Debt Collection Resources & 51-State Statute of Limitations Matrix

By the RecovAsset Editorial Team · Resources Editor · edited and approved by Sanjesh G. Reddy, Founder & Editor-in-Chief

About this resources page

Debt collection is one of the most state-procedurally specific areas of consumer law. The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. §1692 et seq.) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Regulation F (12 CFR Part 1006, effective November 30, 2021) set a national floor, but the rules that materially determine outcomes — statutes of limitations on consumer debt, judgment-renewal deadlines, wage-garnishment ceilings, exemption claim procedures, foreclosure timing, and the precise mechanics of debt validation under FDCPA §809(b) — are governed by state statute and state court rules. A consumer in California facing the same factual collection scenario as a consumer in New York will encounter materially different procedural deadlines and substantive protections.

This page consolidates the authority sources our editorial team relies on when researching debt-collection topics, and it hosts the canonical 51-row state-by-state Statute of Limitations & Wage Garnishment matrix referenced from elsewhere on the site (notably our SOL guide and our wage-garnishment guide). The matrix is a starting reference, not a substitute for jurisdiction-specific advice from a licensed attorney; for that, see the state-bar lawyer-referral services and consumer-protection plaintiff-side bar resources linked below.

51-State Statute of Limitations & Wage Garnishment Matrix

The matrix below shows, for each U.S. state and the District of Columbia, (1) statute-of-limitations periods on common consumer debts, (2) the applicable judgment statute of limitations, (3) the operative wage-garnishment posture relative to the federal CCPA §1673 floor (25% of disposable earnings or amount above 30× federal minimum wage), and (4) the primary state-code citation. “Open account” covers credit cards, retail charge accounts, and revolving lines (the two are not identical in every state — some treat credit cards as written contracts; the Open Account column reflects the most common consumer-debt SOL). Most states permit revival of an expired SOL through partial payment or written acknowledgment; specifics vary materially.

Notes on the matrix: (1) Statutes are cited by section; verify against the linked state-code online source before relying on the cited rule for a specific situation. (2) “Renewable” indicates the judgment may be renewed before the SOL lapses; renewal procedures are state-procedurally specific and unforgiving. (3) The wage-garnishment column reflects the operative state ceiling on private-debt wage garnishment; child-support, spousal-support, federal student-loan, and tax-debt garnishment limits differ. (4) New York materially shortened the credit-card SOL to 3 years under CPLR §214-i (effective April 7, 2022) for credit-card consumer debt while retaining the 6-year SOL for other written contracts. (5) Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas effectively prohibit non-support wage garnishment on private consumer debt under their respective state constitutions and statutes.

Federal regulators & rulemaking

Primary federal authority for debt collection sits with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), with parallel jurisdiction at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for the TCPA-related dialer and SMS rules.

• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (consumerfinance.gov) — primary federal regulator; rulemaking, enforcement, public complaint database
• CFPB Regulation F (12 CFR Part 1006) — the operative debt-collection rule (effective Nov 30, 2021; subsequently amended)
• CFPB Complaint Portal — consumer complaints with 15-day acknowledgment / 60-day company response
• FTC — Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (full text, 15 U.S.C. §1692 et seq.)
• FTC Credit & Finance Business Guidance — FDCPA enforcement materials and Telemarketing Sales Rule debt-settlement guidance
• FTC Report Fraud (reportfraud.ftc.gov) — federal consumer-fraud complaint portal
• Federal Reserve G.19 Consumer Credit — aggregate consumer-credit data tracking
• FDIC Consumer Resource Center — banking-side consumer protection resources

Federal statutes & legal text

• Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. §1692 et seq., Cornell Law)
• Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. §1681 et seq., Cornell Law)
• Consumer Credit Protection Act §1673 (federal wage-garnishment limit)
• Telephone Consumer Protection Act (47 U.S.C. §227, Cornell Law)
• Credit Repair Organizations Act (15 U.S.C. §1679 et seq., Cornell Law)
• Bankruptcy Automatic Stay (Title 11 U.S.C. §362, Cornell Law)
• Cancellation of Debt Income / Insolvency Exclusion (26 U.S.C. §108)
• Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 69 (Execution of Judgments)

State attorney general & state regulator portals

State attorneys general are the front-line state enforcement of debt-collection violations under state Mini-FDCPAs. The directory below routes through the National Association of Attorneys General; for each state the consumer-protection unit typically operates a separate intake portal.

• National Association of Attorneys General — AG directory (naag.org)
• California Attorney General — Consumer Protection
• New York Attorney General — Consumer Frauds & Protection
• Texas Attorney General — Consumer Protection
• Florida Attorney General — Consumer Protection
• Illinois Attorney General — Consumer Protection
• California Department of Financial Protection & Innovation (DFPI) — California Debt Collection Licensing Act administrator
• New York Department of Financial Services — New York debt-collector regulation

Consumer-rights plaintiff bar & advocacy

• National Consumer Law Center (nclc.org) — the leading consumer-rights research and advocacy organization; Fair Debt Collection treatise is the practitioner standard
• NCLC Fair Debt Collection treatise (NCLC Digital Library)
• Consumer Financial Services Law Monitor — defense-side practitioner blog covering FDCPA litigation and rulemaking
• National Association of Consumer Advocates (naca.net) — consumer-protection plaintiff bar membership organization with attorney directory
• Consumer Action (consumeraction.org) — consumer education and advocacy
• National Consumer Law Center — consumerlaw.org gateway

Industry associations & collector-side resources

• ACA International (acainternational.org) — the leading credit and collection industry trade association; Code of Ethics, certification programs (CRCP, ACE)
• Receivables Management Association International (RMAI) — debt-buyer industry trade body
• Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA) — credit-bureau / Metro 2 reporting standard

Court & legal-research resources

• U.S. Federal Courts (uscourts.gov) — federal court directory and procedural reference
• PACER (pacer.uscourts.gov) — federal court records access
• CourtListener (courtlistener.com) — free federal court records and case-law research
• Cornell Legal Information Institute (law.cornell.edu) — full text of U.S. Code and Federal Rules
• U.S. Bankruptcy Courts — bankruptcy court directory and procedural resources

Credit reporting & consumer-credit resources

• AnnualCreditReport.com — the federally authorized free credit-report portal under FCRA §1681j
• Experian Disputes
• Equifax Disputes
• TransUnion Disputes
• CFPB — how to dispute errors on your credit report

Bankruptcy & debtor-protection resources

• U.S. Courts — Bankruptcy Basics
• U.S. Trustee Program (Department of Justice) — bankruptcy oversight and means-test data
• American Bankruptcy Institute (abi.org) — non-partisan research on bankruptcy procedure
• NCLC — Bankruptcy Resources

Frequently asked questions

What is the source of the state SOL data in the 51-row matrix?

Each row cites the operative state-code section by primary-source citation (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §337, N.Y. CPLR §213, Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §16.004, Fla. Stat. §95.11, Ohio Rev. Code §2305.06, 735 ILCS 5/13-205, Ga. Code §9-3-24, etc.). Statutes were verified against state-code online sources current through April 2026.

Can a partial payment restart the statute of limitations on an old debt?

In the majority of states, a partial payment on an old debt restarts the statute of limitations clock. The exact rule depends on state law: most states treat partial payment as written or implied acknowledgment of the debt, which revives the SOL. A few states (Mississippi, Wisconsin) have explicit consumer-protection rules limiting revival. Always verify your specific state's rule before responding to a collector on an old debt.

Does the SOL erase a debt entirely?

No. The statute of limitations bars the creditor from suing to collect the debt; it does not erase the debt. The debt still exists, can still be collected through voluntary payment or settlement, and may continue to appear on the consumer's credit report (subject to FCRA's seven-year reporting window from first delinquency). CFPB Regulation F (12 CFR Part 1006) prohibits collectors from suing or threatening to sue on time-barred debt.

What is the federal wage-garnishment limit, and how do state ceilings interact with it?

The federal Consumer Credit Protection Act (15 U.S.C. §1673) sets a floor: garnishment cannot exceed the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or amount above 30 times the federal minimum wage. State ceilings layer on top and can be more protective. Texas (Tex. Const. Art. 16 §28) substantially restricts consumer-debt wage garnishment outside support obligations. Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and South Carolina similarly restrict garnishment. New York (CPLR §5231) caps at 10% of disposable. Always check the state-specific rule applicable to the consumer's residence.

How does this matrix differ from generalist sources like Nolo or NerdWallet?

This matrix cites the operative state-code section for each row (e.g., Cal. CCP §337, not just “California: 4 years”). This means a reader can verify the cited rule directly against state-code online sources and pull current language. The matrix also captures the judgment statute of limitations (which is separately governed and often longer than the underlying debt SOL) and the state wage-garnishment ceiling, which most general references either omit or summarize at the federal-floor level.

How often is this matrix updated?

State legislatures amend SOL statutes during regular legislative sessions (typically January-June for most states; year-round for full-time legislatures like California, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts). The RecovAsset Editorial Team performs a full reconciliation against state-code online sources at least annually; material mid-year amendments are flagged on the affected row when identified. The current full reconciliation date is shown in the editorial note above.

Where can a consumer file a complaint about an alleged debt-collection violation?

The CFPB complaint portal (consumerfinance.gov/complaint) is the primary federal channel. The CFPB acknowledges complaints within 15 days, and the responding company has 60 days to respond. Parallel state channels exist via state attorney general consumer-protection portals (the National Association of Attorneys General at naag.org maintains the directory). For FDCPA violations, consumers also have a private right of action under 15 U.S.C. §1692k (statutory damages up to $1,000 per consumer plus actual damages and attorneys' fees).

What is the bankruptcy automatic stay's interaction with debt collection?

Title 11 §362 of the Bankruptcy Code imposes an automatic stay at the moment a bankruptcy petition is filed. The stay halts most collection activity (lawsuits, wage garnishments, levies, repossessions, foreclosures). The stay's scope and duration depend on the bankruptcy chapter (7, 11, 13), prior filings within the past year (which may shorten the stay), and any creditor motion for relief. After discharge under §727 (Chapter 7) or §1328 (Chapter 13), most consumer debts are extinguished entirely; collection on discharged debt violates the discharge injunction and is independently sanctionable.

Editorial methodology

The 51-row matrix was assembled in three phases. First, our editorial team mapped each state's primary statute-of-limitations sections by referencing state-code online editions (where the legislature publishes a current-text version) cross-checked against secondary references (the NCLC Fair Debt Collection treatise, the ACA International state-by-state license matrix, and state-bar consumer-protection committee publications). Second, each row was independently re-verified against the cited section by a second editorial reviewer reading the statute text directly. Third, jurisdictions where the statute structure is materially more complex than a single section can capture (New York's 2022 CPLR §214-i credit-card carve-out; Pennsylvania's 42 Pa. C.S. §8127 wage-garnishment restriction; Texas's Constitutional Article 16 wage-garnishment provisions; Florida's head-of-household exemption under Fla. Stat. §222.11) are flagged with explanatory text in the matrix or this resource page.

The matrix is updated at least annually. Material legislative changes between annual reviews (active-session amendments to a cited statute) are flagged on the affected row when identified. We welcome corrections from licensed practitioners; please email editor@recovasset.com with the cited statute, your proposed correction, and the primary-source citation supporting the correction.

Last full reconciliation: April 25, 2026.