How long do I have to file a personal injury claim?

Written by NotALawyer Legal AI · Reviewed by External Legal AI · Published April 27, 2026 · Last reviewed June 26, 2026

Every personal injury claim has a filing deadline called the statute of limitations. Miss it and the claim is dead, even if it's airtight. The exact deadline depends on your state, the type of claim, and a few exceptions that can shorten or extend it.

Most states: 2 to 3 years

Most personal injury claims must be filed within 2 to 3 years of the injury. A few states run shorter or longer, so the real deadline depends on where the claim arises. Check the figure for your state below.

The clock usually starts at the injury

The deadline normally runs from the date you were hurt. Wrongful death claims often run from the date of death instead. Pinning down the start date matters as much as knowing the length of the window.

Claims against the government are shorter

If a city, county, or state agency is involved, you usually have to file a formal "notice of claim" first, often within months of the injury and far sooner than the regular deadline. Miss that notice and an otherwise valid claim can be barred.

Some injuries have their own clock

Medical malpractice, product liability, and similar claims can carry their own deadlines or caps that differ from the general rule. When the rules overlap, the earliest possible deadline is the one that controls.

Exceptions that move the deadline

For minors, the clock is usually paused until age 18. Mental incapacity can pause it too. The "discovery rule" can extend the deadline for injuries that weren't obvious right away, like delayed-onset conditions.

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Sources & primary references

Filing deadlines (statutes of limitation) by stateCompare the filing deadline for five common claim types in all 50 states.

How long you have to file suit for five common claim types — personal injury, property damage, written and oral contracts, and debt — in every state, in years, each cited to the statute. A blank means we haven't sourced that period yet.

State	Injury	Property	Written	Oral	Debt	Source
Alabama	2 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	Ala. Code § 6-2-38(l), Ala. Code § 6-2-34(2), Ala. Code § 6-2-37(1)
Alaska	2 yrs	2 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	—	Alaska Stat. § 09.10.070, Alaska Stat. § 09.10.053
Arizona	2 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	A.R.S. §12-542, A.R.S. §12-548, A.R.S. §12-543
Arkansas	3 yrs	3 yrs	5 yrs	3 yrs	—	Ark. Code § 16-56-105(3), Ark. Code § 16-56-111(a)
California	2 yrs	3 yrs	4 yrs	2 yrs	4 yrs	Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §335.1, Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §338 (injury to property), Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §337, Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §339
Colorado	2 yrs	2 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-80-102(1)(a), Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-80-101(1)(a), Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-80-103.5(1)(a)
Connecticut	2 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	—	Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-584
Delaware	2 yrs	2 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	10 Del. C. § 8119, 10 Del. C. § 8107, 10 Del. C. § 8106
District of Columbia	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	—	D.C. Code § 12-301(a)(8)
Florida	2 yrs	4 yrs	5 yrs	4 yrs	5 yrs	Fla. Stat. §95.11(5)(a) (negligence)
Georgia	2 yrs	4 yrs	6 yrs	4 yrs	—	O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33, O.C.G.A. § 9-3-32, O.C.G.A. § 9-3-24, O.C.G.A. § 9-3-25
Hawaii	2 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	Haw. Rev. Stat. § 657-7, Haw. Rev. Stat. § 657-1(1)
Idaho	2 yrs	3 yrs	5 yrs	4 yrs	—	Idaho Code § 5-219, Idaho Code § 5-218, Idaho Code § 5-216, Idaho Code § 5-217
Illinois	2 yrs	5 yrs	10 yrs	5 yrs	—	735 ILCS 5/13-202, 735 ILCS 5/13-205, 735 ILCS 5/13-206
Indiana	2 yrs	2 yrs	10 yrs	6 yrs	—	Ind. Code § 34-11-2-4, Ind. Code § 34-11-2-11, Ind. Code § 34-11-2-7
Iowa	2 yrs	5 yrs	10 yrs	5 yrs	—	Iowa Code § 614.1(2)
Kansas	2 yrs	2 yrs	5 yrs	3 yrs	—	K.S.A. § 60-513(a)(4), K.S.A. § 60-511(1), K.S.A. § 60-512(1)
Kentucky	1 yr	5 yrs	10 yrs	5 yrs	—	Ky. Rev. Stat. § 413.140, Ky. Rev. Stat. § 413.120(4), Ky. Rev. Stat. § 413.160
Louisiana	2 yrs	2 yrs	10 yrs	10 yrs	3 yrs	La. Civ. Code art. 3493.1, La. Civ. Code art. 3499, La. Civ. Code art. 3494
Maine	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 752
Maryland	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	—	Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101
Massachusetts	3 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2A, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2
Michigan	3 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5805(2), Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5807(9)
Minnesota	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1(5)
Mississippi	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	Miss. Code Ann. § 15-1-49, Miss. Code Ann. § 15-1-29
Missouri	5 yrs	5 yrs	10 yrs	5 yrs	—	Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.120(4), Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.110(1)
Montana	3 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	5 yrs	—	Mont. Code Ann. § 27-2-204(1), Mont. Code Ann. § 27-2-207(1), Mont. Code Ann. § 27-2-202(1)
Nebraska	4 yrs	4 yrs	5 yrs	4 yrs	—	Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-207, Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-205, Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-206
Nevada	2 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	4 yrs	6 yrs	NRS 11.190(4)(e)
New Hampshire	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	—	N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4
New Jersey	2 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2, N.J.S.A. 2A:14-1
New Mexico	3 yrs	4 yrs	6 yrs	4 yrs	6 yrs	NMSA 1978, §37-1-8, NMSA 1978, §37-1-4, NMSA 1978, §37-1-3
New York	3 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	N.Y. C.P.L.R. §214(5), N.Y. C.P.L.R. §213(2), N.Y. C.P.L.R. §214-i
North Carolina	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	—	N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-52(16)
North Dakota	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	N.D. Cent. Code § 28-01-16(5)
Ohio	2 yrs	—	6 yrs	4 yrs	—	Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.10(A), Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.06, Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.07
Oklahoma	2 yrs	2 yrs	5 yrs	3 yrs	—	Okla. Stat. tit. 12, § 95(A)(3)
Oregon	2 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	Or. Rev. Stat. § 12.110(1), Or. Rev. Stat. § 12.080(3)
Pennsylvania	2 yrs	2 yrs	4 yrs	4 yrs	—	42 Pa.C.S. § 5524, 42 Pa.C.S. § 5525
Rhode Island	3 yrs	10 yrs	10 yrs	10 yrs	—	R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-14(b), R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-13(a)
South Carolina	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	—	S.C. Code Ann. § 15-3-530(5)
South Dakota	3 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	S.D. Codified Laws § 15-2-14(3), S.D. Codified Laws § 15-2-13(3), (4)
Tennessee	1 yr	3 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104(a)(1)(A), Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-105(1), Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-109(a)(3)
Texas	2 yrs	2 yrs	4 yrs	4 yrs	4 yrs	Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §16.003
Utah	4 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	4 yrs	4 yrs	Utah Code § 78B-2-307(4), Utah Code § 78B-2-305(1)(a), Utah Code § 78B-2-309(1)(b)
Vermont	3 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	12 V.S.A. § 512, 12 V.S.A. § 511
Virginia	2 yrs	5 yrs	5 yrs	3 yrs	—	Va. Code § 8.01-243(A), Va. Code § 8.01-246(2)
Washington	3 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	—	RCW 4.16.080(2), RCW 4.16.040(1)
West Virginia	2 yrs	2 yrs	10 yrs	5 yrs	—	W. Va. Code § 55-2-12, W. Va. Code § 55-2-6
Wisconsin	3 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	—	Wis. Stat. § 893.54(1m)(a), Wis. Stat. § 893.52(1), Wis. Stat. § 893.43(1)
Wyoming	4 yrs	4 yrs	10 yrs	8 yrs	—	Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 1-3-105(a)(iv)(C)

General statutory information, not legal advice. The clock's start date and exceptions depend on the facts. Open the cited statute and confirm the current deadline for your state before you rely on it.

NotALawyer.com provides general legal information, not legal advice.