Statute of limitations in Tennessee

In Tennessee, a person injured by someone else's conduct generally has one year to start a personal injury lawsuit. That one-year window comes from Tenn. Code § 28-3-104, the statute that sets the filing period for actions for injuries to the person. When the year runs out, a court can dismiss the case no matter what happened, so the deadline often matters as much as the underlying facts.

A statute of limitations is the legal time limit for bringing a claim to court. It gives a claimant a defined period to file, and it gives the other side some certainty that old disputes will not surface without warning. The clock is unforgiving once it expires, which is why the calendar is one of the first things to understand.

The figure on this page covers personal injury only. Tennessee sets different periods for other kinds of claims, such as contract disputes, property damage, and professional malpractice, and those live elsewhere in the code. If you are unsure which period applies to your situation, a licensed Tennessee attorney can help you read the right statute against your facts.

A limitations period does not simply run from the moment a year is marked on a calendar. In most Tennessee cases it starts when the claim accrues, which usually means when the injury happens and the person knows or reasonably should know they have been harmed. For a straightforward accident, accrual and the event tend to line up on the same day.

Some injuries are not obvious right away. Tennessee courts apply a discovery approach to certain claims, so the clock may begin when a reasonable person would have discovered both the injury and its likely cause rather than on the date of the underlying act. This matters most when harm is hidden or develops slowly.

Because accrual can depend on what a claimant knew and when, the start date is sometimes disputed. The safer assumption is that the clock is already running from the date of the injury. Waiting to see whether a discovery argument applies can be a costly gamble, and only a lawyer reviewing the specific facts can tell you how the rule fits your matter.

Tennessee law pauses or extends the limitations clock in certain situations, a concept lawyers call tolling. These rules are narrow, and each one turns on specific facts, so they should be confirmed against the statute rather than assumed.

When the injured person is a minor, the law generally holds the clock until the child reaches the age of majority, so the filing period is measured from that later point rather than from the injury itself. A similar principle applies to a person under a legal disability, such as someone found unable to manage their own affairs, whose period may be suspended while the disability lasts.

A defendant's absence from the state can also affect the count. If the person you would sue leaves Tennessee or conceals themselves, the time they are gone may not count against you. Claims against government bodies follow their own track, often with early notice requirements and windows that differ from ordinary lawsuits. Because those government deadlines are strict and are not the figure shown on this page, check the governing statute or ask a licensed Tennessee attorney before relying on any of them.

This page lists one claim type, and the entry sets the general rule for personal injury in Tennessee.

Personal injury, one year, under Tenn. Code § 28-3-104. This category covers civil actions for injuries to the person, the harm a claimant suffers when someone else's negligence or wrongful act causes bodily injury. Common examples include car crashes, slip and fall incidents, and other accidents where one party's conduct injures another. The same one-year period has long applied to these claims, and it remains the current general rule under the statute.

Other claim types are not shown here because their deadlines differ. Written contracts, property damage, defamation, and malpractice each carry their own period set in a separate section of the Tennessee Code. This guide does not assign a number to them. To find the correct period for a claim that is not personal injury, read the official code or speak with a licensed Tennessee attorney who can point you to the right provision.

If you think you may have a claim, a few practical steps can protect your options while the clock runs. Start by preserving records. Keep medical bills, photographs, repair estimates, and correspondence, along with anything that documents what happened and when, since these details often bear on both the injury and the accrual date.

Next, confirm which period actually applies. The one-year figure on this page is for personal injury, and a different claim type may follow a different rule. Read the statute that fits your situation, and note the date you believe the injury occurred so you can work backward from any deadline rather than guessing.

Do not wait until the last week to get advice. Limitations questions can hinge on small facts about accrual, tolling, or the identity of the defendant, and those take time to sort out. A licensed Tennessee attorney can confirm the applicable period, tell you whether any exception might apply, and prepare a filing before the window closes. Acting early keeps decisions in your hands instead of leaving them to a calendar.