State file — Ohio
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 · Ohio Rev. Code §§ 2305.06, 2305.07(C) . §2305.06 (as amended by S.B. 13, eff. June 16, 2021): a written contract action within 6 years — down from 8, and from 15 before 2012. Independently, §2305.07(C) sets a flat 6 years for an action arising out of a consumer transaction (personal/family/household), whether or not reduced to writing or signed, including an account stated — so card debt is 6 years either way. §2305.07(C) fixes accrual: 30 calendar days after the last charge or payment, whichever is later. |
| If the clock has run out | Paying part of it, or signing a written statement that the debt is yours, can restart it. Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.08 VERIFIED in the same official chapter text: 'If payment has been made upon any demand founded on a contract, or a written acknowledgment thereof, or a promise to pay it has been made and signed by the party to be charged, an action may be brought thereon within the time limited by sections 2305.06 and 2305.07 … after such payment, acknowledgment, or promise.' Either a part payment or a signed written acknowledgment/promise starts a fresh period. |
| Deadline to answer a lawsuit | 28 days after service of summons and complaint · Ohio R. Civ. P. 12(A)(1) From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
| Taking your paycheck (wage garnishment) | Follows the federal cap. Ohio mirrors the federal CCPA: the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30x the federal minimum wage for the pay period (weekly 30x, biweekly 60x, semimonthly 65x, monthly 130x) — i.e. at least $217.50/week of disposable earnings is protected at the current $7.25 federal minimum. Ohio Rev. Code § 2329.66(A)(13); 15 U.S.C. § 1673 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
| Taking your bank account (a levy) | Bank accounts are reachable by garnishment (R.C. ch. 2716) subject to exemptions the debtor claims, including the small statutory cash / money-on-deposit exemption in §2329.66(A)(3) (a few hundred dollars, periodically adjusted) and exemptions for benefit income; Ohio has no large bank-account-specific shield. Ohio Rev. Code §§ 2329.66(A)(3), 2716.01 et seq. 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 Consumer Sales Practices Act (no Ohio mini-FDCPA) (Ohio Rev. Code §§ 1345.01 et seq.) applies FDCPA-style rules to original creditors. Ohio has no FDCPA clone. The CSPA prohibits unfair, unconscionable or deceptive acts by a 'supplier' in a consumer transaction and has been applied to a creditor's own collection conduct, so original creditors can be reached through the CSPA rather than through a debt-collection statute; third-party collectors are governed by the federal FDCPA. |
| How long a judgment lasts | 5 years — A judgment becomes dormant if no execution is issued / certificate of judgment filed within 5 years (§2329.07); a dormant judgment may be revived under §2325.15 — revival generally must be sought within 10 years of dormancy. The judgment lien on lands lasts 5 years and is continued by filing a certificate of judgment. · Ohio Rev. Code §§ 2329.07, 2325.15, 2329.02 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
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6 years under Ohio Rev. Code §§ 2305.06, 2305.07(C). 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).
Paying part of it, or signing a written statement that the debt is yours, can restart it. (Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.08).
28 days after service of summons and complaint (Ohio R. Civ. P. 12(A)(1)). Most of these cases are lost by default — by never answering at all.
Ohio mirrors the federal CCPA: the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30x the federal minimum wage for the pay period (weekly 30x, biweekly 60x, semimonthly 65x, monthly 130x) — i.e. at least $217.50/week of disposable earnings is protected at the current $7.25 federal minimum. (Ohio Rev. Code § 2329.66(A)(13); 15 U.S.C. § 1673).