Across the 51 U.S. jurisdictions (50 states plus the District of Columbia), 25 permit single-payment payday lending, 6 restrict it under tighter rules, and 20 prohibit it outright — most through usury or all-in APR caps. At least 11 states cap small-dollar loans at 36% APR, the threshold most consumer advocates treat as the line between mainstream and high-cost credit.
- 25 jurisdictions — payday lending permitted
- 6 — permitted but tightly restricted / reformed
- 20 — prohibited (usury caps or no authorization)
- 11 — 36% APR cap on small-dollar loans
How the data is compiled
Each jurisdiction's status is drawn from public sources — primarily the Consumer Federation of America (paydayloaninfo.org), the Center for Responsible Lending, and state regulators — and carries a last verified date. Figures marked with a dash are not set as a single statutory number in that state. Laws change; confirm any figure with the linked source before relying on it. See how we verify.
Payday loan status in all 51 jurisdictions
| State | Status | Max loan | Cost / cap note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | permitted | $500 | — | source |
| Alaska | permitted | $500 | — | source |
| Arizona | prohibited | — | 36% APR cap | source |
| Arkansas | prohibited | — | 17% constitutional usury cap | source |
| California | permitted | $300 | Fee capped at 15% of check amount | source |
| Colorado | prohibited | — | 36% APR cap | source |
| Connecticut | prohibited | — | payday prohibited | source |
| Delaware | permitted | $1,000 | — | source |
| District of Columbia | prohibited | — | 24% APR cap | source |
| Florida | permitted | $500 | — | source |
| Georgia | prohibited | — | payday prohibited | source |
| Hawaii | restricted | — | — | source |
| Idaho | permitted | $1,000 | — | source |
| Illinois | prohibited | — | 36% APR cap (all-in) | source |
| Indiana | permitted | $550 | — | source |
| Iowa | permitted | $500 | — | source |
| Kansas | permitted | $500 | — | source |
| Kentucky | permitted | $500 | — | source |
| Louisiana | permitted | $350 | — | source |
| Maine | restricted | — | — | source |
| Maryland | prohibited | — | ~33% APR small-loan cap | source |
| Massachusetts | prohibited | — | ~23% APR small-loan cap | source |
| Michigan | permitted | $600 | — | source |
| Minnesota | restricted | — | 36% APR cap (limited 37-50% tier with ability-to-repay) | source |
| Mississippi | permitted | $500 | — | source |
| Missouri | permitted | $500 | — | source |
| Montana | prohibited | — | 36% APR cap | source |
| Nebraska | prohibited | — | 36% APR cap | source |
| Nevada | permitted | — | — | source |
| New Hampshire | prohibited | — | 36% APR cap | source |
| New Jersey | prohibited | — | 30% criminal usury cap | source |
| New Mexico | prohibited | — | 36% APR cap | source |
| New York | prohibited | — | 16% civil / 25% criminal usury cap | source |
| North Carolina | prohibited | — | ~36% APR small-loan cap | source |
| North Dakota | permitted | $500 | — | source |
| Ohio | restricted | — | 28% interest plus capped fees | source |
| Oklahoma | permitted | $1,500 | — | source |
| Oregon | restricted | — | 36% APR cap plus limited origination fee | source |
| Pennsylvania | prohibited | — | payday prohibited | source |
| Rhode Island | permitted | $500 | — | source |
| South Carolina | permitted | $550 | — | source |
| South Dakota | prohibited | — | 36% APR cap | source |
| Tennessee | permitted | $500 | — | source |
| Texas | permitted | — | — | source |
| Utah | permitted | — | — | source |
| Vermont | prohibited | — | 18% APR cap | source |
| Virginia | restricted | — | — | source |
| Washington | permitted | $700 | — | source |
| West Virginia | prohibited | — | ~31% APR small-loan cap | source |
| Wisconsin | permitted | $1,500 | — | source |
| Wyoming | permitted | — | — | source |
Free under CC BY 4.0 — get the CSV, JSON, and Frictionless data package on GitHub.
Cite as: “Big Bucks Loans, 2026 U.S. State Payday Loan Law & Rate Tracker,” last updated 2026-07-24. Big Bucks Loans is not a lender.
General information, not legal or financial advice. State laws change; verify with the linked regulator or source before relying on any figure.