All jurisdictions

Montana

In Montana, the statute of limitations on a written contract is 6 years under § 27-2-202, MCA.

Written contract

6 yr

Oral contract

5 yr

Open account

5 yr

Promissory note

—

When does the clock start?

§ 27-2-102(1)(a), MCA: a claim or cause of action accrues "when all elements of the claim or cause exist or have occurred, the right to maintain an action on the claim or cause is complete, and a court or other agency is authorized to accept jurisdiction of the action." Subsection (2) adds that lack of knowledge of the claim or of its accrual does not postpone the beginning of the period.

What pauses it?

Part 4 of Title 27, chapter 2 collects the circumstances that extend the period. § 27-2-409 (acknowledgment and part payment) was fetched and verified — quoted in the notes. Disability and absence provisions elsewhere in Part 4 were not fetched by either pass and are not characterized here.

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.