Maryland
In Maryland, the statute of limitations on a written contract is 3 years under Md. Code Ann., Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101.
Rule
A written contract claim in Maryland must be brought within 3 years.
- Written contract
- 3 yr
- Oral contract
- 3 yr
- Open account
- —
- Promissory note
- —
What the statute says
A civil action at law shall be filed within three years from the date it accrues unless another provision of the Code provides a different period of time within which an action shall be commenced.
When does the clock start?
Three years "from the date it accrues" (CJP § 5-101). The statute does not define accrual; Maryland's discovery rule is judge-made and neither pass read the case law establishing it.
What pauses it?
CJP § 5-1202(b)(2) contains the one tolling-adjacent carve-out that matters for consumer debt: the no-revival rule does not reach a separate written agreement or payment plan entered into before the limitations period expired. General tolling for minority and mental incompetence (CJP § 5-201) and fraud (CJP § 5-203) exists but neither pass fetched either section — do not rely on any statement of their terms.
Last reviewed 2026-07-26
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.