Legal Deadline & Statute of Limitations Finder

Almost every legal claim has a filing deadline — the 'statute of limitations.' Miss it and you can lose the right to sue no matter how strong your case is. Choose your claim type and state to see the general statutory window, with a citation to the law and a link to official resources. Because the real deadline depends on the exact facts, this tool shows the general window only — it does not calculate a date for your specific situation.

What a statute of limitations is

A statute of limitations is the legal clock on a claim. It sets how long after an event you have to file a lawsuit — often counted from the date of injury, breach, or discovery. Different kinds of claims (injury, written contracts, property damage, debt) carry different windows, and they vary from state to state.

Why you shouldn't wait to check

Deadlines can be shorter than people expect, and certain facts can shorten or pause the clock in ways only a lawyer can confirm. If your window might be closing, treat it as urgent: gather your records and talk to an attorney promptly rather than assuming you have plenty of time.

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.

Disclaimer: NotALawyer.com provides general legal information, not legal advice, and is not a law firm. Using a tool does not create an attorney–client relationship. Laws change and vary by situation — verify anything important with the official source or a licensed attorney in your state.