Debt collectors in Maryland: your rights

Maryland guides by topic

Your federal rights

These federal rules apply in Maryland and every other state. Maryland's own law, below, can add more.

• Who the federal law covers. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) covers debt collectors who collect for someone else and companies that buy debts, not usually the original creditor collecting its own debt (15 U.S.C. 1692a(6)). Some state laws also cover original creditors.
• A validation notice. A collector must give you a validation notice, in its first message or within 5 days after it, with the amount, the creditor and how to dispute (15 U.S.C. 1692g(a); 12 CFR 1006.34).
• Your right to dispute. If you dispute the debt in writing within the validation period (30 days after you get the notice), the collector must stop collecting until it mails you verification (15 U.S.C. 1692g(b); 12 CFR 1006.38).
• When collectors can contact you. No calls before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. your time, or at work if your employer doesn't allow it (15 U.S.C. 1692c(a)). More than 7 calls in 7 days about one debt is presumed to break the law (12 CFR 1006.14(b)(2)).
• Telling a collector to stop. If you tell a collector in writing to stop contacting you, it must stop, except to tell you it is ending collection or will take a specific step such as a lawsuit (15 U.S.C. 1692c(c)).
• What collectors can't do. No threats, obscene language, false statements (for example pretending to be a lawyer or the government, or threatening arrest) and no unfair practices such as collecting fees your contract doesn't allow (15 U.S.C. 1692d, 1692e, 1692f). A collector generally can't discuss your debt with your family, neighbors or employer (15 U.S.C. 1692c(b)).

Read how to dispute a debt or stop collector calls.

Maryland law and extra protections

State law

Maryland Consumer Debt Collection Act

Law

Md. Code, Com. Law §§ 14-201 to 14-204

Covers original creditors

Yes

Extra protections

• A collector, including the original creditor, may not contact your employer about the debt before getting a final court judgment (Com. Law § 14-202(4)).
• Collecting without a required Maryland collection agency license is itself a violation (Com. Law § 14-202(10)).
• Any conduct banned by the federal FDCPA (§§ 804-812) also violates the Maryland act, even when the original creditor does it (Com. Law § 14-202(11)).
• No one may sue you on a consumer debt after the time limit has run out, and a later payment does not restart it (Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-1202).

Can you sue under it?

Yes. A collector who violates the act is liable for damages it caused, including emotional distress or mental anguish, even without physical injury (Com. Law § 14-203).

Official text

Read the law

Debt collector laws in Maryland: the full guide

Old debts in Maryland

Written contracts

3 years

Open accounts and unwritten agreements

3 years

Does a payment restart the clock?

No. After the time limit expires, a payment, a written or spoken promise, or any other activity on the debt does not revive or extend it (Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-1202(b)). A new written payment plan made before the deadline is treated separately.

Law

Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101 (3 years); § 5-1202 (no suit or revival after expiration)

Official text

Read the law

The time limit is the statute of limitations. Once it runs out, the debt is “time-barred”: a collector must not sue or threaten to sue you, but the debt still exists. Read more about time-barred debt.

Statute of limitations on debt in Maryland: the full guide

Is my debt too old? Check Maryland's time limit

Every state limits how long a creditor or collector has to sue you over a debt. This is the statute of limitations. Choose your state, the type of debt and the date of your last payment to see the limit and an estimated end date. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.

Wage garnishment and bank accounts in Maryland

Wage limit

Stricter than federal: you keep the greater of 75% of your disposable wages or 30 times the Maryland minimum hourly wage for each week of the pay period. Medical insurance deducted from your pay is also protected.

Bank account

$500 in a bank or credit union account is protected automatically. You can also choose to protect cash or property up to a total of $6,000 (including that $500) if you elect it within 30 days of the levy.

Law

Md. Code, Com. Law § 15-601.1; Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 11-504(b)(5)-(6)

Federal benefits such as Social Security, SSI and VA benefits that were directly deposited are protected in your bank account up to two months' worth (31 CFR 212.6). A creditor usually needs a court judgment before it can garnish your wages or bank account.

Wage garnishment in Maryland: the full guide

Property you can keep in Maryland

Maryland protects up to $1,000 of household goods, up to $5,000 of work tools, health aids, child support, and a $6,000 'wildcard' you can apply to cash or any property if you elect it within 30 days of the levy (Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 11-504(b)). A collector who wins a medical debt judgment may not use it to put a lien on your primary home (2025 HB 428, per OFR guidance).

Collector licensing in Maryland

License required

Yes

Who licenses

Maryland State Collection Agency Licensing Board / Commissioner of Financial Regulation (Office of Financial Regulation), applications through NMLS

Check a license

Official license lookup

Medical debt in Maryland

Three 2025 laws took effect Oct. 1, 2025. HB 1020: medical providers may not report medical debt to credit bureaus, and credit bureaus may not keep or report it. HB 428: a medical debt judgment cannot be used for a lien on your primary home. HB 268: hospitals must give you 240 days to apply for financial assistance before suing, may not sue for medical debts under $500, and the 3-year limit applies even to contracts 'under seal' (Maryland OFR advisory). Note: on October 28, 2025 the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued an interpretive rule saying that the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act generally preempts state laws that ban medical debt from credit reports (90 Fed. Reg. 48710). The state law is still on the books, but credit bureaus may argue it cannot be enforced, and courts have the final say.

If you are sued in Maryland

Time to answer

District Court: file the Notice of Intention to Defend within 15 days after you get the summons (60 days if you live out of state) (Md. Rule 3-307; Maryland Courts). District Court hears claims up to $30,000. Circuit Court summonses give their own deadline.

If you don't answer

If you do not return the Notice of Intention to Defend, the court may enter a judgment against you, often based on the collector's affidavit and documents.

Court self-help

Maryland court self-help (official)

Don't ignore court papers. Read what to do if a debt collector sues you.

Sued by a debt collector in Maryland: the full guide

Where to complain in Maryland

• Maryland: Maryland Office of Financial Regulation, Consumer Response Unit · 410-230-6077
• Federal: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau takes complaints about debt collectors at consumerfinance.gov/complaint · (855) 411-2372.
• You can also report a collector to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Free help in Maryland

• Maryland Office of Financial Regulation – Consumer complaints · 410-230-6077
• Maryland Courts – What to do if you are sued in District Court
• Maryland Court Help Centers (free legal help by phone and chat) · 410-260-1392
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (federal complaint)

Good to know in Maryland

• Maryland's act covers original creditors, not just collection agencies, because a 'collector' is anyone collecting a consumer debt (Com. Law § 14-201(b)).
• Maryland's general time limit for debt lawsuits is only 3 years (Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101).

Changes in 2024–2026

2025 medical debt laws HB 428, HB 1020 and HB 268, effective Oct. 1, 2025 (see medical_debt).

Free letters to send a collector

Questions about debt collection in Maryland

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