# Alabama statute of limitations on debt

> In Alabama, the statute of limitations on a written contract is 6 years under §§ 6-2-34(4), 6-2-37(1), Ala. Code 1975. Periods for oral contracts, open accounts and promissory notes.

- Source: https://ottoforfirms.com/statute-of-limitations/alabama/
- Publisher: Otto — https://ottoforfirms.com
- Updated: 2026-09-01

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In Alabama, the statute of limitations on a written contract is 6 years under §§ 6-2-34(4), 6-2-37(1), Ala. Code 1975.

**Rule.** A written contract claim in Alabama must be brought within 6 years.

**Authority.** [§§ 6-2-34(4), 6-2-37(1), Ala. Code 1975](https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=6-2-37)

| Contract type | Limitations period |
| --- | --- |
| Written contract | 6 yr |
| Oral contract | 6 yr |
| Open account | 3 yr |
| Promissory note | 6 yr |

## What the statute says

> Actions to recover money due by open or unliquidated account, the time to be computed from the date of the last item of the account or from the time when, by contract or usage, the account is due

— [§§ 6-2-34(4), 6-2-37(1), Ala. Code 1975](https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=6-2-37)

## When does the clock start?

An open-account claim runs from the date of the last item of the account, or from the time the account is due by contract or usage; other contract claims run from breach.

## What pauses it?

§ 6-2-8 suspends the period for a claimant who is under 19 or insane when the right accrues (three years after the disability ends), with an absolute 20-year cap from accrual.

## In practice

Two limitations on this row, both material to card files. First, the six-year written and oral figures come from § 6-2-34; the three-year open-account figure comes from § 6-2-37(1), which is the section the citation link opens. Read both. Second, which of them governs a credit-card claim is contested on the face of the Code: § 6-2-37(1) gives an “open or unliquidated account” three years, while § 6-2-34(5) gives “the recovery of money upon a loan, upon a stated or liquidated account” six. Whether a card claim is an open account or an account stated turns on pleading and proof, and that is not resolved here. Do not rely on a single Alabama number without first deciding which section your file is in.

Last reviewed 2026-07-26

## Related

- [Florida statute of limitations](https://ottoforfirms.com/statute-of-limitations/florida/) — Neighbouring jurisdiction — written contract, oral contract, open account and promissory note.
- [Georgia statute of limitations](https://ottoforfirms.com/statute-of-limitations/georgia/) — Neighbouring jurisdiction — written contract, oral contract, open account and promissory note.
- [Mississippi statute of limitations](https://ottoforfirms.com/statute-of-limitations/mississippi/) — Neighbouring jurisdiction — written contract, oral contract, open account and promissory note.

## About Otto

This table is a free reference and it is not the product. Otto is case management for US collections law firms; the rules engine ships all fifty states configured — four shown in end-to-end depth in the demo — and it checks a date like this one before a file moves rather than after.

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This is an informational reference, not legal advice, and using it creates no attorney-client relationship. Limitations periods turn on facts this page cannot know — which state's law governs, the contract type, when the claim accrued, and whether anything tolled or revived it. Confirm against the primary source and your own counsel before acting.