State file — District of Columbia
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 | 3 years · D.C. Code § 12-301(a)(7); D.C. Code § 28-3814(o) From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it § 12-301(a)(7) sets 3 years 'on a simple contract, express or implied.' The consumer-debt overlay (§ 28-3814(o), statute text via Justia) makes it airtight for cards: any action to collect consumer debt must be commenced within 3 years of accrual 'whether the legal basis sounds in contract, account stated, open account or other cause,' and the period 'also applies to contracts under seal' - killing the 12-year sealed-instrument argument for consumer debt. |
| If the clock has run out | Nothing restarts it. Paying, or promising in writing, after the deadline does not bring the claim back. D.C. Code § 28-3814(l) From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it ANTI-REVIVAL, express: 'Notwithstanding any other provision of law, when the applicable statute of limitations period for an action to collect consumer debt has expired, any subsequent payment toward or written or oral affirmation of such consumer debt shall not extend the limitations period.' Suing on a knowingly time-barred consumer debt is itself a prohibited practice (§ 28-3814(f)(10)). |
| Deadline to answer a lawsuit | Serve an answer within 21 days after being served with the summons and complaint (Civil Actions Branch; small-claims statements of claim follow the hearing-date procedure) · D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 12(a)(1) |
| Taking your paycheck (wage garnishment) | More protective than the federal cap. Up to 25% of disposable earnings may be attached, with a District floor reported as the excess over 40 times the applicable minimum wage in secondary garnishment tables (more protective than the federal 30-times floor); the D.C. Courts' exemption notice and hardship motion practice provide additional relief for low-income debtors. D.C. Code §§ 16-571 et seq. From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
| Taking your bank account (a levy) | No DC-specific automatic bank-balance floor located. Section 15-501(a) exemptions can be claimed against funds in an account: a wildcard of $850 plus up to $8,075 of unused homestead exemption (a)(3), and benefit rights - Social Security, veterans', disability/illness/unemployment benefits - are exempt under (a)(7) when traceable; the Superior Court's Notice of Garnishment and Exemptions lists these for bank attachments. D.C. Code § 15-501(a) 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 D.C. Debt Collection Law (D.C. Code § 28-3814) applies FDCPA-style rules to original creditors. As amended by D.C. Law 24-154 (effective Jan. 1, 2023), the definition/coverage was deliberately broadened to include original creditors - the 2022 reforms were motivated in part by original creditors filing roughly half of DC small-claims debt cases; the statute's operative subsections now run to 'creditor or debt collector' (see the amendment history in the § 28-3814 text). Scope reporting is secondary (law-firm analysis of D.C. Law 24-154). |
| How long a judgment lasts | 12 years — A District judgment is enforceable for 12 years and may be revived/renewed for successive 12-year periods by proper filing before expiration · D.C. Code §§ 15-101 et seq., 15-103 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
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3 years under D.C. Code § 12-301(a)(7); D.C. Code § 28-3814(o). 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).
Nothing restarts it. Paying, or promising in writing, after the deadline does not bring the claim back. (D.C. Code § 28-3814(l)).
Serve an answer within 21 days after being served with the summons and complaint (Civil Actions Branch; small-claims statements of claim follow the hearing-date procedure) (D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 12(a)(1)). Most of these cases are lost by default — by never answering at all.
Up to 25% of disposable earnings may be attached, with a District floor reported as the excess over 40 times the applicable minimum wage in secondary garnishment tables (more protective than the federal 30-times floor); the D.C. Courts' exemption notice and hardship motion practice provide additional relief for low-income debtors. (D.C. Code §§ 16-571 et seq.).