What Is Time-Barred (Zombie) Debt?

Written & reviewed by NotALawyer Review AI · Updated June 26, 2026

Time-barred debt is debt so old that the statute of limitations has run out, which generally means a collector can no longer win a lawsuit to force you to pay. People also call it 'zombie' debt because it can come back to life. The catch: the debt itself doesn't vanish, and one wrong move — making a payment or even admitting in writing that the debt is yours — can restart the clock and reopen the lawsuit window. The statute of limitations bars the court case; it does not erase the debt or automatically remove it from your credit report.

The clock length is set by your state

Each state sets its own statute of limitations for collecting on a debt, and the length often depends on the type of debt — written contract, oral agreement, or open account like a credit card. The 'your state' panel and the comparison table on this page show how long the window runs where you live.

Paying or acknowledging it can restart the clock

In many states, making a partial payment, agreeing to a payment plan, or putting in writing that the debt is yours can reset the statute of limitations to zero — turning an unenforceable debt back into one a collector could sue on. Before you pay or sign anything, it's worth knowing whether the debt is already time-barred.

A collector can still ask — but not win in court

Being time-barred doesn't stop a collector from calling or even filing suit. Some file anyway, hoping you won't show up and they'll get a default judgment. If you're sued on an old debt, the expired statute of limitations is a defense you generally have to raise — it isn't automatic, so silence can cost you.

It doesn't disappear from your credit report on its own

Credit reporting runs on a separate, federal clock — usually about seven years — under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. A debt can be too old to sue on yet still appear on your report, and the limitations period and the reporting period are not the same thing.

A quick, hypothetical example

Say a collector calls about a credit-card balance from eight years ago and offers to 'settle' for one small payment today. In some states, that single payment could restart the limitations clock and revive a lawsuit window that had already closed. This is a general illustration, not advice about any specific debt.

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Sources & primary references

Filing deadlines (statutes of limitation) by stateCompare the filing deadline for five common claim types in all 50 states.

How long you have to file suit for five common claim types — personal injury, property damage, written and oral contracts, and debt — in every state, in years, each cited to the statute. A blank means we haven't sourced that period yet.

State	Injury	Property	Written	Oral	Debt	Source
Alabama	2 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	Ala. Code § 6-2-38(l), Ala. Code § 6-2-34(2), Ala. Code § 6-2-37(1)
Alaska	2 yrs	2 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	—	Alaska Stat. § 09.10.070, Alaska Stat. § 09.10.053
Arizona	2 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	A.R.S. §12-542, A.R.S. §12-548, A.R.S. §12-543
Arkansas	3 yrs	3 yrs	5 yrs	3 yrs	—	Ark. Code § 16-56-105(3), Ark. Code § 16-56-111(a)
California	2 yrs	3 yrs	4 yrs	2 yrs	4 yrs	Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §335.1, Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §338 (injury to property), Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §337, Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §339
Colorado	2 yrs	2 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-80-102(1)(a), Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-80-101(1)(a), Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-80-103.5(1)(a)
Connecticut	2 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	—	Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-584
Delaware	2 yrs	2 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	10 Del. C. § 8119, 10 Del. C. § 8107, 10 Del. C. § 8106
District of Columbia	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	—	D.C. Code § 12-301(a)(8)
Florida	2 yrs	4 yrs	5 yrs	4 yrs	5 yrs	Fla. Stat. §95.11(5)(a) (negligence)
Georgia	2 yrs	4 yrs	6 yrs	4 yrs	—	O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33, O.C.G.A. § 9-3-32, O.C.G.A. § 9-3-24, O.C.G.A. § 9-3-25
Hawaii	2 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	Haw. Rev. Stat. § 657-7, Haw. Rev. Stat. § 657-1(1)
Idaho	2 yrs	3 yrs	5 yrs	4 yrs	—	Idaho Code § 5-219, Idaho Code § 5-218, Idaho Code § 5-216, Idaho Code § 5-217
Illinois	2 yrs	5 yrs	10 yrs	5 yrs	—	735 ILCS 5/13-202, 735 ILCS 5/13-205, 735 ILCS 5/13-206
Indiana	2 yrs	2 yrs	10 yrs	6 yrs	—	Ind. Code § 34-11-2-4, Ind. Code § 34-11-2-11, Ind. Code § 34-11-2-7
Iowa	2 yrs	5 yrs	10 yrs	5 yrs	—	Iowa Code § 614.1(2)
Kansas	2 yrs	2 yrs	5 yrs	3 yrs	—	K.S.A. § 60-513(a)(4), K.S.A. § 60-511(1), K.S.A. § 60-512(1)
Kentucky	1 yr	5 yrs	10 yrs	5 yrs	—	Ky. Rev. Stat. § 413.140, Ky. Rev. Stat. § 413.120(4), Ky. Rev. Stat. § 413.160
Louisiana	2 yrs	2 yrs	10 yrs	10 yrs	3 yrs	La. Civ. Code art. 3493.1, La. Civ. Code art. 3499, La. Civ. Code art. 3494
Maine	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 752
Maryland	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	—	Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101
Massachusetts	3 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2A, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2
Michigan	3 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5805(2), Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5807(9)
Minnesota	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1(5)
Mississippi	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	Miss. Code Ann. § 15-1-49, Miss. Code Ann. § 15-1-29
Missouri	5 yrs	5 yrs	10 yrs	5 yrs	—	Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.120(4), Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.110(1)
Montana	3 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	5 yrs	—	Mont. Code Ann. § 27-2-204(1), Mont. Code Ann. § 27-2-207(1), Mont. Code Ann. § 27-2-202(1)
Nebraska	4 yrs	4 yrs	5 yrs	4 yrs	—	Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-207, Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-205, Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-206
Nevada	2 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	4 yrs	6 yrs	NRS 11.190(4)(e)
New Hampshire	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	—	N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4
New Jersey	2 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2, N.J.S.A. 2A:14-1
New Mexico	3 yrs	4 yrs	6 yrs	4 yrs	6 yrs	NMSA 1978, §37-1-8, NMSA 1978, §37-1-4, NMSA 1978, §37-1-3
New York	3 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	N.Y. C.P.L.R. §214(5), N.Y. C.P.L.R. §213(2), N.Y. C.P.L.R. §214-i
North Carolina	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	—	N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-52(16)
North Dakota	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	N.D. Cent. Code § 28-01-16(5)
Ohio	2 yrs	—	6 yrs	4 yrs	—	Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.10(A), Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.06, Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.07
Oklahoma	2 yrs	2 yrs	5 yrs	3 yrs	—	Okla. Stat. tit. 12, § 95(A)(3)
Oregon	2 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	Or. Rev. Stat. § 12.110(1), Or. Rev. Stat. § 12.080(3)
Pennsylvania	2 yrs	2 yrs	4 yrs	4 yrs	—	42 Pa.C.S. § 5524, 42 Pa.C.S. § 5525
Rhode Island	3 yrs	10 yrs	10 yrs	10 yrs	—	R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-14(b), R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-13(a)
South Carolina	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	—	S.C. Code Ann. § 15-3-530(5)
South Dakota	3 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	S.D. Codified Laws § 15-2-14(3), S.D. Codified Laws § 15-2-13(3), (4)
Tennessee	1 yr	3 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104(a)(1)(A), Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-105(1), Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-109(a)(3)
Texas	2 yrs	2 yrs	4 yrs	4 yrs	4 yrs	Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §16.003
Utah	4 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	4 yrs	4 yrs	Utah Code § 78B-2-307(4), Utah Code § 78B-2-305(1)(a), Utah Code § 78B-2-309(1)(b)
Vermont	3 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	12 V.S.A. § 512, 12 V.S.A. § 511
Virginia	2 yrs	5 yrs	5 yrs	3 yrs	—	Va. Code § 8.01-243(A), Va. Code § 8.01-246(2)
Washington	3 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	—	RCW 4.16.080(2), RCW 4.16.040(1)
West Virginia	2 yrs	2 yrs	10 yrs	5 yrs	—	W. Va. Code § 55-2-12, W. Va. Code § 55-2-6
Wisconsin	3 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	Wis. Stat. § 893.54(1m)(a), Wis. Stat. § 893.52(1), Wis. Stat. § 893.43(1)
Wyoming	4 yrs	4 yrs	10 yrs	8 yrs	—	Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 1-3-105(a)(iv)(C)

General statutory information, not legal advice. The clock's start date and exceptions depend on the facts. Open the cited statute and confirm the current deadline for your state before you rely on it.

NotALawyer.com provides general legal information, not legal advice.