Oregon Child Support Statute of Limitations: The 35-Year Rule

In Oregon, the statute of limitations on child support gives a parent 35 years to collect an unpaid obligation, measured from the date the court first entered the support judgment. The debt accrues 9% simple interest the entire time it sits unpaid, and it does not disappear when the child turns 18. That window is among the longest in the country, which means arrears from decades ago can still be legally enforceable today.

The 35-Year Rule and When the Clock Starts

Under ORS 18.180, enforcement remedies for the child support portion of a judgment expire 35 years after the court enters the judgment that first creates the support obligation.¹ That same window covers any lump-sum award later entered for unpaid installments. The original support order is itself the judgment, so a parent does not need to return to court each time a payment is missed to turn the shortfall into a collectible debt. Each unpaid installment becomes enforceable under the existing judgment, and the full set of collection tools remains available for the entire 35-year period.

The current rule came from a 2009 amendment that took effect January 1, 2010. It applies retroactively to all child support judgments, no matter when they were originally entered, with one important carve-out: if a judgment’s enforcement remedies had already expired before January 1, 2010 under the old rules, the new law does not revive them.¹ Before the change, child support judgments followed the ordinary civil-judgment timeline of 10 years, with the option to renew. If you are holding a very old support order and are not sure whether it survived the transition, the original entry date on file with the court clerk is the place to start.

The Debt Survives the Child’s 18th Birthday

A balance that built up while the child was a minor does not vanish on the child’s 18th birthday. The arrears were owed to support the child during the months they accrued, and the paying parent’s failure to pay turned each missed installment into a collectible judgment balance. That balance stays enforceable for the full 35-year period measured from the original order.¹ Oregon’s Child Support Program continues providing enforcement services on arrears-only cases after the child ages out, as long as the judgment has not been fully satisfied.²

Separately, Oregon allows support to continue for an unmarried child between 18 and 21 who is enrolled at school at least half-time and making satisfactory academic progress, provided the child has given written notice to each parent before turning 18 and signed a consent letting the school share enrollment and grade information.³ That is a separate ongoing obligation, not an extension of the limitations clock on past-due balances.

How 9% Interest Changes the Math

Oregon charges 9% simple interest per year on unpaid child support judgments, and interest starts running from the date each payment was due and went unpaid.⁴ Because each missed installment is treated as its own entry, interest runs separately on each one. A parent who falls $1,000 behind every month for a year does not simply owe $12,000 at year’s end. The January payment has been accruing interest for 12 months, the February payment for 11, and so on down the line.

Interest also accrues on attorney fees and costs entered as part of the judgment. Over a 35-year enforcement window, interest can easily exceed the original principal. On a $20,000 arrearage, 9% simple interest adds $1,800 per year, or $63,000 across the full 35 years, pushing the theoretical total past $80,000 if nothing is ever paid.⁴ A parent who owes $15,000 when the child turns 18 and ignores the debt will owe roughly $28,500 by the time 10 more years pass. The balance only stops growing when it is paid.

How Oregon Collects During That Window

The Oregon Child Support Program, run by the Department of Justice, has a wide set of collection tools that do not require the custodial parent to hire an attorney or return to court independently.⁵ When voluntary payments stop, the state can use any of the following:

Income withholding from wages, unemployment benefits, or workers’ compensation.
Interception of federal and state tax refunds. The federal threshold is $500 in arrears for non-TANF cases and $150 for cases involving public assistance.⁶
Liens on Oregon real estate owned by the paying parent, which prevent a clean sale until the arrears are cleared.
Garnishment of bank accounts, lottery winnings, insurance settlements, and inheritances.
Suspension of driver, recreational, and occupational licenses when the parent owes at least three months of support or $2,500, whichever is greater, and has not been paying consistently.⁷
Passport denial, revocation, or limitation by the State Department when a parent owes more than $2,500.⁸
Credit bureau reporting, which can block mortgages, car loans, and credit cards.
Contempt of court proceedings. A judge can impose jail time to compel compliance.⁵

A parent who enters a payment agreement with the state can usually avoid license suspension even while the balance is being paid down.⁷

Criminal Nonsupport Is a Separate Risk

Falling behind in Oregon is not only a civil matter. Under ORS 163.555, knowingly failing to support a child under 18 is the crime of criminal nonsupport, classified as a Class C felony.⁹¹⁰¹¹ Prosecutors must prove that a court ordered the parent to pay, that the parent had the ability to earn income, and that the parent made no payments. A parent who genuinely cannot pay has an affirmative defense, but the deadlines for raising it are strict. Remarrying, having new children, or pointing out that someone else is currently supporting the child are not valid defenses.

Ways to Reduce or Change What Is Owed

Oregon’s Division of Child Support can, in limited circumstances, agree to satisfy state-assigned arrears for less than the full amount. This only covers arrears assigned to the state, typically because the custodial parent received public assistance. It is not blanket forgiveness. The state will consider a compromise when the arrears cause substantial hardship to the paying parent’s household, when settling will actually produce greater total collection than continuing to chase the full balance, or when the parent enters an agreement designed to improve their ability to pay or their relationship with the child.¹²

Nothing is final until the parent has paid the agreed amount and the payment has cleared. If the arrears were temporarily assigned to the state, the custodial parent must also consent and sign a satisfaction form. Arrears owed directly to the other parent cannot be reduced through this program without that parent’s involvement.¹²

Modification is a separate option, and an important one to understand clearly. A modification changes future payments going forward. It does not erase arrears that have already accrued. The effective date of a modified order is the first of the month after the non-requesting parent is served with the proposed order, not the date the request was filed.¹³ If you lose your job in January but do not file for modification until April, you owe the original amount for every month in between, and the court cannot go back and lower those payments retroactively. Filing promptly when circumstances change is the most effective way to keep an unmanageable arrears balance from building.

Moving Out of State Does Not Reset the Clock

Leaving Oregon does not make the debt disappear. Oregon has adopted the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, codified in ORS Chapter 110, which creates a standardized framework for enforcing support orders across state lines.¹⁴ Every state has adopted this law, so there is no safe harbor.

A parent owed support can work with the Oregon Child Support Program to register the Oregon order in the state where the owing parent now lives. Once registered, that state’s enforcement agency can apply its own tools, including income withholding and license suspension, to collect the debt. Oregon’s 35-year enforcement window continues to govern the lifespan of the judgment even when another state handles day-to-day collection, and federal tools such as passport denial and tax refund intercept operate regardless of where the owing parent lives.⁵

1
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 18.180 – Expiration of Judgment Remedies in Circuit Court
2
Oregon Department of Justice. Support for Students Ages 18 – 21
3
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 107.108 – Child Attending School
4
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 82.010 – Legal Rate of Interest; Effect of Violation
5
Oregon Department of Justice. Compliance
6
Administration for Children and Families. Case Eligible Federal Tax Refund Offset Program
7
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Administrative Rule 137-055-4420 – License Suspension for Child Support
8
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 652 – Collection and Dissemination of Information by the Secretary
9
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 163.555 – Criminal Nonsupport
10
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 161.605 – Maximum Terms of Imprisonment
11
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 161.625 – Fines for Felonies
12
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Administrative Rule 137-055-6120 – Satisfaction of Arrears for Less Than Full Payment
13
Oregon Department of Justice. Modify an Existing Support Order
14
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code Chapter 110 – Uniform Interstate Family Support Act