Vermont
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.
- 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.
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.