Oregon credit and debt laws

Oregon statute of limitations on debt

• Oral contracts. ORS 12.080(1) covers any contract or liability, express or implied, so written and oral agreements share the six-year period.
• Open accounts. In a suit for a balance due on an account, the claim accrues at the last charge or payment proved in the account. Interest, finance and carrying charges do not count as a charge.

Time limits to sue vs. time on your credit report

The Oregon 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 payment of principal or interest made after a debt is due restarts the period from the date of the last payment (ORS 12.240). An acknowledgment or promise only counts if it is in a writing signed by the debtor (ORS 12.230).

Does Oregon limit lawsuits on old debt?

Yes. Oregon's unlawful collection practices law bars a debt collector from filing a lawsuit to collect a debt when it knows, or should know after reasonable diligence, that the statute of limitations bars it (ORS 646.639(2)(r)), and a parallel rule applies to debt buyers and collectors working for them (ORS 646.639(4)(a)).

Medical debt on credit reports in Oregon

No one may report an Oregon resident's medical debt to a credit bureau, and bureaus can't include it in a report. A court can declare a medical debt that was reported in violation of the law void. The law: ORS 646A.677(11), (12) (SB 605, 2025). In effect since January 1, 2026.

Compare every state in medical debt laws by state.

Marriage and debt

Oregon 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?

It is an unlawful employment practice for an employer to obtain or use credit history for employment purposes, or to refuse to hire or otherwise discriminate based on it. Exceptions cover federally insured banks and credit unions, employers required by law to use credit history, certain public safety officers, and credit information substantially related to the job when the employer explains its reasons in writing. The law: ORS 659A.320.

Do debt collectors need a Oregon license?

Yes. A person may not operate as a collection agency in Oregon without registering with the Department of Consumer and Business Services (ORS 697.015).

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

More to know in Oregon

Oregon gives creditors six years to sue on a contract, written or oral (ORS 12.080). On an account, the clock starts at the last charge or payment, and interest, finance and carrying charges do not count as a new charge (ORS 12.090). Interest piling onto an unpaid card does not restart anything. A payment does: ORS 12.240 restarts the period from the last payment on a note or other debt. Oregon's collection law adds rules beyond Regulation F. A collector may not sue on a debt it knows or should know is time-barred, and a debt buyer may not sue without business records showing the original creditor, the current owner, the purchase date and a copy of the agreement or a statement (ORS 646.639(4)(b)). If you ask a debt buyer for those documents, it can't keep collecting until it provides them (ORS 646.639(4)(d)). Oregon also bars most employers from using credit history (ORS 659A.320), and its medical debt reporting law took effect January 1, 2026.

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.