Maine credit and debt laws

Maine statute of limitations on debt

• Promissory notes. For a note payable on a set date, the six years run from the due date in the note, or from the accelerated due date.
• Promissory notes signed before a witness. Covers promissory notes signed in the presence of an attesting witness and contracts under seal.
• Consumer debt sued on by a debt collector. A debt collector must sue within six years of your last activity on the debt, even where another deadline would be longer, unless Maine law sets a shorter one.

Time limits to sue vs. time on your credit report

The Maine 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?

A promise or acknowledgment restarts the clock on a contract only if it is express, in writing and signed by you (Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 860). For suits by debt collectors, once the six-year period in tit. 32, § 11013(8) runs out, a later payment, a written or oral affirmation or other activity on the debt does not revive or extend it.

Does Maine limit lawsuits on old debt?

Yes. A debt collector may not start a collection action that it knows or reasonably should know is barred by the six-year limit in Maine's debt collection law (Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 32, § 11013(7), (8)).

Medical debt on credit reports in Maine

Maine limits both the reporting of medical debt by providers and collectors and the inclusion of medical debt by credit bureaus. A June 2025 amendment replaced the earlier 180-day waiting period with a complete reporting ban. The law: Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 10, §§ 1308, 1310-H. In effect since September 24, 2025.

Compare every state in medical debt laws by state.

Marriage and debt

Maine 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?

Maine 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 Maine license?

Yes. No one may conduct the business of a debt collector in Maine without a license issued by the Superintendent of Consumer Credit Protection (Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 32, § 11031).

In Maine, complaints about debt collectors and credit reporting can go to Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection, as well as to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

More to know in Maine

Maine sets six years for most civil suits, including written and oral contracts (Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 752), and 20 years for a promissory note signed in front of an attesting witness (§ 751). Debt collectors face a tighter rule. A collector must sue within six years of your last activity on the debt, can't file a suit it should know is too late, and can't count on a later payment to restart the clock (tit. 32, § 11013). Maine was an early mover on medical debt. It has limited medical debt reporting since 2019, and a June 2025 amendment replaced its 180-day waiting period with a complete ban that took effect September 24, 2025. The ban reaches providers, collectors and the credit bureaus themselves. The Consumer Data Industry Association's challenge to the law is back in federal court, so watch for changes. Maine is not a community property state, and it has no statewide law limiting employer credit checks.

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.