Debt collectors in District of Columbia

Credit cards: D.C. Code 28-3814(o) requires any action to collect a consumer debt commenced on or after Sept. 1, 2021 to be brought within 3 years of accrual. That applies 'whether the legal basis of the claim sounds in contract, account stated, open account, or other cause', overrides any longer statute, and covers contracts under seal. This matches the 3-year period for simple contracts in 12-301(7).

Payments and acknowledgments: (a) Before expiry: D.C. Code 28-3504 requires a signed writing for an acknowledgment or promise on a simple contract but 'does not alter... the effect of a payment of principal or interest', so a part payment while the period is running restarts it. (b) After expiry: 28-3814(l) provides that, 'notwithstanding any other provision of law', a later payment or written or oral affirmation of a consumer debt does not extend the expired period. This applies to all collectors, including original creditors, who count as 'debt collectors' under 28-3814(b)(5).

Judgments: A money judgment of the D.C. Superior Court or U.S. District Court is enforceable by execution for 12 years from when execution could first issue, or from the last revival order (D.C. Code 15-101(a)). A revival order issued within the 12-year period extends the judgment, its lien and all remedies for 12 years from the order (15-103), and revival can be repeated. Once the period expires, the judgment 'shall cease to have any operation or effect' and cannot be sued on or revived (15-101(b)). The lien lasts as long as the judgment is in force (15-102(b)).

Other rules: All text was read on the official code.dccouncil.gov. The 3-year cap, the suit ban and the revival bar come from the Protecting Consumers from Unjust Debt Collection Practices Amendment Act of 2022 (D.C. Law 24-154, effective Aug. 27, 2022, applying as of Jan. 1, 2023), which made permanent the emergency and temporary acts in force since Sept. 1, 2021. 'Debt collector' includes original creditors and debt buyers. 'Consumer debt' excludes mortgage-secured credit and requires the debt to be more than 30 days past due. D.C. Law 26-172 (Medical Debt Mitigation Amendment Act of 2026, Aug. 20, 2026) amends 28-3814 and 15-103 for medical debt, but those amendments are subject to funding and 'not implemented' per the Code. 28-3814(aa)(4) tolls collection-suit limitation periods during a public health emergency and for 60 days after.

• open account: D.C. Code 28-3814(o); 12-301(7)
• written contract: D.C. Code 12-301(7); 28-3814(o)
• oral contract: D.C. Code 12-301(7); 28-3814(o)
• promissory note: D.C. Code 28-3814(o) (3 yrs for consumer debt); 28:3-118(a) (6 yrs for non-consumer notes)
• judgment: D.C. Code 15-101, 15-102, 15-103
• payment restarts: D.C. Code 28-3504; 28-3814(l)
• other: D.C. Code 28-3814(f)(10) (a debt collector may not start a suit on consumer debt when it knows or should know the period has expired); 28-3814(o) (3-year cap, including sealed contracts); 28-3814(m), (q) (documentation and pleading requirements); 12-301(6) (12 yrs for sealed instruments, displaced for consumer debt by 28-3814(o))

Sources: code.dccouncil.gov · code.dccouncil.gov · code.dccouncil.gov