Statutes of limitations by state

A statute of limitations is a law that sets the maximum time to start a lawsuit after an event. In a personal injury case, the clock usually begins when the injury happens or when it reasonably should have been discovered. If the deadline passes before a suit is filed, a court can dismiss the claim no matter how strong the underlying facts are.

This page collects the general personal injury deadline for all 50 states and the District of Columbia in one table. Each row shows the state, the number of years allowed, and the exact statute that sets the period. The figures describe ordinary negligence claims for bodily injury, which is what most people mean by a personal injury case.

Treat the table as general legal information rather than advice about any particular matter. Deadlines shift with amendments and turn on facts, so a licensed attorney in the state where the injury occurred can confirm how a period applies to a specific claim.

The deadline column gives the general period in years for a standard injury claim. The citation column points to the statute behind that number, so you can read the current text yourself. New York's three-year rule, for instance, sits at N.Y. C.P.L.R. § 214.

Each state name links to a dedicated state page. Those pages break the single figure into more claim types where the information is available, such as medical malpractice, wrongful death, and property damage, which often carry their own deadlines.

Some rows include a note. Notes flag recent amendments and narrow exceptions so the headline number stays accurate. Florida reduced its negligence period from four to two years for claims accruing on or after March 24, 2023 (Fla. Stat. § 95.11(4)(a)). Louisiana moved from a one-year to a two-year period for injuries on or after July 1, 2024 under art. 3493.1, while its base provision remains La. Civ. Code art. 3492.

State legislatures set their own filing periods, so the table ranges widely. The shortest general window is one year, used in Kentucky (Ky. Rev. Stat. § 413.140), Louisiana (La. Civ. Code art. 3492), and Tennessee (Tenn. Code § 28-3-104).

At the other end, several states allow far longer. Maine (Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14 § 752) and North Dakota (N.D. Cent. Code § 28-01-16) reach six years, Missouri (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.120) allows five, and four years applies in Nebraska (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-207), Utah (Utah Code § 78B-2-307), and Wyoming (Wyo. Stat. § 1-3-105).

Two years is the most common window. It applies in Alabama (Ala. Code § 6-2-38), Alaska (Alaska Stat. § 09.10.070), Arizona (Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-542), California (Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 335.1), Colorado (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-80-102), Connecticut (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-584), Delaware (Del. Code tit. 10 § 8119), Florida (Fla. Stat. § 95.11(4)(a)), Georgia (Ga. Code § 9-3-33), Hawaii (Haw. Rev. Stat. § 657-7), Idaho (Idaho Code § 5-219), Illinois (735 ILCS 5/13-202), Indiana (Ind. Code § 34-11-2-4), Iowa (Iowa Code § 614.1(2)), Kansas (Kan. Stat. § 60-513), Minnesota (Minn. Stat. § 541.07), Nevada (Nev. Rev. Stat. § 11.190(4)(e)), New Jersey (N.J. Stat. § 2A:14-2), Ohio (Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.10), Oklahoma (Okla. Stat. tit. 12 § 95), Oregon (Or. Rev. Stat. § 12.110), Pennsylvania (42 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5524), Texas (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003), Virginia (Va. Code § 8.01-243), and West Virginia (W. Va. Code § 55-2-12). Details still vary within that group. Colorado sets three years for motor-vehicle injury claims under § 13-80-101, and Minnesota routes some negligence claims to a six-year period at § 541.05.

A three-year window is nearly as common, covering Arkansas (Ark. Code § 16-56-105), the District of Columbia (D.C. Code § 12-301), Maryland (Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101), Massachusetts (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260 § 2A), Michigan (Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5805), Mississippi (Miss. Code § 15-1-49), Montana (Mont. Code § 27-2-204), New Hampshire (N.H. Rev. Stat. § 508:4), New Mexico (N.M. Stat. § 37-1-8), New York (N.Y. C.P.L.R. § 214), North Carolina (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-52), Rhode Island (R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-14), South Carolina (S.C. Code § 15-3-530), South Dakota (S.D. Codified Laws § 15-2-14), Vermont (Vt. Stat. tit. 12 § 512), Washington (Wash. Rev. Code § 4.16.080), and Wisconsin (Wis. Stat. § 893.54). Because the same injury can fall under different periods depending on the state, the linked state page is the place to confirm the figure that fits.

The number in the table is the general rule, not the whole story. Courts recognize situations that pause the clock, a concept called tolling, and situations that delay when the clock starts.

A few categories recur across states. When the injured person is a minor or is legally incapacitated, the period often does not run until that status ends. A discovery rule can move the start date to when the person reasonably learned of the injury and its cause, which matters when harm surfaces slowly. Claims against a city, county, or state agency usually follow separate procedures, including an early written notice and timing that differs from the general figure, and those government deadlines can be considerably shorter.

Whether an exception fits turns on the facts. The official statute and a licensed attorney in the relevant state are the reliable way to learn which rule governs a particular claim.

To confirm the current deadline, start with the official statute for the state and read the version in force now. Amendments do happen, as Florida and Louisiana show, and an older summary may be out of date. Match the exact claim type as well, since medical malpractice, wrongful death, or a contract dispute can run on a different schedule than a general injury claim.

A licensed attorney in the state where the claim arose can apply these details to your situation, account for any tolling, and identify the right filing window. This page offers general legal information, not advice for a specific case.

Deadlines are firm, so it helps to sort out the correct period well before it approaches rather than close to the end.