Repossession rules change when the state changes.
Open the state where the retail installment contract and repossession are centered. Each page separates verified state-specific timing from the Article 9 framework and flags issues that still depend on the contract, transaction type, or case law.
Research rule: an event-based deadline stays event-based. A state page does not invent a day count merely to make the three-box strip look uniform.
COMPARE 50 STATES
Cure, redemption, and deficiency-lawsuit limits side by side.
Sort any column, or filter to one state. Each label links to the full state page with the statute citation and caveats.
50 of 50
| Alabama | Contract-dependent cure notice | Before disposition (Article 9 default) | 6 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | No statewide cure mandate | Before disposition (Article 9 default) | 3 years |
| Arizona | No statewide cure mandate | Before disposition (Article 9 default) | 4 years |
| Arkansas | No general pre-repo cure period | Before disposition (Article 9) | Usually 5 years for written contract claims |
| California | 15-day notice with conditional reinstatement | 15 days (extendable to 25) | 4 years |
| Colorado | 20 days after default notice (once per 12 months) | Before disposition (Article 9 default) | 6 years |
| Connecticut | No statewide pre-repo cure mandate | 15 days after repossession | 6 years |
| Delaware | Written notice of right to cure (contract/RISA-dependent) | Before disposition (Article 9 default) | 4 years |
| Florida | No statewide cure mandate | Before disposition (§ 679.623) | 5 years |
| Georgia | No general Article 9 cure clock | Before disposition (Article 9 default) | Unsettled — 4 to 6 years depending on the theory |
| Hawaii | Contract-dependent (no general statewide cure mandate) | Before disposition (Article 9 default) | 6 years |
| Idaho | No general Article 9 cure clock | Before disposition (Article 9 default, no added state provision) | 5 years |
| Illinois | No general pre-repo cure clock (see 30%-paid redemption rule) | 15 days to redeem if 30%+ paid; otherwise before disposition | 4 years |
| Indiana | No general Article 9 cure clock | Before disposition (Article 9 default) | 6 years |
| Iowa | 20-day written cure notice | Before disposition (full defaulted amount) | 10 years |
| Kansas | 20-day written cure notice | Before disposition (Article 9 default) | 5 years |
| Kentucky | No general Article 9 cure clock | Before disposition (Article 9 default) | Unclear — sources conflict between 4 years and 10-15 years |
| Louisiana | Statutory pre-repo and post-repo notice steps | Before disposition, notice-dependent | 4 years |
| Maine | Statutory cure notice under 9-A M.R.S. § 5-110 | Notice-dependent; confirm against current statute | 6 years |
| Maryland | No single rule applies to every agreement | 15-day retention in covered cases; verify scope | Use the remedy and timing in the governing statute |
| Massachusetts | 21 days after notice | 20 days after possession | 6 years |
| Michigan | Check contract and default terms | Before disposition (MCL 440.9623) | Contract limitation period; verify claim and accrual |
| Minnesota | Advance notice generally not required; Cobb facts may matter | Before Article 9 disposition | Check contract limitation and claim accrual |
| Mississippi | No general Article 9 cure clock | Before disposition or acceptance | 1 year (deficiency-specific), distinct from the general 3-year contract period |
| Missouri | 20 days after notice (required twice; not required on a 3rd default) | At least 10 days after repossession | 5 years |
| Montana | No general Article 9 cure clock | 10 days after repossession | 8 years |
| Nebraska | 20 days to reinstate (mailed notice) | 20 days following repossession | 5 years |
| Nevada | 15-day right to cure/reinstate | Full balance before sale; 10 days' notice required before resale | 6 years |
| New Hampshire | 21 days after notice (once 10+ days late) | Up until the vehicle is declared sold | 3 years |
| New Jersey | 30 days after notice | Before sale (full balance + reasonable expenses) | 4 years (commonly cited) |
| New Mexico | 20 days after notice (certain installment contracts) | Before disposition or acceptance | 4 years (verify against specific claim) |
| New York | No general statutory right to cure | Before sale, contract-for-sale, or acceptance | 6 years |
| North Carolina | No general statutory right to cure | Full obligations + fees and costs, before disposition | 3 or 4 years, genuinely disputed |
| North Dakota | No general statutory right to cure | Before disposition (full obligation + costs) | 6 years |
| Ohio | 20 days after repossession, or 15 days after notice, whichever is later — usable only once per debt | Before disposition (full balance + expenses) | 6 years |
| Oklahoma | No confirmed general statutory right to cure | Before disposition (full balance + interest + expenses) | 5 years |
| Oregon | 21 days after notice | 15 days before sale | 6 years |
| Pennsylvania | 15 days after notice (reinstatement) | 15 days after notice (full balance) | 4 years |
| Rhode Island | Once per 12-month period, after 10 days late | Before sale (full balance + reasonable expenses) | Confirm against R.I. Gen. Laws § 6-51-5 |
| South Carolina | 20 days after notice (once per loan, after 10+ days late) | About 10 days before public auction | 3 years |
| South Dakota | Statutory right to cure available | Before disposition (Article 9 baseline) | 6 years |
| Tennessee | Not required by state law for a typical auto loan; check the contract | 10 days after the post-repossession letter | 4 years |
| Texas | Reinstatement offered at lender's discretion only | Before disposition is completed | 4 years |
| Utah | No general statutory reinstatement right; check the loan contract | Before sale, contract-for-sale, or acceptance | 6 years (general written-contract period; confirm) |
| Vermont | 30 days after notice | As specified in the lender's notice | 6 years (general written-contract period; confirm) |
| Virginia | Generally available, but NOT for buy-here-pay-here loans | Up until the auction sale | 5 years |
| Washington | Written notice required, including right-to-cure information | Until sold, or within 21 days of a keep-the-car notice | 6 years (commonly cited) |
| West Virginia | 10 days before repossession | Before sale (full balance + fees) | 10 years (general written-contract period; confirm) |
| Wisconsin | 15 days after mailed notice | 15 days after repossession | 6 years (general written-contract period; confirm) |
| Wyoming | 20 days after notice (once per 365 days) | 10 days after repossession | 10 years (general written-contract period; confirm) |
Each cell is a short label. Open a state page for the statute citation, the note behind the label, and the caveats that still depend on the contract or case law.
PROCEDURE, NOT JUST DEADLINES
The rules a state page points to.
Every state page separates verified state timing from the general framework below. Start with the procedure, then apply your state's numbers.
Cure, reinstatement, and redemption are three different questions
How cure or reinstatement differs from UCC redemption after an auto repossession, and what to request from the creditor.
Open guide →How to read a repossession sale notice before the vehicle is sold
A section-by-section audit of a consumer-goods disposition notice under UCC §§ 9-611, 9-613, and 9-614.
Open guide →What “commercially reasonable” means after a repossession sale
A process-focused way to evaluate the method, marketing, timing, place, and terms of a collateral disposition.
Open guide →How a repossession deficiency balance is built after the vehicle sale
A line-by-line way to reconstruct the amount a creditor says remains after disposition.
Open guide →How to request and audit the post-sale deficiency explanation
What UCC § 9-616 is designed to show in a consumer-goods transaction, and how to turn the statement into a reconciliation worksheet.
Open guide →You were served with a deficiency lawsuit: the first procedural steps
A non-strategy checklist for preserving the response deadline, identifying the plaintiff, and organizing repossession evidence for a state-court debt case.
Open guide →Negotiating a repossession deficiency: get the terms in writing before paying
A document checklist for evaluating a settlement offer without turning the guide into individualized debt advice.
Open guide →Your personal property is still inside the repossessed vehicle
A record-focused retrieval process that keeps personal belongings separate from the lender’s security interest in the car.
Open guide →