Rhode Island
Rhode Island Debt Collection Laws: The Medical Debt Garnishment Ban and the 10-Year SOL
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited August 12, 2026). · 7 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
Rhode Island rewrote a meaningful chunk of its debt collection law in 2025, and the biggest change took effect on January 1, 2026: a creditor holding a judgment on medical debt can no longer garnish wages for it at all, and can no longer attach or execute against the debtor's principal residence. For every other kind of consumer debt, Rhode Island runs on an older and stranger framework. The state has no garnishment formula of its own, so the federal floor does the real protective work, and its general statute of limitations for debt lawsuits is ten years, one of the longest in the country. Rhode Island's own federal-floor approach is exactly what our wage garnishment calculator computes for your pay period. As everywhere, none of this starts until a creditor sues, wins a judgment, and obtains a writ. Most collection judgments are defaults entered because nobody answered, so answering the summons remains the highest-value move a Rhode Island debtor can make.
The 2026 Medical Debt Rules
Rhode Island's 2025 session produced a package of medical debt laws that is now among the strongest in the country. The core provision, enacted as Public Law 2025, chapter 300 (Senate bill 2025-S 0169 Substitute A) and effective January 1, 2026, amends R.I. Gen. Laws 10-5-8 so that no garnishment of salary or wages may issue against a defendant for any judgment based on medical debt. The same act also bars attachment and execution against the defendant's principal residence for a medical debt judgment (amending 9-25-3, 10-5-2, and 10-5-7), and declares that a violating attachment constitutes slander of title.
A companion act (P.L. 2025 chapters 302 and 303, effective June 26, 2025) caps interest on medical debt at the weekly average one-year Treasury yield, with a floor of 1.5 percent and a ceiling of 4 percent per year, for medical debt incurred after June 26, 2025.
Medical debt for these purposes means an obligation to pay for healthcare services, products, or devices owed to a healthcare facility or professional, as defined in R.I. Gen. Laws 6-60-1. Medicaid reimbursement obligations and child support are excluded.
Credit reporting of medical debt is barred by a separate and earlier law, not by chapter 300. Chapter 6-60 of the General Laws, in force since January 1, 2025, provides at R.I. Gen. Laws 6-60-3 that no credit reporting agency shall acquire, record, or report any medical debt, in any manner, and that no agency shall make a consumer report containing adverse information it knows or should know relates to a consumer's medical debt. Section 6-60-2 closes the supply side: healthcare providers, facilities, and emergency medical transportation services may not report medical debt to a consumer reporting agency, and any contract they sign with a debt buyer or collector must itself forbid reporting the debt.
Two rules in R.I. Gen. Laws 6-60-4 are worth checking against your own mail. Subsection (b) requires that any correspondence a creditor, debt collector, or collection agency sends a consumer include this sentence: The State of Rhode Island general laws prohibit credit bureaus from reporting medical debt or factoring medical debt into a credit score. A collection letter missing that line does not comply, and that is something you can point to in writing.
Subsection (c) is the stronger one. A creditor, collector, or collection agency that knows an internal or external insurance review or appeal is pending, within 60 days of the consumer receiving the financial statement, may not report the charges to a consumer reporting agency, may not contact the consumer to collect them, and may not start a lawsuit or arbitration over them. Subsection (d) requires a debt already reported in that situation to be deleted. An open insurance appeal therefore stops the lawsuit, not just the phone calls.
The ban stops wage garnishment and protects the home; it does not make a medical judgment vanish. A medical creditor can still sue, win, and pursue other non-exempt assets, and the judgment accrues (capped) interest.
Wage Garnishment for Other Debts: The Federal Floor Does the Work
For non-medical judgments, Rhode Island's own wage exemption statute is a relic: R.I. Gen. Laws 9-26-4(8)(iii) exempts just $50 of wages from attachment, a figure set generations ago. Because federal law overrides any state rule less protective than the federal standard, the practical limit in Rhode Island is the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act formula: a judgment creditor can reach at most the lesser of 25 percent of disposable earnings or the amount by which weekly disposable earnings exceed $217.50 (30 times the federal minimum wage). Disposable earnings means pay after legally required deductions.
A few genuinely Rhode Island wrinkles sit on top of that:
- Wages of a person who is receiving, or within the past year received, charitable or public relief are wholly exempt (9-26-4(8)(i) and (ii)).
- The statute separately exempts the wages of a debtor's spouse and minor children entirely, so a creditor of one spouse cannot attach the other spouse's own earnings for that debt (9-26-4(9); the statute's older text says "wife").
- Child and spousal support run under a separate income-withholding regime with the higher federal ceilings of 50 to 65 percent of disposable pay; see Rhode Island child support laws. Federal debts pierce state rules everywhere: defaulted federal student loans garnish 15 percent of disposable pay administratively, and IRS levies follow their own federal tables.
For state taxes, the Division of Taxation collects through the same court writ-of-execution process as private creditors under R.I. Gen. Laws 44-30-92(c); no separate elevated administrative wage levy percentage appears in that statute.
On job protection, be careful: no Rhode Island statute we could verify bars firing an employee over a garnishment. The protection that applies is the federal one, 15 U.S.C. 1674, which prohibits discharge over garnishment for a single debt only.
Bank Accounts, the $500 Deposit Exemption, and the Homestead
Rhode Island added a self-executing bank protection in 2025: $500 of savings or other deposits in a bank or financial institution is exempt from attachment (9-26-4(18), effective June 10, 2025). Above that, deposited wages have no special traced protection; the meaningful shields are categorical. The 9-26-4 list also exempts, among other things, $9,600 of household goods, $2,000 of tools of trade, $12,000 in motor vehicles, $2,000 of jewelry, IRAs and retirement accounts (with support-related carve-outs), and 529 accounts.
Directly deposited federal benefits carry the automatic federal two-month shield under 31 CFR Part 212, and Social Security has statutory protection from commercial creditors beyond that; see Can Social Security be garnished?.
The homestead exemption, 9-26-4.1, automatically protects $500,000 of equity in a principal residence, no filing required, from most debt collection, with exceptions including taxes, purchase-money debt, support orders, and certain institutional lenders. Combined with the 2026 medical debt home protection, Rhode Island homes are hard targets for consumer creditors.
The Statute of Limitations: Ten Years, Not Six
Rhode Island's general limitations statute, R.I. Gen. Laws 9-1-13(a), gives civil actions, including ordinary contract and debt claims, ten years from accrual. That covers credit cards, medical bills (the ban limits remedies, not the ability to sue), personal loans, and open accounts, since Rhode Island has no shorter statute specific to them. You will see six years quoted for Rhode Island in many places, sometimes even in older material on this site being corrected; the six-year figure appears to come from a different statute, 9-25-3, which limits when a writ of execution may issue on a judgment already entered, a later procedural stage, not the deadline for filing the original lawsuit.
The distinct periods: promissory notes payable at a definite time run 6 years under 6A-3-118 (with a 10-year bar for demand notes never paid or demanded); contracts for the sale of goods run 4 years under 6A-2-725; contracts under seal and actions on judgments run 20 years under 9-1-17.
Revival is an open question in Rhode Island. We found no statute stating whether a partial payment or acknowledgment restarts the limitations clock; any revival rule would come from case law. Given the already long ten-year period, the cautious assumption is that paying on an old debt may extend a collector's window, so get advice before making even a small payment on aged debt.
Federal law adds the backstop that applies everywhere: suing or threatening to sue on a time-barred debt violates Regulation F (12 CFR 1006.26), and the seven-year credit-reporting clock runs independently of the limitations period. The national table is in our statute of limitations on debt guide.
Repossession and the One-Hour Police Rule
Rhode Island enacted the standard UCC rule (6A-9-609): after default, a secured lender may repossess a vehicle without a court order if it can do so without a breach of the peace. Rhode Island then appends a requirement that exists in few other states: if a motor vehicle is repossessed without the knowledge of the buyer, the repossessor must notify the local police department within one hour of taking possession (or the state police if local police cannot be reached). The rule exists so an owner who finds the car gone and reports it stolen learns quickly that it was a repossession, and it creates a paper trail for the repossession itself.
After repossession, the sale must be commercially reasonable, the debtor is entitled to any surplus, and remains liable for a deficiency under 6A-9-615. We could not locate a Rhode Island statutory right to cure or reinstate before sale in the UCC sections reviewed; if one exists it would sit in a separate retail installment statute, so ask counsel rather than assuming a cure right. Servicemembers' pre-service auto loans require a court order for repossession under federal law. The national picture is in car repossession laws.
Collector Conduct: Rhode Island Has Its Own FDCPA
Rhode Island runs its own Fair Debt Collection Practices Act at Title 19, chapter 14.9, alongside the federal FDCPA rather than in place of it. R.I. Gen. Laws 19-14.9-7 bars false, deceptive, or misleading representations, and its list is specific: falsely implying government affiliation or attorney involvement, misstating the character, amount, or legal status of a debt, threatening arrest or seizure the collector cannot lawfully carry out, communicating false credit information, using documents that look like court papers, and failing to identify itself as a collector in the initial communication.
Section 19-14.9-8 covers unfair practices. A collector may not demand any amount that is not expressly authorized by the agreement creating the debt or permitted by law, publish or threaten to publish lists of people who allegedly owe money, solicit postdated checks or deposit them early, threaten to take property it has no right to take or that is exempt from attachment, or use a postcard or an envelope whose markings reveal that the letter is about a debt.
Rhode Island also registers the industry. Under 19-14.9-12, no one may do business as a debt collector in the state without first registering with the state regulator, subject to carve-outs for regulated financial institutions, mortgage servicers, and certain out-of-state collectors who communicate only remotely. Whether the outfit contacting you is registered is worth checking before you send it money. A caller who says it is collecting a debt but cannot be matched to a registered collector, and who presses for payment anyway, may not be a collector at all; our guide to Rhode Island scam and fraud laws lists the state offices that take scam complaints.
If You Are Being Garnished or Sued in Rhode Island
Answer the lawsuit. With a ten-year limitations period, few Rhode Island collection suits are time-barred, which makes the merits defenses matter more: making the plaintiff, often a debt buyer, prove it owns the debt and the balance is accurate. If a judgment exists on medical debt, know that wage garnishment and execution against your home are now off the table, and say so, citing P.L. 2025 chapter 300, if a collector suggests otherwise. For other judgments, check any garnishment against the federal 25 percent and $217.50 floors, and claim the $500 deposit exemption and categorical exemptions promptly after a bank attachment. If several judgments are compounding, the bankruptcy automatic stay stops garnishment while the case proceeds; see Rhode Island bankruptcy law. This is general information about process, not a prediction for any individual case.
Information last verified on 2026-08-12. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
Related Resources
- Debt Collection Laws by State
- Statute of Limitations on Debt
- How to Stop Wage Garnishment
- Can Social Security Be Garnished?
- Rhode Island Bankruptcy
- Rhode Island Child Support Laws
Last updated: 2026-08-12.
More Rhode Island Laws
- Rhode Island Final Paycheck Laws
- Rhode Island Statute of Limitations
- Rhode Island Unclaimed Property
Frequently Asked Questions
Can wages be garnished for medical debt in Rhode Island?
No. Effective January 1, 2026, P.L. 2025 chapter 300 amended R.I. Gen. Laws 10-5-8 to bar wage garnishment on any judgment based on medical debt, and also barred attachment and execution against the debtor's principal residence for medical debt.
Does a Rhode Island collection letter about medical debt have to carry a notice?
Yes. R.I. Gen. Laws 6-60-4(b) requires any correspondence from a creditor, debt collector, or collection agency to include the sentence: The State of Rhode Island general laws prohibit credit bureaus from reporting medical debt or factoring medical debt into a credit score. A letter that omits it does not comply.
How much of a paycheck can be garnished in Rhode Island for other debts?
Rhode Island has no formula of its own, so the federal limit controls: the lesser of 25 percent of disposable earnings or the amount above $217.50 a week, which is 30 times the federal minimum wage.
What is the statute of limitations on debt in Rhode Island?
Ten years for most debt lawsuits under R.I. Gen. Laws 9-1-13(a). Promissory notes run 6 years and sale-of-goods contracts 4 years. The 6-year figure often quoted for Rhode Island is actually the deadline for issuing a writ of execution on an existing judgment, a different procedural stage.
Does a partial payment restart the statute of limitations in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island has no statute answering this, and this guide could not verify a settled rule. Because any revival doctrine would come from case law, the cautious course is to get advice before paying anything on aged debt.
How much money in the bank is protected in Rhode Island?
A flat $500 of deposits is exempt under 9-26-4(18), effective June 2025. Retirement accounts, certain benefits, and directly deposited federal benefits, which carry an automatic two-month federal shield, have separate protections.
What happens when a car is repossessed in Rhode Island?
Self-help repossession is legal without a breach of the peace, but if the buyer did not witness the repossession, the repossessor must notify local police within one hour. The sale must be commercially reasonable, and the borrower can owe any deficiency.
Updates
Corrected the source of Rhode Island's medical debt credit reporting ban to R.I. Gen. Laws 6-60-3, removed an inaccurate note about the state's online statute pages, and added the required collection letter notice, the pending insurance appeal bar, and the Rhode Island Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on the statutory provisions below, held in our own legal record and retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
Rhode Island General Laws, Title 10: Courts and Civil Procedure
§ 10-5-8Garnishment of wages restricted to amounts not exempt — Child support to have priority. [Effective until January 1, 2026.]In forcecited in 2 of our articles
(a) Any writ of attachment, served as a writ of garnishment for the attachment of the personal estate of the defendant in the hand and possession of any employer of the defendant, shall be effective to attach so much only of such personal estate consisting of the salary or wages due and payable to the defendant, or to become in the future due and payable to the defendant, as is in excess of the amount of the defendant’s salary or wages exempt by law from attachment. And the garnishee, being the defendant’s employer, shall be required to make affidavit and shall be held liable for the defendant’s personal estate consisting of the salary or wages due and payable to the defendant or to become in the future due and payable to the defendant only in respect of the excess amount exempt from attachment. Any writ of garnishment served under the provisions of this section shall state the judgment amount, and the employer shall withhold sums not exempt by law until the amount of withholding equals the amount of the judgment.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-02 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at webserver.rilegislature.gov
Also relied on in: Rhode Island Statute of Limitations: Filing Deadlines by Case Type
§ 10-5-7Classes of property named in writ. [Effective until January 1, 2026.]In force
Whenever a writ of attachment can be issued by any court, it may command the attachment of the goods and chattels of the defendant and his or her real estate and his or her personal estate in the hands or possession of any person, copartnership or corporation, as his or her trustee, except as provided in § 6A-7-602, and his or her stock or shares in any banking association or other incorporated company, and may be varied so as to command the attachment of one or more of the classes of property of the defendant. § 10-5-7. Classes of property named in writ — Limitation on filing execution. [Effective January 1, 2026.] (a) Whenever a writ of attachment can be issued by any court, it may command the attachment of: (1) The goods and chattels of the defendant; (2) The defendant’s real estate; provided that, no attachment shall be filed against a defendant’s principal residence for a judgment in any action where the plaintiff’s claim against the defendant was based on medical debt.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-30 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at webserver.rilegislature.gov
§ 10-5-2Procedure. [Effective until January 1, 2026.]In force
(a) A court having jurisdiction over a defendant or his or her assets, including his or her personal estate or real estate, may authorize a plaintiff to attach the defendant’s assets, or any part thereof, after hearing on a motion to attach, notice of which has been given to the defendant as provided in this section. At the time of the commencement of the action, or at any time thereafter, a plaintiff must file a motion in the court having jurisdiction for authority to attach the defendant’s assets, including his or her personal or real estate, and the attachment motion must state the day, time and place of hearing and a copy must be served by the process server on the defendant or by leaving it at his or her last and usual place of abode with some person there at least five (5) days before the fixed date of hearing.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-30 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at webserver.rilegislature.gov
Cited in 8 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2025
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- E.W. Burman v. Bradford Dyeing Assoc. (Superior Court of Rhode Island 2011)“…ty to ensure the eventual satisfaction of a judgment. See R.I. Gen. Laws 1956 § 10-5-2 (discussing the procedure for obtainin…”
- Atlantic P.B.S., Inc. v. Long, 89-1705 (1994) (Superior Court of Rhode Island 1994)“…very of Stock is Granted. Long moves to attach pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws § 10-5-2 and Rule 4(j) (3) R.C.P. R.I. Gen. L…”
- Kottis v. Cerilli, 80-265 (1992) (Superior Court of Rhode Island 1992)“…avers that Rhode Island law governing property attachment, R.I. Gen. Laws § 10-5-2 , does not require notice or a hearing…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Rhode Island General Laws, Title 9: Courts and Civil Procedure
§ 9-1-13Limitation of actions generally — Product liabilityIn forcecited in 4 of our articles
(a) Except as otherwise specially provided, all civil actions shall be commenced within ten (10) years next after the cause of action shall accrue, and not after. (b) [Ruled unconstitutional, see case notes] Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, an action for the recovery of damages for personal injury, death, or damage to real or personal property, including any action based upon implied warranties arising out of an alleged design, inspection, listing, or manufacturing defect, or any other alleged defect of whatsoever kind or nature in a product, or arising out of any alleged failure to warn regarding a product, or arising out of any alleged failure to properly instruct in the use of a product, shall be commenced within ten (10) years after the date the product was first purchased for use or consumption.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-30 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at webserver.rilegislature.gov
Cited in 19 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2026
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Read Lundy, Inc. v. the W.A. Trust Compy. of Westerly, 99-2859 (2002) (Superior Court of Rhode Island 2002)“…enerally ten years from the accrual of the cause of action. R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-13 (1956). 6 The plaintiff cites…”
- Sanzi v. Shetty, 00-4523 (2002) (Superior Court of Rhode Island 2002)“…g that the general ten year statute of limitation period in R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-13 (a) applies to actions for fraud or dec…”
- America Condominium Assoc., Inc. v. Idc, Inc., 99-232 (2001) (Superior Court of Rhode Island 2001)“…d). As a result, the controlling statute of limitations is R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-13 (a) which provides a ten year period o…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: Rhode Island Car Accident Laws: Fault, Insurance, and Your Claim, Rhode Island Scam and Fraud Laws: Reporting, Suing, Crypto ATMs
§ 9-26-4Property exempt from attachmentIn forcecited in 2 of our articles
The following goods and property shall be exempt from attachment on any warrant of distress or on any other writ, original, mesne, or judicial: (1) The necessary wearing apparel of a debtor or of the debtor’s family, if the debtor has a family. (2) The working tools of a debtor necessary in the debtor’s usual occupation, not exceeding in value the sum of two thousand dollars ($2,000), and the professional library of any professional person in actual practice. (3) The household furniture, clothing, and family stores of a debtor, including beds and bedding, not exceeding in value the sum of nine thousand six hundred dollars ($9,600). (4) The bibles, school books, and other books in use in the family, not exceeding in value the sum of three hundred dollars ($300). (5) The debtor’s interest in one lot or right of burial, as the case may be, in any cemetery. (6) Wages due or accruing to any sailor. (7) Debts secured by bills of exchange or negotiable promissory notes.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-06 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at webserver.rilegislature.gov
Cited in 16 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2021
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- In re: Lynette Kapsinow (Supreme Court of Rhode Island 2019)“…one inherited from a non-spouse, pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-26-4(11).” 1 Article I, Rule 6(a)…”
- Howe v. Richardson (Court of Appeals for the First Circuit 1999)“…o $500, furniture up to $1,000, homestead up to $100,000), R.I. Gen. Laws 9-26-4, 4.1, and the parties accept that the…”
- In Re Barbera (United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Rhode Island 2002, 285 B.R. 355)“…ed as a “motor vehicle,” which would render it exempt under R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-26-4(13). For the reasons set forth below, I…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: Bankruptcy in Rhode Island (2026): Exemptions & Means Test
§ 9-26-4.1Homestead estate exemptionIn forcecited in 4 of our articles
(a) In addition to the property exempt from attachment as set forth in § 9-26-4, an estate of homestead to the extent of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) in the land and buildings, or personal property that the owner uses as a residence, may be acquired pursuant to this section by an owner of a home or an individual who rightfully possesses the premises by lease, as a life tenant, as a beneficiary of a revocable or irrevocable trust or otherwise, and who occupies or intends to occupy the home as his or her principal residence. The estate of homestead provided pursuant to this section shall be automatic by operation of law, and without any requirement or necessity for the filing of a declaration, a statement in a deed, or any other documentation.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-30 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at webserver.rilegislature.gov
Cited in 13 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2016
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- In Re Tetreault (Supreme Court of Rhode Island 2011, 11 A.3d 635)“…l satisfy the ownership or pos-sessory rights enumerated in R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-26-4.1 in order to qualify for the Rhode Islan…”
- In Re Ryan (District Court, D. Rhode Island 2002, 282 B.R. 742)“…is entitled to the Rhode Island Homestead Act exemption of R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-26-4.1. Ryan argues that the Bankruptcy Court…”
- In Re Strandberg (United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Rhode Island 2000, 253 B.R. 584)“…ons, and claimed a $100,000 homestead exemption pursuant to R.I.Gen.Laws § 9-26-4.1. The parties agree that the market valu…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: Rhode Island Homestead Exemption: Local Rules and State Relief, Rhode Island Quitclaim Deed: Requirements, Recording and Conveyance Tax
§ 9-25-3Limitation on issuance. [Effective until January 1, 2026.]In force
Executions, original or alias, may be issued by any court at any time within six (6) years from the rendition of the judgment originally or from the return day of the last execution. § 9-25-3. Limitation on issuance and filing. [Effective January 1, 2026.] Executions, original or alias, may be issued by any court at any time within six (6) years from the rendition of the judgment originally or from the return day of the last execution; provided that, no execution shall be filed against a defendant’s principal residence for a judgment in any action where the plaintiff’s claim against the defendant was based on medical debt. For purpose of this section, “medical debt” shall have the same meaning as defined in § 6-60-1.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-30 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at webserver.rilegislature.gov
§ 9-1-17Limitation of actions on contracts or liabilities under seal and on judgmentsIn forcecited in 2 of our articles
The following actions shall be commenced and sued within twenty (20) years next after the cause of action shall accrue and not after: actions on contracts or liabilities under seal; and actions on judgments or decrees of any court of record of the United States, or of any state.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-30 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at webserver.rilegislature.gov
Rhode Island General Laws, Title 6: Commercial Law
§ 6-26-11Medical debt interest capIn force
(a) For purposes of this section “medical debt” means an obligation of a consumer to pay an amount for the receipt of healthcare services as defined by § 27-81-3, products, or devices, owed to a healthcare facility or a healthcare professional as defined by § 27-81-3. (b) Interest on medical debt shall be limited to the rate of interest equal to the weekly average one-year constant maturity Treasury yield, but not less than one and a half percent per annum (1.5% p.a.) nor more than four percent per annum (4% p.a.) as published by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, for the calendar week preceding the date when the consumer was first provided with a bill. (c) The rate of interest provided in subsection (b) of this section shall only be applied to new debt incurred after June 26, 2025.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-30 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at webserver.rilegislature.gov
§ 6-60-1DefinitionsIn force
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings: (1) “Consumer” shall have the same meaning as such term is defined in § 19-14.9-3. (2) “Consumer reporting agency” shall have the same meaning as such term is defined in § 19-14.9-3. (3) “Debt collector” shall have the same meaning as such term is defined in § 19-14.9-3. (4) “Medical debt” means an obligation of a consumer to pay an amount for the receipt of healthcare services as defined by § 27-81-3, products, or devices, owed to a healthcare facility or a healthcare professional as defined by § 27-81-3.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-30 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at webserver.rilegislature.gov
§ 6-60-2Medical debt reporting prohibited in contracts with collection entitiesIn force
A healthcare provider as defined in § 27-81-3, or a healthcare facility authorized or licensed under chapter 17 of title 23, or an emergency medical transportation service certified under chapter 4.1 of title 23, shall not furnish information regarding any portion of a medical debt to a consumer reporting agency. In any contract entered into with a collection entity or debt collector for the purchase or collection of medical debt, there shall be included a provision that prohibits the reporting of any portion of medical debt to a consumer reporting agency.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-30 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at webserver.rilegislature.gov
§ 6-60-3Credit reporting agenciesIn force
No credit reporting agency shall acquire, record, or report any medical debt, in any manner. A credit reporting agency shall not make a consumer report containing any adverse information that the agency knows or should know is related to medical debt of a consumer.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-30 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at webserver.rilegislature.gov
§ 6-60-4Medical debt collectorsIn force
(a) A creditor, debt collector, or collection agency shall not use any false, deceptive, or misleading information or means when attempting to collect a medical debt or in an attempt to obtain information about a consumer in relation to collection of a medical debt by making a false, deceptive, or misleading representation that the medical debt will be included in a consumer credit report or factored into a credit score. (b) Any correspondence from a creditor, debt collector, or collection agency to a consumer shall include the following language: “The State of Rhode Island general laws prohibit credit bureaus from reporting medical debt or factoring medical debt into a credit score.” (c) No creditor or debt collector that knows or should have known about an internal review, external review, or other appeal of a health insurance decision that is pending within sixty (60) days of the consumer’s receipt of the financial statement shall: (1) Provide information relative to unpaid charges for healthcare services to a consumer reporting agency; (2) Communicate with the consumer regarding the unpaid charges for healthcare services for the purpose of seeking to collect the charges;…
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-30 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at webserver.rilegislature.gov
Rhode Island General Laws, Title 6A: Uniform Commercial Code, Chapter 6A-9: Secured Transactions
§ 6A-9-609Secured party’s right to take possession after defaultIn force
(a) Possession; rendering equipment unusable; disposition on debtor’s premises. After default, a secured party: (1) May take possession of the collateral; and (2) Without removal, may render equipment unusable and dispose of collateral on a debtor’s premises under § 6A-9-610. (b) Judicial and nonjudicial process. A secured party may proceed under subsection (a): (1) Pursuant to judicial process; or (2) Without judicial process, if it proceeds without breach of the peace; provided however, in the case of repossession of any motor vehicle without knowledge of the retail buyer, the local police department shall be notified of such repossession within one hour after obtaining such possession. In the absence of a local police department or if the local police department cannot be reached for notification, the state police shall be promptly notified of such repossession. (c) Assembly of collateral. If so agreed, and in any event after default, a secured party may require the debtor to assemble the collateral and make it available to the secured party at a place to be designated by the secured party which is reasonably convenient to both parties.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-30 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at webserver.rilegislature.gov
United States Code Title 15
§ 1674Restriction on discharge from employment by reason of garnishmentIn forcecited in 15 of our articles
No employer may discharge any employee by reason of the fact that his earnings have been subjected to garnishment for any one indebtedness. Whoever willfully violates subsection (a) of this section shall be fined not more than $1,000, or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-28 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at uscode.house.gov
Cited in 48 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2022
In the courts (editorial summary, independently checked):Federal appeals courts have held that 15 U.S.C. 1674 gives no private right of action to an employee fired over a garnishment. Smith v. Cotton Brothers Baking Co., Inc. (1980) found no implied civil remedy, and Le Vick v. Skaggs Companies, Inc. (1983) agreed, leaving enforcement to the Secretary of Labor under Section 1676.
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- James E. Le Vick v. Skaggs Companies, Inc. (Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 1983, 701 F.2d 777)✓An employee fired after his wages were garnished sued his employer under 15 U.S.C. 1674(a); the Ninth Circuit declined to follow its own Stewart precedent and held Congress created no private right of action, leaving enforcement to the Secretary of Labor.
- Hodgson v. Cleveland Municipal Court (District Court, N.D. Ohio 1971, 326 F. Supp. 419)✓The Secretary of Labor argued federal garnishment law preempted Ohio's narrower anti-discharge provision; the court found no showing that 15 U.S.C. 1674, a self-enforcing criminal section, was frustrated by the Ohio statute, and no justiciable controversy under it.
- Reginald O. Wallace v. Debron Corporation (Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit 1974, 494 F.2d 674)✓A Black welder was fired under a rule barring two garnishments in a year; reversing summary judgment on his Title VII disparate-impact claim, the Eighth Circuit read 15 U.S.C. 1674 as preventing discharge for one indebtedness, not authorizing it for others.
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: Alabama Debt Collection Laws: Wage Garnishment, Statute of Limitations, and Repossession, Alaska Debt Collection Laws: Wage Garnishment, Statute of Limitations, and Repossession, Arizona Debt Collection Laws: The 10% Garnishment Cap, Statute of Limitations, and Repossession
Code of Federal Regulations Title 12
§ 1006.26Collection of time-barred debts.In forcecited in 37 of our articles
(a) Definitions. For purposes of this section: (1) Statute of limitations means the period prescribed by applicable law for bringing a legal action against the consumer to collect a debt. (2) Time-barred debt means a debt for which the applicable statute of limitations has expired. (b) Legal actions and threats of legal actions prohibited. A debt collector must not bring or threaten to bring a legal action against a consumer to collect a time-barred debt. This paragraph (b) does not apply to proofs of claim filed in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-02 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at ecfr.gov
Cited in 3 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2025
In the courts (editorial summary, independently checked):Hanover v. Real Time Resolutions, Inc. (2024) dismissed FDCPA claims built on 12 CFR 1006.26(b), reasoning it bars only collection of time-barred debts and the loans at issue were not time barred. Raja v. Specialized Loan Servicing, LLC (2025) dismissed a Regulation F claim because nonjudicial foreclosure is not covered by the FDCPA.
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Hanover v. Real Time Resolutions, Inc. (District Court, S.D. Ohio 2024)✓A borrower claimed a servicer's letter and billing statement lacked language required by 12 CFR 1006.26(b); the court granted the servicer summary judgment, since the rule only bars collecting time-barred debts and it had already found her HELOC and mortgage enforceable.
- Raja v. Specialized Loan Servicing, LLC (District Court, E.D. Virginia 2025)✓Pro se homeowners alleged a servicer and foreclosure attorneys pursued a time-barred, discharged second mortgage in violation of 12 CFR 1006.26(b); the court dismissed that claim, holding parties carrying out a nonjudicial foreclosure are not FDCPA debt collectors.
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: Debt Collection Laws by State: Garnishment, SOL, and Repossession Rules, Arkansas Debt Collection Laws: Wage Garnishment, Statute of Limitations, and Repossession, California Debt Collection Laws: Wage Garnishment, Statute of Limitations, and Repossession
Rhode Island General Laws, Title 6A: Uniform Commercial Code, Chapter 6A-3: Negotiable Instruments
§ 6A-3-118Statute of limitationsIn force
(a) Except as provided in subsection (e), an action to enforce the obligation of a party to pay a note payable at a definite time must be commenced within six years after the due date or dates stated in the note or, if a due date is accelerated, within six years after the accelerated due date. (b) Except as provided in subsection (d) or (e), if demand for payment is made to the maker of a note payable on demand, an action to enforce the obligation of a party to pay the note must be commenced within six years after the demand. If no demand for payment is made to the maker, an action to enforce the note is barred if neither principal nor interest on the note has been paid for a continuous period of 10 years. (c) Except as provided in subsection (d), an action to enforce the obligation of a party to an unaccepted draft to pay the draft must be commenced within three years after dishonor of the draft or 10 years after the date of the draft, whichever period expires first.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-30 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at webserver.rilegislature.gov
Rhode Island General Laws, Title 6A: Uniform Commercial Code, Chapter 6A-2: Sales
§ 6A-2-725Statute of limitations — Contracts for sale — Breach of warrantyIn forcecited in 2 of our articles
(1) An action for breach of any contract for sale must be commenced within four (4) years after the cause of action has accrued. By the original agreement the parties may reduce the period of limitation to not less than one year but may not extend it. (2) A cause of action accrues when the breach occurs, regardless of the aggrieved party’s lack of knowledge of the breach. A breach of warranty occurs when tender of delivery is made, except that where a warranty explicitly extends to future performance of the goods and discovery of the breach must await the time of such performance the cause of action accrues when the breach is or should have been discovered. (3) Where an action commenced within the time limited by subsection (1) is so terminated as to leave available a remedy by another action for the same breach such other action may be commenced after the expiration of the time limited and within six (6) months after the termination of the first action unless the termination resulted from voluntary discontinuance or from dismissal for failure or neglect to prosecute.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-30 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at webserver.rilegislature.gov
Rhode Island General Laws, Title 19: Financial Institutions, Chapter 19-14.9: Rhode Island Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
§ 19-14.9-8Unfair practicesIn force
A debt collector may not use unfair or unconscionable means to collect or attempt to collect any debt. Such unfair or unconscionable means shall include, but not be limited to: (a) Collecting any amount (including any interest, fee, charge, or expense incidental to the principal obligation) unless such amount is expressly authorized by the agreement creating the debt or permitted by law; (b) Publishing, or causing to be published, for general circulation, the name of a consumer or any lists of consumers, or threatening to do so; (c) Requesting or demanding from a consumer a postdated check, draft, order for withdrawal, or other similar instrument in payment for the debt or any portion thereof, or negotiating such instrument before the due date of the instrument; (d) Depositing, or threatening to deposit, any postdated check or other postdated payment instrument prior to the date on such check or instrument; (e) Causing charges to be made to any person for communications by concealment of the true purpose of the communication. Such charges include, but are not limited to, collect telephone calls and fees.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-30 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at webserver.rilegislature.gov
§ 19-14.9-12Registration requiredIn force
(1) After July 1, 2008, no person shall engage within this state in the business of a debt collector, or engage in soliciting the right to collect or receive payment for another of an account, bill, or other indebtedness, or advertise for or solicit in print the right to collect or receive payment for another of an account, bill, or other indebtedness, without first registering with the director, or the director’s designee. (2) The application for registration shall be in writing; shall contain information as the director may determine; and shall be accompanied by a registration fee of seven hundred fifty dollars ($750). (3) The registration shall be for a period of one year. Each registration shall plainly state the name of the registrant and the city or town with the name of the street and number, if any, of the place where the business is to be carried on; provided that the business shall at all times be conducted in the name of the registrant as it appears on the registration. (4) No person registered to act within this state as a debt collector shall do so under any other name or at any other place of business than that named in the registration.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-30 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at webserver.rilegislature.gov
§ 19-14.9-7False or misleading representationsIn force
A debt collector may not use any false, deceptive, or misleading representation or means in connection with the collection of any debt. Such false or misleading means shall include, but not be limited to: (a) The false representation or implication that the debt collector is vouched for, bonded by, or affiliated with the United States or any state, including the use of any badge, uniform, or facsimile thereof; (b) The false representation of: (1) The character, amount, or legal status of any debt; (2) Any services rendered or compensation that may be lawfully received by any debt collector for the collection of a debt; (c) The false representation or implication that any individual is an attorney or that any communication is from an attorney; (d) The representation or implication that nonpayment of any debt will result in the arrest or imprisonment of any person or the seizure, garnishment, attachment, or sale of any property or wages of any person unless such action is lawful and the debt collector or creditor intends to take such action; (e) The threat to take any action that cannot legally be taken or that is not intended to be taken; (f) The false representation or…
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-30 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at webserver.rilegislature.gov
Rhode Island General Laws, Title 44: Taxation, Chapter 44-30: Personal Income Tax
§ 44-30-92Collection, levy, and lienIn force
(a) Collection procedures. The tax administrator shall receive and collect the Rhode Island personal income tax in the same manner and with the same powers as are prescribed for, and given to collectors of taxes by chapters 1, 7, 8, and 9 of this title. The administrator may establish the manner of time for the collection of any tax amount due if not otherwise specified. The administrator shall, upon request, give a receipt for any sum collected as Rhode Island personal income tax. The administrator may authorize banks or trust companies doing business in the state as depositaries to receive any part of the tax in any manner, at any times, and under any conditions that the administrator may prescribe; and the administrator shall prescribe the manner, times, and conditions under which the receipt of the tax by the banks and trust companies is to be treated as payment of the tax. (b) Notice and demand for tax. The tax administrator shall, except as provided in § 44-30-81(b), as soon as practicable after the making of an assessment of a tax, give notice to each person liable for any unpaid tax, stating the amount and demanding payment thereof.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-30 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at webserver.rilegislature.gov
Sources and References
- Public Law 2025, Chapter 300 (2025-S 0169 Substitute A), Medical Debt Garnishment and Residence Protections(rilegislature.gov).gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws Section 10-5-8, Property Exempt from Attachment (as amended by P.L. 2025 ch. 300)(rilegislature.gov).gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws Section 9-26-4, Property Exempt from Attachment and Execution(rilegislature.gov).gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws Section 9-1-13, Limitation of Actions Generally (Ten Years)(rilegislature.gov).gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws Section 6-26-11, Medical Debt Interest Cap(rilegislature.gov).gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws Section 6A-9-609, Secured Party's Right to Take Possession (One-Hour Police Notice)(rilegislature.gov).gov
- U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #30: The Federal Wage Garnishment Law (CCPA)(dol.gov).gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws Section 10-5-8, Attachment of Wages (both the pre-2026 and the Effective January 1, 2026 medical-debt versions)(rilegislature.gov)
- R.I. Gen. Laws Section 6-60-3, Credit Reporting Agencies (medical debt reporting prohibited)(rilegislature.gov)
- R.I. Gen. Laws Section 6-60-4, Medical Debt Collectors (required notice; pending insurance appeal bar)(rilegislature.gov)
- R.I. Gen. Laws Section 6-60-2, Medical Debt Reporting Prohibited in Provider Contracts(rilegislature.gov)
- R.I. Gen. Laws Section 19-14.9-7, Rhode Island FDCPA: False or Misleading Representations(rilegislature.gov)
- R.I. Gen. Laws Section 19-14.9-8, Rhode Island FDCPA: Unfair Practices(rilegislature.gov)
- R.I. Gen. Laws Section 19-14.9-12, Rhode Island FDCPA: Debt Collector Registration Required(rilegislature.gov)
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