Old Debts And Time Limits
S.C. Code 15-3-530 — three years on a contract, and a part payment or written acknowledgment keeps it alive
Three years. An action on a contract, obligation or liability, express or implied, must be brought within three years, apart from the longer periods in the section before it. So must an action for injury to a person, damage to property, or taking goods.
A part payment or written acknowledgment. A claim that would be barred by the time limit but for a part payment or a written acknowledgment is brought on the original cause of action, and the payment or acknowledgment is evidence that keeps the bar from applying.
When the clock starts, and whether it was paused, depend on the facts and on other sections. A debt past the limit is not erased; the limit is a defense the debtor raises in court. A particular debt is a question for a licensed South Carolina attorney.
Sources for this section (2)
- S.C. Code 15-3-530 — Three years
- S.C. Code 15-3-130 — Suits on causes saved from bar of statute by part payment or written acknowledgment
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed South Carolina attorney.