Subchapter I. General Provisions
50 U.S.C. § 3912: Where the SCRA Applies (Civil, Not Criminal)
Official heading: Jurisdiction and applicability of chapter
In one line
Sets where the law reaches: the United States, every State and its political subdivisions, and all territory under U.S. jurisdiction. It covers civil and administrative proceedings but not criminal ones.
- Does not apply to criminal proceedings
Text checked October 9, 2026
What § 3912 does to your money
The Act binds the United States, every state and its political subdivisions, and all territory under U.S. jurisdiction. A county court in the state where your lender sued you, a city housing board and a federal agency all owe you the same protections. There is no “our state does not follow the SCRA” defense. Territory counts as well, so the same federal rules govern a car loan sued on in Puerto Rico or an apartment lease in Guam.
It applies to any judicial or administrative proceeding, and it does not apply to criminal proceedings. A criminal charge cannot be paused under this Act, however minor. A collection suit, an eviction, a foreclosure, a divorce or custody case, and an agency hearing can be, because each is civil or administrative. Custody needs no argument: §§ 3931 and 3932 name child custody proceedings expressly.
Subsection (c) solves a practical problem. When the Act requires you to apply to a court and no case exists yet, for example to get relief on a debt before anyone sues you, you may apply to any court that would otherwise have jurisdiction over the matter. You do not have to wait for the creditor to pick the forum.
The full text of 50 U.S.C. § 3912
From the United States Code, 2024 Edition, current through January 6, 2025, as published by the U.S. Government Publishing Office on GovInfo (retrieved October 10, 2026). No amendment enacted after the edition cutoff was found on Cornell LII or in GovInfo’s compiled SCRA (amended through Pub. L. 118-159, Dec. 23, 2024). House style: the Code’s em dashes before a list are shown as colons, and en dashes as hyphens or “to”; no word of the text is changed.
(a) Jurisdiction
This chapter applies to:
(1) the United States;
(2) each of the States, including the political subdivisions thereof; and
(3) all territory subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.
(b) Applicability to proceedings
This chapter applies to any judicial or administrative proceeding commenced in any court or agency in any jurisdiction subject to this chapter. This chapter does not apply to criminal proceedings.
(c) Court in which application may be made
When under this chapter any application is required to be made to a court in which no proceeding has already been commenced with respect to the matter, such application may be made to any court which would otherwise have jurisdiction over the matter.
Enacted and amended by: (Oct. 17, 1940, ch. 888, title I, §102, as added Pub. L. 108-189, §1, Dec. 19, 2003, 117 Stat. 2837.)
Effective date: Section applicable to any case not final before Dec. 19, 2003, see section 3 of Pub. L. 108-189, set out as a note under section 3901 of this title.
Every section of the Act, including the short administrative ones without their own page, is on the section-by-section index.
Heads up: SCRA Saver publishes general information, not legal or financial advice. Laws change and every situation differs. Confirm details with your installation legal assistance office (free for service members) or a licensed professional.