# Vermont statute of limitations on debt

> In Vermont, the statute of limitations on a written contract is 6 years under 12 V.S.A. § 511. Periods for oral contracts, open accounts and promissory notes.

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

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In Vermont, the statute of limitations on a written contract is 6 years under 12 V.S.A. § 511.

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

**Authority.** [12 V.S.A. § 511](https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/12/023/00511)

| Contract type | Limitations period |
| --- | --- |
| Written contract | 6 yr |
| Oral contract | 6 yr |
| Open account | — |
| Promissory note | 14 yr |

## What the statute says

> A civil action, except one brought upon the judgment or decree of a court of record of the United States or of this or some other state, and except as otherwise provided, shall be commenced within six years after the cause of action accrues and not thereafter.

— [12 V.S.A. § 511](https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/12/023/00511)

## When does the clock start?

Six years from when the cause of action accrues; for contract claims that is the breach. Chapter 23 fixes no special accrual rule for open or revolving accounts, so the date of default under the account agreement controls.

## What pauses it?

Minority, incapacity due to a mental condition or psychiatric disability, or imprisonment at accrual, and post-accrual incapacity (12 V.S.A. § 551); absence from and residence outside the State where the debtor has no known attachable property here (§ 552); military service (§ 553); alien enemies in wartime (§ 554); fraud (§ 555); injunction staying the action (§ 556); death of a party (§ 557); and a savings period for a new action after failure of the original (§ 558).

Last reviewed 2026-07-26

## Related

- [Massachusetts statute of limitations](https://ottoforfirms.com/statute-of-limitations/massachusetts/) — Neighbouring jurisdiction — written contract, oral contract, open account and promissory note.
- [New Hampshire statute of limitations](https://ottoforfirms.com/statute-of-limitations/new-hampshire/) — Neighbouring jurisdiction — written contract, oral contract, open account and promissory note.
- [New York statute of limitations](https://ottoforfirms.com/statute-of-limitations/new-york/) — 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.