Virginia credit and debt laws

Virginia statute of limitations on debt

• Written contracts. Applies to a written contract signed by the party to be charged. A written contract you did not sign falls under the three-year rule.
• Oral contracts. Also covers written contracts not signed by the party to be charged, and contracts implied by conduct.

Time limits to sue vs. time on your credit report

The Virginia 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 written promise to pay, signed by the debtor or the debtor's agent, lets the creditor sue within the period that would apply if the promise were the original claim, and a written acknowledgment from which a promise to pay can be implied counts the same way (Va. Code 8.01-229(G)).

Medical debt on credit reports in Virginia

Hospitals and other covered medical care facilities, licensed health professionals and emergency medical services agencies may not report any part of a medical debt to a credit bureau, and anyone collecting a medical debt may not report the collection effort. A willful violation is a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The law: Va. Code 59.1-444.4 (HB 1370, 2024). In effect since July 1, 2024.

Compare every state in medical debt laws by state.

Marriage and debt

Virginia 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 Virginia, complaints about debt collectors and credit reporting can go to Virginia Office of the Attorney General, Consumer Protection Section, as well as to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

More to know in Virginia

Virginia ties its contract deadline to your signature. A written contract signed by the person being sued gets five years (Va. Code 8.01-246(A)(2)). An oral contract, an implied contract, or a written one that the person being sued never signed gets three years (8.01-246(A)(4)). If a collector sues on an account and can't produce a signed agreement, which deadline applies can be a real question in court. A written promise to pay or a written acknowledgment that implies one gives the creditor a new period to sue (8.01-229(G)), so think before you sign or send anything on an old debt. Virginia's medical debt law works on the furnisher side: since April 17, 2024, providers and medical debt collectors may not send medical debt to the credit bureaus at all (Va. Code 59.1-444.4). A willful violation can be enforced under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

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.