Statute of limitations in Maryland

In Maryland, a statute of limitations sets the outer time limit for filing a civil lawsuit. The headline number is easy to state: most personal injury claims carry a deadline of 3 years under Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101. Miss that window, and a court can dismiss the case no matter how strong the underlying facts might be.

The simple version stops being simple once you look underneath it. The three-year clock does not always begin on the day an injury happens, and several situations can pause it or shift its starting point. Different kinds of claims run on different schedules, so the figure that fits a car crash may not fit a contract dispute or a property claim.

This guide walks through how Maryland measures these deadlines, the exceptions that come up most often, and the claim type listed on this page. It is general legal information, not advice about any particular matter. Because the details turn on facts, confirming your own deadline with a licensed Maryland attorney is a sound step.

A limitations period runs from the moment a claim accrues. In many Maryland cases, accrual lines up with the date the harm occurred, which is why the clock for a straightforward injury usually starts on the day it happened. From that point, the calendar simply runs forward until the deadline arrives.

Not every injury announces itself right away. Maryland recognizes a discovery approach for situations where a person did not know, and reasonably could not have known, that they were harmed or that someone else caused it. In those cases, courts look at when the claimant knew or should have known the key facts, rather than fixing the start date to the underlying event alone. The point is to avoid barring a claim before the injured person had a fair chance to recognize it.

How this plays out depends heavily on the specific facts and the type of claim. Whether the standard start date or a discovery date applies is often the hinge on which a case turns. When timing is uncertain, treating the earliest plausible date as your deadline is the cautious reading, and it is worth pinning down which date governs before you rely on it.

Tolling rules can pause the clock or delay its start. Maryland law provides protections for people who are under a legal disability when a claim accrues. For a minor, the running of the period is generally affected until the disability is removed, so the deadline is not measured the same way it would be for an adult. Similar principles can apply to a person found to be mentally incompetent.

A defendant's conduct can matter too. When someone leaves the state or conceals themselves, or when a wrong has been fraudulently kept hidden, Maryland has doctrines that can affect how the period is counted. These rules are narrow and fact-specific, and they do not apply automatically.

Claims against government bodies deserve special care. Suits against the state, counties, or local agencies often involve separate notice requirements and procedures that run on their own timetables, and these can be much shorter than an ordinary filing deadline. Because those requirements are not listed in the table on this page, do not assume the general period applies. Check the applicable Maryland code provisions before relying on any date.

This page currently lists one claim type. Personal injury claims in Maryland carry a limitations period of 3 years, set by Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101. That section functions as Maryland's general civil limitations rule, the default that applies to many ordinary tort actions unless a more specific statute says otherwise.

Personal injury covers harm to a person rather than purely to property or contract rights. Common examples include injuries from car and truck collisions, falls on someone else's property, and other incidents where one party's conduct causes bodily harm. The same three-year figure often reaches related civil wrongs that fall under the general rule, though the exact starting point still depends on when the claim accrued.

Other claim types are not shown here, and they do not all share this deadline. Contract disputes, professional malpractice, defamation, and claims involving property can run on different schedules, and some are governed by their own code sections. Because those periods differ, do not read the three-year figure as a universal answer. For any claim type not listed above, consult the official Maryland code to confirm the period that applies.

Time is easier to protect early. Keeping thorough records is a practical first step: medical documents, bills, photographs, correspondence, and the names of anyone involved tend to become harder to gather as months pass. Organized paperwork also makes it simpler for someone reviewing the matter to see what happened and when.

Confirming the applicable period comes next. The table on this page gives the general figure for a personal injury claim, but your own deadline can turn on the accrual date, on any tolling that applies, and on whether a government body is involved. Reading the governing statute in full, rather than a summary, helps you see how the rule is written.

Speaking with a licensed Maryland attorney is worthwhile well before the deadline nears. An attorney can assess when your claim likely accrued, whether an exception changes the math, and what notice steps a particular defendant may require. Waiting until the final weeks narrows your options, since some steps take time to complete. Acting while the deadline is still comfortably ahead keeps those choices open.