations by debt type

The District applies a three-year limit across the debt types consumers deal with most.

Debt type	Time limit	D.C. statute
Written contract	3 years	D.C. Code 12-301
Credit card / open account	3 years	D.C. Code 12-301
Oral agreement	3 years	D.C. Code 12-301
Promissory note	3 years	D.C. Code 12-301

When the clock starts in Washington, D.C.

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

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

Pro Tip: In Washington, D.C., making a payment or acknowledging an old debt in writing can restart the three-year clock from zero.

With a window this short, confirm your date of last payment before you respond to a collector, because a single payment can undo years of aging.

Time-barred debt and your Washington, D.C. credit report

The three-year lawsuit limit 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 District credit card debt can be time-barred for suing after three years yet remain on your credit report for four more.

Key takeaways

Washington, D.C. allows three years to sue on most debt, including credit cards, under D.C. Code 12-301.
The clock starts on your last payment or account activity.
A payment or written acknowledgment can restart the three-year clock from zero.
Time-barred debt can still appear on your credit report for up to seven years.
A collector can still ask you to pay a time-barred debt but cannot sue over it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the statute of limitations on credit card debt in Washington, D.C.?

Three years. The District applies its D.C. Code 12-301 limit to credit card and open-account debt, running from your last payment. After three years the debt is time-barred and a collector cannot win a lawsuit over it.

Can a debt collector still contact me after three years in Washington, D.C.?

Yes. The statute of limitations 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 time-barred debt.

Does making a payment restart the clock in Washington, D.C.?

It can. A payment or a written acknowledgment that the debt is yours generally restarts the three-year period, so confirm whether the debt is already time-barred before you pay anything.

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