Louisiana credit and debt laws
In Louisiana, the statute of limitations on credit card and other open-account debt is 3 years. That clock limits lawsuits, not credit reporting: under federal law, most negative items leave your credit report after 7 years no matter which state you live in.
Louisiana statute of limitations on debt
| Type of debt | Time limit | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Written contracts | 10 years | La. Civ. Code art. 3499 |
| Oral contracts | 10 years | La. Civ. Code art. 3499 |
| Promissory notes | 5 years | La. Civ. Code art. 3498 |
| Open accounts | 3 years | La. Civ. Code art. 3494 |
- Written contracts. Louisiana sets a 10-year period for personal actions unless another law provides otherwise. It does not separate written and oral contracts.
- Promissory notes. Covers negotiable and nonnegotiable notes. The period runs from the day payment is due.
- Open accounts. Article 3494 also sets 3 years for actions to recover money lent.
Time limits to sue vs. time on your credit report
The Louisiana 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?
Acknowledging a debt interrupts prescription, Louisiana's term for the limitations period (La. Civ. Code art. 3464), and a debtor can renounce prescription after it has run (La. Civ. Code art. 3449).
Medical debt on credit reports in Louisiana
Louisiana has no law of its own limiting medical debt on credit reports, so the national rules decide what shows. The three bureaus leave off paid medical collections and any under $500, and an unpaid one can't appear until it is a year old.
Compare every state in medical debt laws by state.
Marriage and debt
Louisiana is a community property state. Debts taken on during the marriage can be treated as shared under state law, but each spouse still has a separate credit report, and an account shows only on the reports of the people on it.
Can employers check your credit?
Louisiana has no statewide law limiting employer credit checks. The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act still requires your written permission before an employer pulls your report.
Do debt collectors need a Louisiana license?
Collection agencies must register with the Louisiana Secretary of State under Act 534 of the 2006 Regular Session. The Office of Financial Institutions says it does not regulate collection agencies.
In Louisiana, complaints about debt collectors and credit reporting can go to Louisiana Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division, as well as to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
More to know in Louisiana
Louisiana calls its lawsuit deadlines liberative prescription, and its Civil Code sets them by the kind of claim. Open accounts and money lent both prescribe in 3 years under article 3494. Promissory notes, negotiable or not, prescribe in 5 years counted from the day payment was due (article 3498). Most other contract claims fall under the 10-year period for personal actions in article 3499, whether the contract was written or not. Acknowledging the debt interrupts prescription under article 3464, and article 3449 lets a debtor renounce prescription once it has run, so check where an old account stands before you pay on it or sign anything. Louisiana is one of nine community property states. Collection agencies register with the Secretary of State (225-925-4704) rather than the Office of Financial Institutions, which sends collection complaints to the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division at 225-326-6465 or 800-351-4889. The state has no law keeping medical debt off credit reports.
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.
Sources
- La. Civ. Code art. 3494, Louisiana State Legislature
- La. Civ. Code art. 3498, Louisiana State Legislature
- La. Civ. Code art. 3499, Louisiana State Legislature
- La. Civ. Code art. 3464, Louisiana State Legislature
- La. Civ. Code art. 3449, Louisiana State Legislature
- Collection Agencies, Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions
- The Latest: Keeping Medical Debt Out of Credit Reports, National Consumer Law Center
- Medical Debt Can Still Hit Your Credit Report in 35 States, MoneyGeek
- Publication 555, Community Property, Internal Revenue Service
- A Guide to the States that Ban Credit Checks for Employment, backgroundchecks.com
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