Fair debt collection broadly refers to regulation of the United States debt collection industry at both the federal and state level. At the Federal level, it is primarily governed by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). In addition, many U.S. states also have debt collection laws that regulate the credit and collection industry and give consumer debtors protection from abusive and deceptive practices. Many state laws track the language of the FDCPA, so that they are sometimes referred to as mini-FDCPAs.
U.S. state laws on fair debt collection generally fall into two categories: laws which require persons who are collecting debts from consumers to be licensed, registered or bonded in order to collect from consumers in their states, and laws that protect consumers from specific unfair practices by debt collectors, which may include collection agencies and sometimes original creditors. Many state laws--unlike the FDCPA--cover original creditors, thus providing greater protections to consumers than the Federal FDCPA.
Although not all states have such laws, the unfair practices that are prohibited generally track those that are also prohibited under the FDCPA. Some states have a complete prohibition against collecting from its residents unless the collection agency has complied with licensing or bonding, others exempt out-of-state collectors from those requirements. Examples of prohibitions of unfair practices by collectors include contacting employers after having been given notice not to do so, pretending to be a government agency, pretending to be an attorney or falsely threatening with a lawsuit. Many state fair debt collection laws also provide for a private right of action (consumers can sue the debt collector) by consumers against collectors that violate their provisions.
The following states have their own fair debt collection laws, which can be found here:
Ala. Code Sec. 40-12-80
Alaska Stat. Sec. 08.24.041-08.24.380; Alaska Stat. Sec. 45.50.471-45.50.461
Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. sec. 32-1001 - 1057
Ark. Stat. Ann. Sec. 17-24-101 -404
Cal. Civ. Code Sec. 1788-1888.32, 1812.700 - .702
Colo. Rev. Stat. Sec. 5-1-101 - 5-12-105
Colo. Rev. Stat. Sec. 12-04-101 -137
Conn. Gen Stat. Sec. 36a-645 - -647
Del. Code Ann. tit. 30, Sec. 2301(a)(12)
D.C. Code Ann. Sec. 22-3401 -3403
D.C.Code Ann. Sec. 28-3814 -3816
D.C. Code. Ann. Sec. 28-3901 -3909
Fla. Stat. Sec. 559.55-.785
Ga. Code. Ann. Sec. 7-3-1 -29
Haw. Rev. Stat. Sec. 443B-1 -20
Haw. rev. Stat. Sec. 480D-1 et seq.
Idaho Code Sec. 26-222 -2251
225 Ill. Comp. Stat. 425/1 to /25
Ind. Code Ann.Sec. 25-11-1-1 to -13
Ind. Code. Ann. Code. Sec. 24-4.55-107
Iowa Code Ann. Sec. 537.7101 -.7103
Kan. Stat. Ann. Sec. 16a-5-107
Ky. rev. Stat. ann. Sec. 24A-240 (re: CA in small claims ct)
La.rev.Stat. Sec. 9:3576.1 -3576.24
La. rev. Stat. Sec. 9:3557-9:3562
Me.Rev.Stat.Amm. tit.32, Sec. 11,001 - 11,054
Me.Rev.Stat.Ann. tit.9-A, Sec. 5-107, -116, -117, -201
Md.Ann.Code. Bus. Reg. Sec. 7-101 -502
Mass. Gen Laws Ann ch 93, Sec. 49
Mich. Comp. Laws ann. sec. 339.901 -.920
Mich.Comp.Laws Ann. sec. 445.251 -.258
Minn. Stat. ann. Sec. 331.31 -.50
Miss. Code Sec. 97-9-1
Mo. Rev. Stat. Sec. 425.300
N.H. Rev. Stat. Sec. 358-C:1 - C:4
N.J. Stat. Ann. Sec. 45:18 -6.1
N.M. Stat.Ann. Sec. 61-18A-a -33
N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law Sec. 600-603, Rules of the City of New York Sec. 5-76-5-80
N.C. Gen.Stat. Sec. 58-70-90 -130
N.C. Gen. Stat. Sec. 75-50 -56
N.D. Cent. Code Sec. 13-05-01 -10
Ohio Rev. Code Ann. Sec. 1319.12
Okla. Stat. tit. 14A, Sec. 5-107
Or. Rev. Stat. Sec. 646.639 -.656
Or.Rev.Stat. Sec, 697.005 -.095
18 Pa. Const. Stat. Ann. Sec. 7311
73 Pa. Cons. Stat. Sec. 2270.1 -.6
S.C. Code Sec. 37-5-108
Tenn. Code. Ann. Sec. 62-20-101 -126
Tex. Fin. Code Sec. 392.001 -.404, 396.001 -.353
Utah Code Ann. Sec. 12-1-1 -10
Utah Code Ann Sec. 70C-7-104 -106
Vt. Stat. Ann. tit 9, Sec. 2451a -2461
Va. Code. 18.1-213
Wash. Rev. Code.Ann. Sec. 19.16.100 -.950
W.Va. Code. Sec. 47-165-1 -5
W. Va. Code. Sec. 46A-2-122 -129a
Wis. Stat. Ann. Sec. 218.04
Wis. Stat. Ann. 427.101 -.105
Wyo. Stat. Sec. 33-11-101 -116
Wyo. Stat. Sec. 40-14-507
