Statute of Limitations by State: Every Deadline in One Table
A statute of limitations is the deadline to file a lawsuit, and every state writes its own. For an injury claim, 25 of 51 jurisdictions allow 2 years. The rest run from 1 year in Kentucky and Tennessee to 6 years in Maine, Minnesota and North Dakota. Here are four deadlines for every state and DC, each read from the state's own code and linked to it.
What a statute of limitations is, and why every state has one
A statute of limitations is a deadline written into law for starting a lawsuit. The person with the claim has a fixed period, counted from the day the claim arises, to file it in court. After that, the person being sued can ask the judge to throw the case out, and the judge almost always must. It does not matter how strong the evidence is or how badly someone was hurt.
The reasons are old and practical. Witnesses forget and move away, records get thrown out, and a defendant should not have to answer for something decades later with no way to reconstruct what happened. The law trades a few late but valid claims for the certainty that old ones end.
Two things follow from that. The deadline is for filing the lawsuit, not for calling an insurer or sending a demand letter, so a claim still being negotiated can expire in the middle of the talks. And the period depends on what the claim is, not on how the harm happened: one crash can produce an injury claim, a claim for the car and a wrongful death claim, each on its own clock.
This page covers civil claims, the ones a person brings for compensation. Criminal limitation periods are separate statutes and are not in the table.
Statute of limitations by state: four deadlines for every state
The four claims people ask about most, for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Each period links to the section of the state's code it comes from. A state with its own guide on this site is linked by name, and that guide carries every other deadline the state sets.
| State | Personal injury | Wrongful death | Medical malpractice | Property damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2 yearsAla. Code § 6-2-38(l) | 2 years from the deathAla. Code § 6-5-410(d); § 6-2-38(a)Runs from the date of death, not the injury. | 2 years, 4 at the outsideAla. Code § 6-5-482(a)Six months from discovery if undiscoverable; never more than four years after the act. | 2 years (negligence); 6 years for direct trespassAla. Code § 6-2-38(l); § 6-2-34(2)§ 6-2-34(2) gives six years for 'any trespass to real or personal property'. |
| Alaska | 2 yearsAS 09.10.070(a)(2) | 2 years from the deathAS 09.55.580(a) | 2 years, 10 at the outsideAS 09.10.070(a)(2); AS 09.10.055(a)No separate malpractice period; courts apply discovery rule. 10-year repose under 09.10.055, foreign bodies tolled. | 2 yearsAS 09.10.070(a)(3)Same two-year clock as the injury claim. |
| Arizona | 2 yearsA.R.S. § 12-542(1) | 2 years from the deathA.R.S. § 12-542(2)Accrues at the date of death. | 2 yearsA.R.S. § 12-542(1)Accrues on discovery under case law; no statutory repose period. | 2 yearsA.R.S. § 12-542(3) |
| Arkansas | 3 yearsArk. Code Ann. § 16-56-105Courts apply § 16-56-105 to negligence claims for bodily injury. | 3 years from the deathArk. Code Ann. § 16-62-102(c)(1)Longer if defendant convicted of capital, first or second degree murder. | 2 years from the actArk. Code Ann. § 16-114-203(a)Accrues at the wrongful act, no general discovery rule; foreign objects get one year from discovery. | 3 yearsArk. Code Ann. § 16-56-105(6) |
| California | 2 yearsCal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1 | 2 yearsCal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1Same section as personal injury; runs from the death. | 1 year from discovery, 3 at the outsideCal. Code Civ. Proc. § 340.5Whichever comes first; 3-year cap tolled only for fraud, concealment or a foreign body. | 3 yearsCal. Code Civ. Proc. § 338(c)(1) |
| Colorado | 2 years (3 for motor vehicle crashes)C.R.S. § 13-80-102(1)(a); § 13-80-101(1)(n)(I)Car-crash bodily injury claims get three years under § 13-80-101(1)(n)(I). | 2 yearsC.R.S. § 13-80-102(1)(d); § 13-21-204Four years against a vehicular-homicide driver who left the scene, § 13-80-102(2). | 2 years, 3 at the outsideC.R.S. § 13-80-102.5(1)Accrues on discovery; 3-year repose except concealment or a foreign object. | 2 years (3 for motor vehicle damage)C.R.S. § 13-80-102(1)(a); § 13-80-101(1)(n)(I)A damaged car from a crash: 3 years. Other negligent property damage: 2 years. |
| Connecticut | 2 years, 3 at the outsideConn. Gen. Stat. § 52-584Never more than three years from the act or omission. | 2 years from death, 5 at the outsideConn. Gen. Stat. § 52-555(a)No limit after a murder or manslaughter conviction, § 52-555(b). | 2 years, 3 at the outsideConn. Gen. Stat. § 52-584Two years from discovery, three-year repose; § 52-190a allows an automatic 90-day extension. | 2 years, 3 at the outsideConn. Gen. Stat. § 52-584Negligent damage; intentional torts fall under § 52-577's three years. |
| Delaware | 2 years10 Del. C. § 8119 | 2 years10 Del. C. § 8107 | 2 years, 3 if undiscoverable18 Del. C. § 6856Three years if the injury could not reasonably be discovered within two; covers death too. | 2 years10 Del. C. § 8107Trespass and indirect injury claims run three years under § 8106. |
| District of Columbia | 3 yearsD.C. Code § 12-301(a)(8)Negligence falls under the residual clause; assault and battery claims get 1 year. | 2 years from the deathD.C. Code § 16-2702Raised from one year to two in 2012 (D.C. Law 19-177). | 3 yearsD.C. Code § 12-301(a)(8)Discovery rule by case law; 90-day notice of intent required (§ 16-2802), can extend deadline. | 3 yearsD.C. Code § 12-301(a)(3) |
| Florida | 2 years§ 95.11(5)(a) | 2 years§ 95.11(5)(e) | 2 years, 4 at the outside§ 95.11(5)(c) | 4 years§ 95.11(3)(g) |
| Georgia | 2 yearsO.C.G.A. § 9-3-33Loss of consortium claims get four years. | 2 years from the deathO.C.G.A. § 9-3-33Georgia courts apply § 9-3-33 to wrongful death, accruing at death. | 2 years, 5 at the outsideO.C.G.A. § 9-3-71Five-year repose under § 9-3-71(b); foreign objects get one year from discovery (§ 9-3-72). | 4 yearsO.C.G.A. § 9-3-31 |
| Hawaii | 2 yearsHaw. Rev. Stat. § 657-7 | 2 years from the deathHaw. Rev. Stat. § 663-3 | 2 years from discovery, 6 at the outsideHaw. Rev. Stat. § 657-7.3Six-year repose from the act, tolled while the provider conceals a known error. | 2 yearsHaw. Rev. Stat. § 657-7Same section as personal injury. |
| Idaho | 2 yearsIdaho Code § 5-219(4)Accrues at the occurrence; continuing consequences do not extend it. | 2 yearsIdaho Code § 5-219(4)Cause of action itself is created by Idaho Code § 5-311. | 2 yearsIdaho Code § 5-219(4)Runs from the act; discovery only for foreign objects or fraudulent concealment (1 year from discovery). | 3 yearsIdaho Code § 5-218(3) |
| Illinois | 2 years735 ILCS 5/13-202 | 2 years from death740 ILCS 180/2(d)Longer periods for deaths from certain crimes (subsection (e) and escrow-account rule). | 2 years from discovery, 4 at the outside735 ILCS 5/13-212(a)Discovery rule; 4-year repose from the act. Minors: 8 years, never after age 22. | 5 years735 ILCS 5/13-205 |
| Indiana | 2 yearsIC 34-11-2-4 | 2 yearsIC 34-23-1-1 | 2 years from the actIC 34-18-7-1 | 2 yearsIC 34-11-2-4 |
| Iowa | 2 yearsIowa Code § 614.1(2) | 2 yearsIowa Code § 614.1(2)No separate death statute of limitations; Iowa courts apply § 614.1(2) to death claims. | 2 years from discovery, 6 at the outsideIowa Code § 614.1(9)(a)Discovery rule; 6-year repose unless a foreign object was left in the body. | 5 yearsIowa Code § 614.1(4) |
| Kansas | 2 yearsK.S.A. 60-513(a)(4)Runs from substantial injury; 10-year outside limit under (b). | 2 yearsK.S.A. 60-513(a)(5) | 2 years, 4 at the outsideK.S.A. 60-513(a)(7), (c)Runs from the act unless injury not reasonably ascertainable; 4-year repose. | 2 yearsK.S.A. 60-513(a)(2) |
| Kentucky | 1 year (2 years for motor vehicle accidents)KRS 413.140(1)(a)Car crashes: 2 years after injury or last no-fault payment, KRS 304.39-230(6). | 1 year from the personal representative's appointmentKRS 413.180(1); KRS 413.140(1)(a)Representative deemed qualified no later than one year after death; car-crash deaths get 2 years. | 1 year from discovery, 5 at the outsideKRS 413.140(1)(e), (2)Accrues on discovery; must be filed within 5 years of the act. | 2 yearsKRS 413.125 |
| Louisiana | 2 yearsLa. Civ. Code art. 3493.1Act 423 (2024): was 1 year (art. 3492, repealed); 2 years for injuries on or after July 1, 2024. | 1 year from death or 2 years from injury, whichever is longerLa. Civ. Code art. 2315.2(B)Amended 2025 (Act 176, HB 291); was 1 year from death. Malpractice deaths: 1 year from death. | 1 year, 3 at the outsideLa. R.S. 9:5628(A)1 year from act or discovery; absolute 3 years from the act, including minors. | 2 yearsLa. Civ. Code art. 3493.1Same Act 423 (2024) change; damage before July 1, 2024 kept the old 1-year rule. |
| Maine | 6 years14 M.R.S. § 752 | 3 years from death18-C M.R.S. § 2-807(2)Raised from 2 years by PL 2023, c. 390; homicide: 6 years from discovery. | 3 years24 M.R.S. § 2902Accrues on the act, not discovery; foreign objects run from discovery. | 6 years14 M.R.S. § 752 |
| Maryland | 3 yearsCJ § 5-101 | 3 yearsCJ § 3-904(g)(1) | 5 years, or 3 from discoveryCJ § 5-109(a) | 3 yearsCJ § 5-101 |
| Massachusetts | 3 yearsM.G.L. c. 260, § 2A | 3 yearsM.G.L. c. 229, § 2 | 3 years, 7 at the outsideM.G.L. c. 260, § 4 | 3 yearsM.G.L. c. 260, § 2A |
| Michigan | 3 yearsMCL 600.5805(2) | 3 years (plus 2 years after letters of authority, capped)MCL 600.5805(2); MCL 600.5852Saving rule: 2 years after letters issue, never more than 3 years past the limit. | 2 years, or 6 months from discovery; 6 at the outsideMCL 600.5805(8); MCL 600.5838a(2)Or 6 months after discovery if later; 6-year repose from the act. | 3 yearsMCL 600.5805(2) |
| Minnesota | 6 yearsMinn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1(5)Intentional torts like assault and battery: 2 years under § 541.07. Product strict liability: 4 years. | 3 years from death, 6 at the outsideMinn. Stat. § 573.02, subd. 1Murder: no limit. Malpractice deaths: 3 years from death, within § 541.076. | 4 yearsMinn. Stat. § 541.076(b)Accrual generally at end of treatment; no statutory discovery rule. | 6 yearsMinn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1(4) |
| Mississippi | 3 yearsMiss. Code Ann. § 15-1-49(1)Latent injuries accrue on discovery; intentional torts 1 year (§ 15-1-35). | 3 yearsMiss. Code Ann. § 15-1-49(1)Wrongful death statute (§ 11-7-13) sets no period; the underlying claim's period applies. | 2 years from discovery, 7 at the outsideMiss. Code Ann. § 15-1-36(2)Discovery rule; 7-year repose except foreign objects and fraudulent concealment. | 3 yearsMiss. Code Ann. § 15-1-49(1) |
| Missouri | 5 yearsRSMo § 516.120(4) | 3 yearsRSMo § 537.100Tolled while a defendant is absent from the state. | 2 years, 10 at the outsideRSMo § 516.105.1Runs from the act; discovery only for foreign objects and test results. 10-year repose. | 5 yearsRSMo § 516.120(4) |
| Montana | 3 yearsMCA 27-2-204(1)General tort liability. A version effective Oct. 1, 2026 adds a cross-reference to 27-2-219. | 3 yearsMCA 27-2-204(2)10 years if the death resulted from a homicide. | 2 years, 5 at the outsideMCA 27-2-205(1)Or 2 years from discovery; never more than 5 years from injury. Amended 2025 (Ch. 560, 709). | 2 yearsMCA 27-2-207(1) |
| Nebraska | 4 yearsNeb. Rev. Stat. § 25-207(3)Negligence causing bodily injury falls under this catch-all. | 2 years from deathNeb. Rev. Stat. § 30-810 | 2 years, 10 at the outsideNeb. Rev. Stat. § 44-2828If undiscoverable, 1 year from discovery; 10-year repose. Same rule in § 25-222. | 4 yearsNeb. Rev. Stat. § 25-207(2) |
| Nevada | 2 yearsNRS 11.190(4)(e)Listed under "Within 2 years"; subject to NRS 11.215 and 11.217. | 2 yearsNRS 11.190(4)(e)Same paragraph as personal injury. | 2 years from discovery, 3 at the outsideNRS 41A.097(3)For injuries on or after Oct. 1, 2023; discovery period was 1 year for 2002-2023 injuries. | 3 yearsNRS 11.190(3)(c) |
| New Hampshire | 3 yearsRSA 508:4, IDiscovery rule: 3 years from when injury and cause were or should have been discovered. | 3 yearsRSA 508:4, I; RSA 556:11556:11's 6-year window is subject to RSA 508's 3-year personal-action limit. | 3 yearsRSA 508:4, IGeneral personal-action rule with its discovery clause; no separate repose in RSA 507-E. | 3 yearsRSA 508:4, I |
| New Jersey | 2 yearsN.J.S.A. 2A:14-2(a) | 2 years from deathN.J.S.A. 2A:31-3No limit if death resulted from murder or manslaughter with a conviction. | 2 yearsN.J.S.A. 2A:14-2(a)Same as personal injury; court-made discovery rule; birth injuries by the 13th birthday. | 6 yearsN.J.S.A. 2A:14-1(a) |
| New Mexico | 3 yearsNMSA 1978, § 37-1-8 | 3 years from deathNMSA 1978, § 41-2-2Malpractice-caused deaths follow § 41-5-13 instead. | 3 years from the actNMSA 1978, § 41-5-13Occurrence-based, no discovery rule; minors get one year past majority (2021 amendment). | 4 yearsNMSA 1978, § 37-1-4 |
| New York | 3 yearsCPLR § 214(5) | 2 yearsEPTL § 5-4.1 | 2 years and 6 monthsCPLR § 214-a | 3 yearsCPLR § 214(4) |
| North Carolina | 3 yearsG.S. 1-52(16); G.S. 1-52(5)Accrues when harm becomes apparent; 10-year repose from last act. | 2 years from deathG.S. 1-53(4)Listed under "Within two years"; accrues at death. Barred if decedent's own claim was barred. | 3 years, 4 at the outsideG.S. 1-15(c); G.S. 1-52(5)Accrues at last act; 1 year from late discovery; 4-year repose, 10 for foreign objects. | 3 yearsG.S. 1-52(4) |
| North Dakota | 6 yearsN.D.C.C. § 28-01-16(5)Six-year catch-all for injury to the person; assault and battery are 2 years under 28-01-18(1). | 2 years from deathN.D.C.C. § 28-01-18(4)Accrues at death; if death from malpractice, at discovery, capped at six years. | 2 years, 6 at the outsideN.D.C.C. § 28-01-18(3)Discovery rule applies, but not beyond six years from the act unless fraud prevented discovery. | 6 yearsN.D.C.C. § 28-01-16(4) |
| Ohio | 2 yearsR.C. 2305.10(A) | 2 years from deathR.C. 2125.02(F)(1)Now division (F)(1) after H.B. 279 (eff. April 4, 2023); formerly (D)(1). | 1 year, 4 at the outsideR.C. 2305.113(A)180-day extension by notice letter; 4-year repose, limited discovery and foreign-object exceptions. | 2 yearsR.C. 2305.10(A) |
| Oklahoma | 2 years12 O.S. § 95(A)(3)Assault and battery are 1 year under § 95(A)(4). | 2 years12 O.S. § 1053(A) | 2 years from discovery76 O.S. § 18Discovery rule built in; minority or incompetency extends the period. No statutory repose. | 2 years12 O.S. § 95(A)(3) |
| Oregon | 2 yearsORS 12.110(1) | 3 yearsORS 30.020(1) | 2 years, 5 at the outsideORS 12.110(4) | 6 yearsORS 12.080(4) |
| Pennsylvania | 2 years42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(2)Listed under actions that "must be commenced within two years". | 2 years42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(2)Same paragraph as personal injury; runs from death. | 2 years42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(2)Courts apply a discovery rule to malpractice claims. | 2 years42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(3) |
| Rhode Island | 3 yearsR.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-14(b) | 3 years from deathR.I. Gen. Laws § 10-7-2(c)If the wrongful act is unknown at death, three years from discovery. | 3 yearsR.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-14.1Three years from discovery if not discoverable; no repose. Minors until age 21. | 10 yearsR.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-13(a)No specific personal-property period, so the ten-year catch-all applies. |
| South Carolina | 3 yearsS.C. Code Ann. § 15-3-530(5)Runs from when the person knew or should have known (§ 15-3-535). | 3 years from deathS.C. Code Ann. § 15-3-530(6) | 3 years, 6 at the outsideS.C. Code Ann. § 15-3-545(A)Three years from treatment or discovery; six-year repose. Foreign objects: two years from discovery. | 3 yearsS.C. Code Ann. § 15-3-530(4) |
| South Dakota | 3 yearsSDCL § 15-2-14(3) | 3 years from deathSDCL § 21-5-3 | 2 yearsSDCL § 15-2-14.1Runs from the act, not discovery; no general discovery rule in the text. | 6 yearsSDCL § 15-2-13(4) |
| Tennessee | 1 year (2 if criminal charges)Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104(a)(1)(A)Two years under (a)(2) if criminal charges are brought against the person who caused it. | 1 yearTenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104(a)(1)(A)Death claim continues the decedent's injury claim, so the one-year personal injury period governs. | 1 year, 3 at the outsideTenn. Code Ann. § 29-26-116(a)One year from discovery; three-year repose except fraudulent concealment. | 3 yearsTenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-105(1) |
| Texas | 2 years§ 16.003(a) | 2 years§ 16.003(b) | 2 years, 10 at the outside§ 74.251 | 2 years§ 16.003(a) |
| Utah | 4 yearsUtah Code § 78B-2-307(4)Negligence injury falls under the four-year catch-all; no section names personal injury. | 2 yearsUtah Code § 78B-2-304(2) | 2 years from discovery, 4 at the outsideUtah Code § 78B-3-404(1)Never more than four years after the act; one year for foreign objects or concealment. | 3 years (4 for a car crash)Utah Code § 78B-2-305(1)(a)(ii), (1)(c)(ii); § 78B-2-307(3)Motor-vehicle property damage: four years (2023 amendment). § 305 re-enacted by 2026 H.B. 260. |
| Vermont | 3 years12 V.S.A. § 512(4)Runs from discovery of the injury. | 2 years from discovery of death14 V.S.A. § 1492(a)Seven years where probable cause for homicide is found. | 3 years, 7 at the outside12 V.S.A. § 521Seven-year repose from incident; no limit with fraudulent concealment. | 3 years12 V.S.A. § 512(5) |
| Virginia | 2 yearsVa. Code § 8.01-243(A)Runs from the date of injury (§ 8.01-230). | 2 years from deathVa. Code § 8.01-244(B)Section last amended 2025, c. 37. | 2 years, 10 at the outsideVa. Code § 8.01-243(A), (C)One-year extensions for foreign objects, concealment, missed cancer; never beyond 10 years from accrual. | 5 yearsVa. Code § 8.01-243(B) |
| Washington | 3 yearsRCW 4.16.080(2) | 3 years from deathRCW 4.16.080(2); RCW 4.20.010Wrongful death chapter sets no own deadline; courts apply the three-year catch-all. | 3 years, or 1 from discoveryRCW 4.16.350Whichever is later. Text's eight-year repose was held unconstitutional (DeYoung, 1998). | 3 yearsRCW 4.16.080(2) |
| West Virginia | 2 yearsW. Va. Code § 55-2-12(b) | 2 years from deathW. Va. Code § 55-7-6(d) | 2 years, 10 at the outsideW. Va. Code § 55-7B-4(a)Whichever is later; 10-year repose. Nursing homes: one year (2022 amendment). | 2 yearsW. Va. Code § 55-2-12(a) |
| Wisconsin | 3 yearsWis. Stat. § 893.54(1m)(a) | 3 years (2 if from a motor vehicle crash)Wis. Stat. § 893.54(1m)(b), (2m)Motor-vehicle wrongful death: 2 years after accrual (2015 Act 133). | 3 years, 5 at the outsideWis. Stat. § 893.55(1m)Discovery route capped at 5 years from the act or omission. | 6 years (3 if from a motor vehicle crash)Wis. Stat. § 893.52(1), (2)Car-crash property damage: 3 years under sub. (2), added by 2015 Act 133. |
| Wyoming | 4 yearsWyo. Stat. § 1-3-105(a)(iv)(C)Assault or battery is one year under (a)(v). | 2 years from deathWyo. Stat. § 1-38-102(d) | 2 yearsWyo. Stat. § 1-3-107(a)(i)Or two years from discovery if not reasonably discoverable; six-month extension if found in year two. | 4 yearsWyo. Stat. § 1-3-105(a)(iv)(B) |
The code of each state, read on October 14, 2026. Where a row was read from a copy of the code rather than the legislature's own site, the method section names it. Personal injury is the general negligence period; property damage is damage to personal property such as a car.
How the states compare: 2 years is the common answer
For an injury claim, 25 of the 51 jurisdictions settle on 2 years. Most of the rest are within a year of it. The outliers sit at both ends: Kentucky and Tennessee at 1 year, and Maine, Minnesota and North Dakota at 6 years.
Jurisdictions by personal injury deadline, of 51
The other columns are where people get caught. Medical malpractice has less time than an ordinary injury claim in 16 jurisdictions, including Arkansas, California, Louisiana and Maine. Wrongful death runs on a different period from the injury in 12, and the clock for it usually starts at the death rather than at the accident. Property damage gets longer than personal injury in 16, so the claim for a car can outlive the claim for the person who was driving it.
When the clock starts: the accident, or the discovery
Most periods run from the day the claim accrues, and for an ordinary injury that is the day of the accident. A sore back that turns out a month later to be a herniated disc does not usually get a new start date: the injury happened in the crash, so the clock did too.
The exception is the discovery rule. For injuries a person could not reasonably have known about, many states start the clock when the injury was discovered, or should have been. It shows up most in medical malpractice, toxic exposure and hidden defects. Some states write it into the statute; in others the courts made it, and in some it barely exists. Texas, for one, allows it only where the injury was inherently undiscoverable and the evidence is objectively verifiable.
Where a state does use discovery, it usually adds a cap so the claim cannot stay open forever. That is why so many malpractice cells in the table read as two numbers.
When the clock stops: tolling
A period can be paused, which lawyers call tolling. Every state has its own list, and the common entries are these:
- The claimant is a minor. Most states wait until the 18th birthday to start the clock. Several cap it for medical malpractice, so a young child's claim can end long before adulthood.
- The claimant is legally incapacitated. A person who cannot manage their own affairs usually gets the clock paused until that ends, often with an outer limit.
- The defendant is out of reach. In many states, time does not run while the defendant is out of the state or hiding.
- The claim was concealed. Fraud that hid the claim generally starts the clock only when it is uncovered.
Each of these is narrow and has to be proved by the person relying on it. Negotiating with an insurer is not on the list anywhere, and neither is not knowing the deadline existed. The state guides below give each state's tolling rules with the statute.
The outer limit: statutes of repose
A statute of repose is a hard stop counted from an event, such as the surgery or the day a building was finished, whatever anyone discovered later. A discovery rule can delay the start of a limitations period, but it cannot reach past the repose date. In the states with their own guides here, the injury claims with an outer limit include:
- Medical malpractice in Florida: 2 years, 4 at the outside, under § 95.11(5)(c).
- Product liability in Indiana: 2 years, 10 at the outside, under IC 34-20-3-1.
- Injury from a defective building or structure in Maryland: 3 years, 20 at the outside, under CJ § 5-108.
- Medical malpractice in Massachusetts: 3 years, 7 at the outside, under M.G.L. c. 260, § 4.
- Injury from a defective building or structure in Massachusetts: 3 years, 6 at the outside, under M.G.L. c. 260, § 2B.
- Medical malpractice in Oregon: 2 years, 5 at the outside, under ORS 12.110(4).
Against the government, a notice comes due first
Suing a city, a county or a state agency runs on a separate statute, and in most states it starts with a written notice of claim that is due long before the lawsuit. A crash with a city bus, a fall on a public sidewalk or a pothole all put a claim on this clock. Missing the notice can end the claim even when the ordinary deadline is years away. In the states with their own guides:
- Florida: negligence claim against the state, a county or a city, 4 years to sue, 3 to give notice, under § 768.28(6), (14).
- Indiana: notice to a city, county or school, 180 days to give notice, under IC 34-13-3-8.
- Maryland: notice of a claim against a local government, 1 year to give notice, under CJ § 5-304(b).
- Massachusetts: written claim to a public employer, 2 years, under M.G.L. c. 258, § 4.
- New York: injury claim against a city, county or public authority, 90 days for notice, 1 year and 90 days to sue, under Gen. Mun. Law §§ 50-e, 50-i.
- Oregon: notice of a claim against a public body, 180 days to give notice, under ORS 30.275(2)(b).
- Texas: notice of a claim against a governmental unit, 6 months to give notice, under § 101.101(a).
State guides, and what firms there have written
Each state below has a full guide on this site with every deadline the state sets, its tolling rules and its notice requirements, or a page from a firm in that state that we read and checked against the statute. The highest-scoring verified injury firm in each is computed from this directory, not chosen, and the method is published.
Florida statute of limitations
Personal injury: 2 years. Highest-scoring verified injury firm: Blakeley Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers, P.A. in Miami, at 80.
- How Will Florida’s New 2 Year Deadline Affect Your Injury Case?, from Lopez & Humphries, P.A. in Lakeland. A Lakeland injury firm on what the shorter window means in practice for car accident, slip and fall and premises cases, which is where most of the change lands.
Indiana statute of limitations
Personal injury: 2 years. Highest-scoring verified injury firm: Custy Law Firm in Northwest Indiana, at 76.
- Car Accidents, from Sarkisian Sarkisian & Associates P.C. in Northwest Indiana. A Northwest Indiana injury firm answers how long a crash victim has, and gets the three numbers that matter right: two years for the injury claim, 180 days for a claim against a city, county or other municipality, and two years from the 18th birthday for a minor.
Maryland statute of limitations
Personal injury: 3 years. Highest-scoring verified injury firm: WGK Personal Injury Lawyers in Baltimore, at 75.
- What is "Statute of Limitations"?, from Malloy Law Offices, LLC in Baltimore. A Baltimore injury firm quotes the three-year rule in § 5-101 word for word, sets it beside Virginia and D.C. for anyone hurt across a state line in the region, and flags the separate 60-day filing for a workers' compensation claim.
Massachusetts statute of limitations
Personal injury: 3 years. Highest-scoring verified injury firm: Jason Stone Injury Lawyers in Boston, at 73.
- Statute of Limitations for a Car Accident in Massachusetts, from Brooks Law Firm in Boston. A Boston injury firm walks a crash claim through the same sections cited here: three years under § 2A, the two-year presentment to a public employer, the 30-day notice for a defective road, and the pauses for a minor, a defendant living out of state and fraud. It adds the five-day crash report the RMV requires, which is not a limitations period but trips people up just as often.
New York statute of limitations
Personal injury: 3 years. Highest-scoring verified injury firm: Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe in New York, at 87.
- How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in New York City?, from Greenstein & Pittari, LLP in New York. A New York City injury firm on the three-year rule, the notice of claim against city agencies, and the malpractice and wrongful death periods, in the order a client usually meets them.
- Wrongful Death Claims Against New York City: Notice of Claim Deadlines, from Greenstein & Pittari, LLP in New York. The same firm on the narrowest corner of this table, where a death claim against the City runs on both the notice of claim and the two-year wrongful death rule.
Oregon statute of limitations
Personal injury: 2 years. Highest-scoring verified injury firm: Johnson Law, P.C. in Portland, at 70.
- Oregon Personal Injury Statute of Limitations, from Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC in Portland. A Portland trial firm on how the two-year rule meets real cases, with the malpractice and product repose limits, the Tort Claims Act notice, and why insurers watch the calendar as closely as the lawyers do.
Texas statute of limitations
Personal injury: 2 years. Highest-scoring verified injury firm: Sutliff & Stout in Houston, at 76.
- The Statute of Limitations in Texas Personal Injury Cases, from Fielding Law in Dallas. A Dallas injury firm on how the two-year rule meets real claims, including the notice requirements for government defendants and the limits of the discovery rule.
Questions people ask about the statute of limitations
What is a statute of limitations?
It is a law that sets how long someone has to file a lawsuit after a claim arises. Once the period runs out, the person being sued can ask the court to dismiss the case, and the court almost always has to, however strong the claim is. Each state sets its own periods, and they differ by type of claim.
Which state has the shortest statute of limitations for personal injury?
Kentucky and Tennessee, at 1 year from the injury. 27 of the 51 jurisdictions in the table allow 2 years or less.
Which state has the longest?
Maine, Minnesota and North Dakota, at 6 years for a personal injury claim. A long general period does not stretch the others: medical malpractice and claims against the government usually run on their own, shorter clocks in those states too.
Does the statute of limitations start on the day of the accident?
Usually, yes. Many states apply a discovery rule to some claims, most often medical malpractice and injuries that could not have been noticed, so the clock starts when the injury was found or should have been. For an ordinary crash or fall, courts treat the injury as known the day it happened.
Can the statute of limitations be extended?
Only in the ways the statute itself allows, which lawyers call tolling. The common ones are a claimant who is a minor or legally incapacitated, a defendant who leaves the state or hides, and fraud that concealed the claim. An insurance company that is still negotiating does not stop the clock.
Is this the same as the criminal statute of limitations?
No. This page covers civil lawsuits, the claims a person brings for compensation. Criminal limitation periods decide how long the state has to charge someone with a crime, are set by separate statutes, and for the most serious crimes there is often no limit at all.
Where this comes from
Every period in the table was read on October 14, 2026 from the code of the state it belongs to, on the legislature's own site wherever it could be read. Where a legislature's server refused the connection, an archived copy of the same official page from 2025 or 2026 was read instead. Each cell links to the section it comes from. The rows for Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon and Texas are read from the research behind those states' own guides, so a correction there changes this table too. Nothing here is drawn from a secondary summary.
For 14 states the text was read from a verbatim copy of the code instead, either because the state publishes its code only through a commercial host or because its site turned the reader away that day: Arkansas (codes.findlaw.com), Colorado (colorado.public.law), Georgia (codes.findlaw.com), Hawaii (codes.findlaw.com), Idaho (codes.findlaw.com), Illinois (codes.findlaw.com), Kentucky (codes.findlaw.com), Louisiana (codes.findlaw.com), Michigan (codes.findlaw.com), Mississippi (codes.findlaw.com), New Jersey (law.justia.com), New Mexico (law.justia.com), Pennsylvania (law.justia.com) and Tennessee (LexisNexis search excerpts). Those rows are the first we recheck against the official text.
Four claims are a small part of what each state sets. Professional malpractice, defamation, contracts, product claims and claims by children all run on their own periods, and the state guides list them. Firm counts and scores are computed from this directory each time the page is built.
This is not legal advice and no lawyer-client relationship comes from reading it. Whether a particular claim is still inside its deadline depends on facts this page cannot see.