District of Columbia credit and debt laws

District of Columbia statute of limitations on debt

• Written contracts. A simple contract, express or implied, has 3 years. An instrument under seal has 12 years under 12-301(6), but any action to collect a consumer debt filed on or after September 1, 2021 must be brought within 3 years of accrual.
• Any consumer debt. Applies to every action to collect a consumer debt commenced on or after September 1, 2021.

Time limits to sue vs. time on your credit report

The District of Columbia deadlines above control how long a creditor or collector can win a lawsuit. They don't change how long an account stays on your credit report. The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act limits most negative items to 7 years in every state, counted from the date of first delinquency, and a payment doesn't restart that reporting clock. See how long negative items stay for both clocks side by side.

Can a payment restart the clock?

No. Once the limitations period on a consumer debt has expired, a later payment or a written or oral affirmation of the debt does not extend it, "notwithstanding any other provision of law" (D.C. Code 28-3814(l)).

Does District of Columbia limit lawsuits on old debt?

Yes. A debt collector, a term that in D.C. includes original creditors and debt buyers, may not start a lawsuit on a consumer debt when it knows or reasonably should know the limitations period has expired (D.C. Code 28-3814(f)(10)). A collection complaint must also state that it was filed within the limitations period (D.C. Code 28-3814(q)(6)).

Medical debt on credit reports in District of Columbia

D.C. Law 26-172 added a ban on furnishing medical debt to credit bureaus, but the D.C. Code notes that this amendment depends on funding in an approved budget and has not been implemented. Until it is, the subsection reads "Not Funded." The law: D.C. Code 28-3814(dd); D.C. Law 26-172.

Compare every state in medical debt laws by state.

Marriage and debt

District of Columbia is not a community property state. Each spouse keeps a separate credit report, and a debt generally belongs to the people who signed for it.

Can employers check your credit?

Employers may not require, request or suggest that a worker or applicant submit credit information, or use it in employment decisions. Exceptions include jobs where D.C. law requires a check, police and law enforcement roles, positions needing a security clearance, and financial institution jobs with access to personal financial information. The law: D.C. Code 2-1402.11(a)(4)(D), (d).

Where to complain about a debt collector

In District of Columbia, complaints about debt collectors and credit reporting can go to Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, Office of Consumer Protection, as well as to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

More to know in District of Columbia

D.C. keeps most of its old-debt rules in one section of the code, 28-3814, and they go well past federal law. Since September 1, 2021, any lawsuit to collect a consumer debt has to be filed within 3 years of when the claim accrued, whatever kind of contract it rests on. After the deadline, nothing restarts the clock: a payment, a phone call admitting the debt and a signed letter all leave the period expired. The collection law also defines debt collector to include original creditors and debt buyers collecting their own accounts, so a bank or card issuer collecting in-house is covered too. A collector may not falsely tell a credit bureau that you haven't paid a just debt, and may not share a debt it knows you dispute without also noting the dispute. Employers in D.C. are broadly barred from asking for credit information. The D.C. Council passed a medical debt reporting ban in 2026, but it is not in force until it is funded.

Guides that go deeper

• The statute of limitations on debt, and how a payment can reset itA statute of limitations limits when a collector can sue, not whether it can ask you to pay. How the clock starts, how it can restart, and what Reg F bans.
• How zombie debt and illegal re-aging bring old debts backZombie debts are old, paid, or wrong debts that resurface after a sale. Re-aging is reporting a newer delinquency date. How to spot and fight both.
• Sued by a debt collector? What to do in the first 2 weeksA debt lawsuit you ignore usually ends in a default judgment. What to read on the summons, how to respond on time, and where to find free legal help.
• Which states ban medical debt on credit reports? The 2026 listFifteen states have laws keeping medical debt off credit reports. The statute, start date and reach of each, plus the bureau rules that apply everywhere.
• Medical debt on credit reports: the rules in force in 2026The federal medical debt ban was struck down in 2025. What still protects you in 2026: bureau policies, newer scores, state laws and hospital aid rules.