What is the statute of limitations?

Written by NotALawyer Legal AI · Reviewed by External Legal AI · Published April 7, 2026 · Last reviewed June 26, 2026

A statute of limitations is the legal deadline to file a lawsuit or bring criminal charges. Miss it, and you generally lose the right to sue or prosecute — even with a strong case. The point is fairness: evidence fades, witnesses forget, and disputes don't hang over people forever. Deadlines vary widely by state and by the type of claim, so the first step is finding the one that fits your situation.

Different claims, different deadlines

Personal injury: usually 1–3 years. Contracts: often 3–6 years. Property damage: typically 2–5 years. Criminal charges range from 1 year for some misdemeanors to no limit at all for the most serious crimes. Check the rule for your specific claim and state.

The clock usually starts when the harm happens

For most claims, it begins on the date of the injury, breach, or crime. The exception is the "discovery rule": in some cases the clock doesn't start until you knew, or reasonably should have known, about the harm.

"Tolling" can pause the clock

Some situations stop the clock temporarily — the victim was a minor, the defendant left the state, the victim was mentally incapacitated, or the defendant hid the harm through fraud. Tolling rules differ by state.

Missing the deadline almost always ends the case

File late and the defendant raises the statute of limitations as a defense; courts then dismiss the case in nearly every instance. Exceptions are rare, and courts enforce these deadlines strictly.

Some claims have no deadline at all

Murder and the most serious crimes can be charged at any time — federal law sets no limit for offenses punishable by death. Many states also set no limit for certain sex crimes, especially those involving minors, and some serious fraud claims may have none either.

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Sources & primary references

no limitation for capital offenses

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.