Debt collector laws in Oregon

How the Oregon Unlawful Debt Collection Practices Act protects you, beyond the federal FDCPA, plus licensing and complaints in Oregon.

Short answer

Oregon has its own debt collection law: the Oregon Unlawful Debt Collection Practices Act. It also covers original creditors collecting their own debts. Debt collectors need a state license in Oregon; the licensing agency is Oregon Division of Financial Regulation (Department of Consumer and Business Services). Collection agencies must register (ORS 697.015); debt buyers need a separate debt buyer license (ORS 646A.640-646A.673). File complaints with Oregon Department of Justice, Consumer Protection (for how a collector treats you); Division of Financial Regulation (for unregistered collectors) or the CFPB.

State law
Yes
Covers original creditors
Yes
License required
Yes
Extra protections listed
5

The Oregon debt collection law

State law
Oregon Unlawful Debt Collection Practices Act
Law
ORS 646.639-646.643
Covers original creditors
Yes
Official text
Read the law

Only 22 of our 48 state guides, Oregon among them, apply the state law to original creditors too.

Medical debt in Oregon

Hospitals and nonprofit hospital clinics must screen you for financial assistance and give you the policy before sending a bill to collections. If you qualify for assistance, no interest may be charged; otherwise interest before judgment is tied to the 1-year Treasury rate, with a floor of 2% and a cap of 5% a year. Collectors cannot collect from your children or other relatives who are not legally responsible. A 2025 law bans anyone from reporting medical debt to credit bureaus and bars credit bureaus from including it; a court may declare the debt void if this is violated. (ORS 646A.677, as amended by Or. Laws 2025 ch. 343) 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.

What Oregon adds to the FDCPA

  • The law covers anyone collecting a consumer debt, including the original creditor. (ORS 646.639(1)(h))
  • A collector cannot contact your employer about the debt, and can call you at work only in limited cases and no more than once each business week. (ORS 646.639(2)(f)-(g))
  • A collector cannot file a lawsuit on a debt it knows, or with reasonable care would know, is too old under the statute of limitations. (ORS 646.639(2)(r), (4)(a))
  • A debt buyer cannot sue without records proving the debt and its ownership, and must give you those documents within 30 days if you ask. (ORS 646.639(2)(t), (4)(b))
  • A collector cannot collect a debt for medical care that qualifies for the Oregon Health Plan or Medicaid. (ORS 646.639(2)(q))

Can you sue a collector under Oregon law?

Yes. If a collector willfully breaks this law, you can sue for your actual damages or $1,000, whichever is more. The court can add punitive damages and order the collector to stop, and can award attorney fees if you win. You must sue within 3 years. (ORS 646.641)

The federal FDCPA adds a claim of its own: actual damages, up to $1,000 more and attorney's fees, if you sue within 1 year (15 U.S.C. 1692k).

Licenses for collection agencies in Oregon

License required
Yes
Who licenses
Oregon Division of Financial Regulation (Department of Consumer and Business Services). Collection agencies must register (ORS 697.015); debt buyers need a separate debt buyer license (ORS 646A.640-646A.673).
Check a license
Official license lookup

28 of our 48 state guides, Oregon included, require a collector license.

In nearby states

Where to complain in Oregon

When a collector crosses the line in Oregon

  1. Save the evidence

    Log each call (date, time, who) and keep every letter, voicemail and text.

  2. Look up the company

    Oregon requires a license, so check the collector's: Official license lookup.

  3. Send a letter

    Write to dispute a debt or to stop collector calls, and keep a copy with proof of mailing.

  4. Report the collector

    Complain to Oregon Department of Justice, Consumer Protection (for how a collector treats you); Division of Financial Regulation (for unregistered collectors). You can also complain to the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.

  5. Know your right to sue in Oregon

    Under Oregon law: Yes. If a collector willfully breaks this law, you can sue for your actual damages or $1,000, whichever is more.

Questions about collector laws in Oregon

Do debt collectors need a license in Oregon?

Yes. Oregon Division of Financial Regulation (Department of Consumer and Business Services). Collection agencies must register (ORS 697.015); debt buyers need a separate debt buyer license (ORS 646A.640-646A.673).

Does Oregon have its own debt collection law?

Yes: the Oregon Unlawful Debt Collection Practices Act (ORS 646.639-646.643). It also covers original creditors collecting their own debts.

Are there medical debt rules in Oregon?

Hospitals and nonprofit hospital clinics must screen you for financial assistance and give you the policy before sending a bill to collections. If you qualify for assistance, no interest may be charged; otherwise interest before judgment is tied to the 1-year Treasury rate, with a floor of 2% and a cap of 5% a year. Collectors cannot collect from your children or other relatives who are not legally responsible. A 2025 law bans anyone from reporting medical debt to credit bureaus and bars credit bureaus from including it; a court may declare the debt void if this is violated. (ORS 646A.677, as amended by Or. Laws 2025 ch. 343) 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.

Who takes complaints about collectors in Oregon?

Oregon Department of Justice, Consumer Protection (for how a collector treats you); Division of Financial Regulation (for unregistered collectors): https://justice.oregon.gov/consumercomplaints/ · 1-877-877-9392

Can I take a collector to court under Oregon law?

Yes. If a collector willfully breaks this law, you can sue for your actual damages or $1,000, whichever is more. The court can add punitive damages and order the collector to stop, and can award attorney fees if you win. You must sue within 3 years. (ORS 646.641)

How do I check a debt collector's license in Oregon?

Use Oregon's official license lookup: https://dfr.oregon.gov/help/complaints-licenses/Pages/check-license.aspx.

What extra rules do collectors face in Oregon?

The law covers anyone collecting a consumer debt, including the original creditor. (ORS 646.639(1)(h)) A collector cannot contact your employer about the debt, and can call you at work only in limited cases and no more than once each business week. (ORS 646.639(2)(f)-(g)) A collector cannot file a lawsuit on a debt it knows, or with reasonable care would know, is too old under the statute of limitations. (ORS 646.639(2)(r), (4)(a))

Related Oregon pages

Sources

Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.

Federal sources