Arizona Debt Collection Statute of Limitations
Arizona gives creditors a relatively long window to sue: six years on a written contract or a credit-card account under A.R.S. section 12-548, and three years on an oral or open account under A.R.S. section 12-543. But that clock is only useful if you can find the debtor and serve them before it runs out. This guide explains the Arizona periods by debt type, when the clock starts, what revives a time-barred claim, and where federal law draws the line on collecting an expired debt. We are a public-records research firm: for creditors and their counsel, we locate Arizona debtors while the limitations window is still open.
The Short Version
In Arizona, a creditor generally has six years to sue on a written contract, and that same six-year period expressly covers credit-card debt under A.R.S. section 12-548(A)(2). An oral agreement or an open account carries a shorter three-year limit under A.R.S. section 12-543. The clock usually starts at the borrower’s last payment or the first uncured default, not the day the account opened. A written, signed acknowledgment of the debt, and in practice a part payment, can reset that clock under A.R.S. section 12-508. Once the period expires the debt is time-barred, and federal law forbids a collector from suing or threatening suit on it.
None of that matters if the debtor has moved and cannot be found. We are a public-records research firm, not a law firm or a collection agency: we locate Arizona debtors for creditors and their attorneys so a valid claim is filed and served before the limitations window closes, typically within 24 hours. This page is general legal information, not legal advice; consult an Arizona attorney about your specific account.
Watch: Arizona Debt Limitation Periods
The six-year and three-year windows, in plain terms.
Watch Overview
What the Statute of Limitations Actually Does
A deadline to sue, not a deadline to owe.
A statute of limitations sets the maximum time a creditor has to file a lawsuit after a debt goes into default. It is a procedural deadline on the courthouse, not an eraser on the obligation. When the period passes, the underlying debt still exists, but the creditor loses the ability to win a judgment by suing, because the debtor can raise the expired limitation as a complete affirmative defense and have the case dismissed. In Arizona that defense is the debtor’s to assert; a court will not throw out a stale suit on its own, which is one reason time-barred accounts still end up in collection litigation.
Arizona’s windows sit on the longer end of the national range. The six-year period for written contracts is twice California’s four-year rule and longer than the three- or four-year limits common in many states, which makes Arizona a comparatively creditor-friendly forum for written obligations. That length cuts both ways: it gives a creditor more time to locate a debtor and bring suit, but it also means an old account a collector assumes is dead may still be well inside the window. Knowing which period applies, and exactly when it started, is the difference between a collectible claim and a dismissed one.
The rest of this page walks the Arizona periods by debt type, the accrual trigger that starts the clock, the narrow events that can revive an expired claim, and the federal rules that govern what a collector may do once a debt is time-barred. Throughout, this is general legal information drawn from the Arizona Revised Statutes, not legal advice for your particular account.
Arizona Limitation Periods by Debt Type
The governing statute and period for the debts creditors collect most.
| Debt Type | Arizona Period | Governing Statute | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit-card account KEY | Six years | A.R.S. 12-548(A)(2) | Expressly treated as a written-contract debt by the 2011 amendment; ends the old open-account argument. |
| Written contract | Six years | A.R.S. 12-548(A)(1) | Any debt founded on a contract in writing executed in Arizona. |
| Auto loan / installment note | Six years | A.R.S. 12-548 | Signed written financing agreements fall under the written-contract period. |
| Promissory note | Six years | A.R.S. 12-548 | A signed written promise to pay is a written contract for limitations purposes. |
| Oral agreement | Three years | A.R.S. 12-543(1) | A debt not evidenced by a contract in writing. |
| Open or stated account | Three years | A.R.S. 12-543(2) | No item is barred while any item was incurred within the last three years. |
| Medical debt | Three or six years | A.R.S. 12-543 / 12-548 | Turns on whether a signed written financial-responsibility agreement exists. |
| Money judgment | Ten years (renewable) | A.R.S. 12-1551 / 12-1612 | A judgment can be renewed before it expires to extend enforceability. |
The single most important line in that table is the first one. For years, collectors and debtors argued whether a credit-card balance was a written contract (six years) or merely an open account (three years), because the cardholder rarely signs the issuer’s full agreement. Arizona resolved it by statute: A.R.S. section 12-548(A)(2) now points directly at a credit card, as defined in A.R.S. section 13-2101, and places it inside the six-year written-contract period. That is an Arizona-specific rule. In many other states a credit-card claim still rides on the shorter open-account period, so a balance that is time-barred elsewhere can remain live in Arizona.
The Arizona Wrinkle: Credit-Card Debt Is Six Years
One statutory amendment that changes the math on a huge share of consumer accounts.
Before 2011, Arizona courts and litigants disputed how to classify revolving credit-card debt. A creditor wanted the six-year written-contract period of A.R.S. section 12-548; a debtor argued the account was really an open account governed by the three-year period in A.R.S. section 12-543. The stakes were enormous, because a great many charged-off consumer accounts fall in the gap between three and six years from the last payment. The Arizona Legislature settled the question by amending A.R.S. section 12-548 to add subsection (A)(2), which makes a debt founded on or evidenced by a credit card, as that term is defined in A.R.S. section 13-2101, expressly subject to the six-year written-contract limitation.
The practical effect is that, in Arizona, the limitations analysis for the typical bank or store credit card now starts from a six-year clock rather than three. The statute also includes a choice-of-law provision: where the limitation periods of Arizona and another jurisdiction conflict on this kind of debt, A.R.S. section 12-548 applies. Creditors should still confirm the exact debt instrument, because not every revolving or charge arrangement meets the statutory credit-card definition, and the period for a genuinely oral or open account remains three years.
When the Arizona Clock Starts
Identifying the right period is only half the calculation; the other half is the accrual date that starts it. In Arizona an action accrues, and the clock begins, when the cause of action accrues, which for an installment or revolving debt is generally the borrower’s last payment or the first missed payment that is never cured, not the day the account was opened. Each missed installment can have its own accrual date, but once an account is accelerated or charged off, the full balance typically accrues at that point. For an open or stated account under A.R.S. section 12-543, no item is barred so long as any item on the account was incurred within the prior three years, so the date of the most recent qualifying charge matters.
This is where many stale-debt suits go wrong. A collector who counts from the wrong date, often the date a debt was sold or assigned rather than the original default, can file just outside the window and hand the debtor a clean dismissal. Pinning the accrual date to the documented last payment is essential, and it is also why a current, locatable debtor matters: a defendant who can be served promptly lets a creditor file with margin to spare rather than racing the deadline.
What Can Restart or Pause the Arizona Clock
A handful of events extend the window, and one common act resets it entirely.
Written Acknowledgment
A.R.S. section 12-508 provides that an acknowledgment of a barred debt only counts if it is in writing and signed by the debtor, which can revive the claim.
Partial Payment
Making a payment on an old account is commonly treated as an acknowledgment that can reset the limitations clock to the date of that payment.
New Written Promise
A fresh signed promise to pay the debt can serve the same reviving function as a signed acknowledgment of an old balance.
Debtor Outside Arizona
Periods of absence from the state can toll, or pause, the running of the limitation under Arizona’s tolling provisions.
Bankruptcy Stay
A bankruptcy filing imposes an automatic stay that halts collection and can pause the limitation while the case is pending.
Fraud or Mistake
For relief on fraud or mistake, the three-year period under A.R.S. section 12-543 runs from discovery, not from the original act.
The reviving rule deserves special caution from both sides. Under A.R.S. section 12-508, once a claim is barred by limitation, no acknowledgment of the debt counts to take the action out of the statute unless that acknowledgment is in writing and signed by the party to be charged. Arizona courts have long treated a part payment as that kind of acknowledgment, which means a debtor who sends even a small payment on an ancient balance may restart a six-year or three-year clock without realizing it. Creditors should document any such payment carefully; debtors should understand that paying or signing anything on an old account can have legal consequences. This is general information, and the precise effect of a given payment is a question for an Arizona attorney.
Time-Barred Debt and Federal Collection Limits
Once the Arizona period runs, federal law constrains what a collector may do.
When an Arizona debt passes its six-year or three-year limitation, it becomes time-barred. The obligation does not vanish, but a creditor who sues on it exposes itself to liability, because the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act prohibits a debt collector from using false, deceptive, or misleading representations to collect a debt, and from using unfair means to do so. Filing or threatening a lawsuit on a debt the collector knows is time-barred has been treated as exactly that kind of prohibited conduct. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Regulation F further bars a collector from suing or threatening to sue on a debt it knows or should know is beyond the limitation period, and requires time-barred-debt disclosures in certain validation notices.
That federal floor is important in Arizona because the state has no comprehensive standalone debt-collection statute that mirrors the FDCPA for every collector; federal law and the CFPB rules carry much of the weight, alongside general Arizona consumer-protection law. For a creditor, the lesson is practical: confirm the account is still inside the Arizona window before suing, and pin the accrual date to documented records. For a debtor, a time-barred status is a defense that must be raised, and a single acknowledgment or payment can give it away. A reputable creditor files on live claims and leaves expired ones alone.
Arizona creditors should also keep one state-specific development separate from the limitation analysis: the Predatory Debt Collection Act, approved by Arizona voters as Proposition 209 in the 2022 general election. It did not shorten any limitation period. What it did was reshape what a creditor can actually recover and collect once a judgment exists, lowering the maximum lawful interest rate on most medical debt judgments, raising the value of key debtor exemptions such as the homestead, household goods, and a portion of wages, and shrinking the share of a debtor’s earnings that may be garnished. The effect is that the limitation clock controls whether you may sue at all, while Proposition 209 increasingly controls how much of a winning judgment you can ever turn into cash. A creditor who wins inside the six-year window but ignores the post-judgment exemption landscape can hold a judgment that is hard to satisfy. The two questions are distinct, and both deserve attention before resources are committed to an old account.
Why a Limitation Window Is a Locate Problem
A live claim is worthless if you cannot find and serve the debtor in time.
Confirm the Period
Classify the debt and apply the right Arizona period: six years written or credit-card, three years oral or open account.
Fix the Accrual Date
Pin the clock to the documented last payment or first uncured default, and check for any reviving acknowledgment.
Locate the Debtor
We rebuild a current Arizona address and place of work from public records and licensed databases before the window closes.
File and Serve in Time
With a verified address, your counsel files and serves the debtor with margin to spare rather than racing the deadline.
Arizona’s long six-year window is only an advantage to a creditor who can act on it. A claim that is comfortably inside the limitation period still dies if the debtor has moved, changed jobs, or simply gone quiet and cannot be served before the deadline. That is the gap we fill. We are not a law firm and not a collection agency; we are a public-records research firm that locates people lawfully, and for creditors and their attorneys we find Arizona debtors so a valid claim is filed and served while it is still live. A verified locate for a legitimate creditor matter typically comes back within 24 hours through our skip tracing services. When a debtor may be hiding assets rather than just an address, our guide on how to find hidden assets covers the next step.
Who We Help in Arizona
We do the locate; your counsel handles the claim.
Creditors
Debtors located while claims are live
Collection Attorneys
Verified addresses for timely filing
Debt Buyers
Skip traces on purchased portfolios
Judgment Holders
Debtors traced for enforcement
Medical Providers
Patients located for balances owed
Small-Business Lenders
Borrowers found before windows close
Whichever side of the ledger you sit on, the constraint is the same: a limitation clock that keeps running whether or not you know where the debtor is. We locate the person, deliver a current Arizona address and employment where available, and document the search so your filing rests on a real address rather than a stale one. This page pairs naturally with our look at Arizona bankruptcy exemptions, which governs what a debtor can shield once a judgment is in hand, and with neighboring-state limitation guides for portfolios that cross borders, including New Mexico’s debt collection limitations and North Carolina’s debt collection limitations. We never give legal advice; we find people lawfully so your Arizona attorney can do the rest.
Our Commitment
We locate Arizona debtors lawfully so a valid claim is filed and served before the limitation window closes, a verified current address and place of work pulled from public records, typically within 24 hours. Court-ready locating for creditors and their counsel since 2004. We are a public-records research firm, not a law firm, collection agency, or credit reporting agency.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the statute of limitations on debt in Arizona?
Arizona generally allows six years to sue on a written contract or a credit-card account under A.R.S. section 12-548, and three years on an oral agreement or an open or stated account under A.R.S. section 12-543. The period runs from the debt’s accrual, usually the last payment or first uncured default. This is general legal information, not legal advice.
How long is the limitation on credit-card debt in Arizona?
Six years. A.R.S. section 12-548(A)(2), added by a 2011 amendment, expressly treats a credit card, as defined in A.R.S. section 13-2101, as a written-contract debt subject to the six-year period. That Arizona rule resolved the old dispute over whether card debt was a shorter three-year open account.
What is the period for an oral or open account?
Three years under A.R.S. section 12-543. This covers a debt not evidenced by a contract in writing and an open or stated account. For an open account, no item is barred so long as any item on the account was incurred within the prior three years.
When does the Arizona clock start running?
When the cause of action accrues, which for most consumer debt is the borrower’s last payment or the first missed payment that is never cured, not the day the account opened. Once an account is accelerated or charged off, the full balance typically accrues at that point.
Can a partial payment restart the clock in Arizona?
It can. Under A.R.S. section 12-508 an acknowledgment of a barred debt must be in writing and signed to count, and Arizona courts have long treated a part payment as such an acknowledgment, which can reset the limitation period. A debtor should be cautious about paying or signing anything on an old account.
Can a collector sue me on a time-barred Arizona debt?
Suing on a debt is barred by the limitation invites liability. The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the CFPB’s Regulation F prohibit a collector from suing or threatening suit on a debt it knows or should know is time-barred. The expired status is a defense the debtor must raise in court.
Is a money judgment in Arizona permanent?
A money judgment is generally enforceable for ten years and can be renewed before it expires to extend its life, under Arizona’s judgment-renewal provisions. Renewing on time keeps a judgment collectible well beyond the original ten years.
Do you give legal advice or collect the debt yourselves?
No. We are a public-records research firm, not a law firm or a collection agency. We locate Arizona debtors lawfully and deliver a current address and place of work, typically within 24 hours, so your attorney can file and serve while the claim is live. For legal questions, consult a licensed Arizona attorney.
Find Your Arizona Debtor Before the Window Closes
A six-year claim is worthless if you cannot serve the debtor in time. We locate Arizona debtors lawfully so your counsel can file and serve while the claim is live, typically within 24 hours. Contact us to get started.
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