Utah credit and debt laws

Utah statute of limitations on debt

• Written contracts. For a credit agreement, the six years start on the latest of the day the debt arose, the day you gave a written acknowledgment or promise to pay, or the day you or someone else made a payment (78B-2-309(2)).
• Oral contracts. Runs from the last charge made or the last payment received.
• Open accounts. Covers an open store account for goods and an open account for work, labor, services or materials, counted from the last charge or last payment.

Time limits to sue vs. time on your credit report

The Utah 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?

Yes. An action to recover a debt may be brought within the applicable limitation period measured from the latest of the date the debt arose, the date of a written acknowledgment or promise to pay, or the date of a payment on the debt (Utah Code 78B-2-113).

Medical debt on credit reports in Utah

Utah 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

Utah 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.

Where to complain about a debt collector

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

More to know in Utah

Utah splits debts by paperwork. A contract founded on a written instrument gets six years (Utah Code 78B-2-309), while an unwritten contract, an open store account and an open account for services get four years counted from the last charge or last payment (78B-2-307). Utah also writes revival into its statutes. Under 78B-2-113, the deadline on a debt runs from the latest of three dates: when the debt arose, when you gave a written acknowledgment or promise to pay, or when a payment was made. For credit agreements, 78B-2-309(2) adds that a payment by a third party also resets the start date. In practice, a payment of any size on an old account can give the creditor a new full period to sue. Before you pay on a Utah debt that is near the four- or six-year mark, work out which category it falls in and when the last payment posted, using your own statements rather than the collector's letter.

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.