State file — Oregon
Every number below names the law it comes from (its statute citation), checked October 18, 2026. Where a number comes from a secondary source instead of the official text, this page says so — double-check it before you rely on it.
| How long they have to sue you — credit-card debt | 6 years · ORS 12.080(1) From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it An action upon a contract or liability, express or implied, shall be commenced within six years — one period for written, oral and open-account/card debt (§12.080). Oregon appellate law applies Oregon's own 6-year period to card claims rather than a shorter issuer-state period named in the card agreement (the well-known CACV of Colorado line of cases). Judgments/sealed instruments are 10 years under §12.070. |
| If the clock has run out | Signing a written statement that the debt is yours — or a signed promise to pay — can restart it. Paying alone cannot. ORS 12.230 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it No acknowledgment or promise is sufficient to extend/revive the period unless it is in writing signed by the party to be charged (ORS 12.230, by analogy to the general acknowledgment doctrine); secondary roundups report that a part payment can also restart the clock in practice — flagged as less certain than the signed-writing rule. |
| Deadline to answer a lawsuit | 30 days after service, as stated in the summons · ORS 46.570 / ORCP 7; Or. R. Civ. P. 15 A From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
| Taking your paycheck (wage garnishment) | More protective than the federal cap. 75% of disposable earnings are exempt (so at most 25% can be taken), AND the debtor must be left at least a statutory weekly floor that is now on a rising schedule in ORS 18.385: $338/week for wages payable July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, rising to $400/week July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027, then 30x the Oregon minimum wage from July 1, 2027 (pro-rated: $675 / $832 for two-week periods in those same windows). ORS 18.385 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
| Taking your bank account (a levy) | Distinctive Oregon bank-account rule in the statutory garnishment notice (ORS 18.845): all Social Security and SSI benefits held in a bank account are exempt, and up to $7,500 of exempt wages, retirement, welfare, unemployment and disability benefits held in a bank account is exempt, claimable by a Challenge to Garnishment. A general $400 bank-account / personal-property exemption also appears in ORS 18.345. ORS §§ 18.348, 18.345, 18.845 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it Federal benefits deposited directly get an automatic two-month shield everywhere (31 CFR Part 212). |
| Original creditor calling? | Yes — the Unlawful Debt Collection Practices Act (ORS §§ 646.639-646.641) applies FDCPA-style rules to original creditors. Oregon's act defines its regulated conduct broadly and, unlike the federal FDCPA, is applied to persons collecting debts they originated as well as third-party collectors in many summaries; it sits alongside the Unlawful Trade Practices Act (ORS 646.605 et seq.). Coverage of an original creditor collecting purely in its own name should be confirmed against the current §646.639(1) definitions before publication. |
| How long a judgment lasts | 10 years — Judgment remedies expire 10 years after entry, extendable once for one additional 10-year period by filing a certificate of extension before expiry (ORS 18.182); spousal/child support judgments run longer. · ORS §§ 18.180, 18.182 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
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6 years under ORS 12.080(1). The clock usually starts at the first missed payment that was never made up. Debt collectors may still call after it runs out, but Regulation F (12 CFR 1006.26(b)) bars them from suing — or threatening to sue — over a debt that is too old (time-barred).
Signing a written statement that the debt is yours — or a signed promise to pay — can restart it. Paying alone cannot. (ORS 12.230).
30 days after service, as stated in the summons (ORS 46.570 / ORCP 7; Or. R. Civ. P. 15 A). Most of these cases are lost by default — by never answering at all.
75% of disposable earnings are exempt (so at most 25% can be taken), AND the debtor must be left at least a statutory weekly floor that is now on a rising schedule in ORS 18.385: $338/week for wages payable July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, rising to $400/week July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027, then 30x the Oregon minimum wage from July 1, 2027 (pro-rated: $675 / $832 for two-week periods in those same windows). (ORS 18.385).