# 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: 2026-07-26

[All jurisdictions](https://ottoforfirms.com/statute-of-limitations/)

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 |

## 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

---

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.