Personal injury statute of limitations by state

The general deadline to file a personal injury lawsuit in each state, with links to the statute itself so you can check it.

Deadlines have exceptions and can be shorter than shown. Claims against a city, county, state or federal agency often require a formal notice within months. Medical malpractice, product liability and claims by minors usually have different rules, and when the clock starts (the "discovery rule") varies. Talk to a licensed attorney in your state as soon as possible; do not rely on this table to calculate your deadline.

State	Personal injury (general)	Wrongful death	Statute	Notes
Alabama	2 years	2 years	Ala. Code § 6-2-38
Alaska	2 years	2 years	Alaska Stat. § 09.10.070
Arizona	2 years	2 years	Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-542
Arkansas	3 years	3 years	Ark. Code Ann. § 16-56-105
California	2 years	2 years	Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1
Colorado	2 years	2 years	Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-80-102	Motor vehicle accident injury: 3 years (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-80-101(1)(n)), per Nolo.
Connecticut	2 years	2 years	Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-584
Delaware	2 years	2 years	10 Del. Code § 8119
District of Columbia	3 years	2 years	D.C. Code § 12-301
Florida	2 years	2 years	Fla. Stat. § 95.11(4)(a)	Florida shortened the general negligence deadline from 4 to 2 years for causes of action accruing after March 24, 2023 (HB 837).
Georgia	2 years	2 years	O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33
Hawaii	2 years	2 years	Haw. Rev. Stat. § 657-7
Idaho	2 years	2 years	Idaho Code § 5-219(4)
Illinois	2 years	2 years	735 ILCS 5/13-202
Indiana	2 years	2 years	Ind. Code § 34-11-2-4
Iowa	2 years	2 years	Iowa Code § 614.1(2)
Kansas	2 years	2 years	Kan. Stat. Ann. § 60-513
Kentucky	1 year	1 year	Ky. Rev. Stat. § 413.140	Motor vehicle accident injury: generally 2 years under the Motor Vehicle Reparations Act, per Nolo.
Louisiana	2 years	1 year	La. Civ. Code art. 3493.1
Maine	6 years	3 years	14 M.R.S. § 752
Maryland	3 years	3 years	Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101
Massachusetts	3 years	3 years	Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2A
Michigan	3 years	3 years	Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5805
Minnesota	6 years	3 years	Minn. Stat. § 541.05
Mississippi	3 years	3 years	Miss. Code Ann. § 15-1-49
Missouri	5 years	3 years	Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.120
Montana	3 years	3 years	Mont. Code Ann. § 27-2-204
Nebraska	4 years	2 years	Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-207
Nevada	2 years	2 years	Nev. Rev. Stat. § 11.190(4)(e)
New Hampshire	3 years	3 years	N.H. Rev. Stat. § 508:4
New Jersey	2 years	2 years	N.J. Stat. § 2A:14-2
New Mexico	3 years	3 years	N.M. Stat. § 37-1-8
New York	3 years	2 years	N.Y. C.P.L.R. § 214
North Carolina	3 years	2 years	N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-52
North Dakota	6 years	2 years	N.D. Cent. Code § 28-01-16
Ohio	2 years	2 years	Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.10
Oklahoma	2 years	2 years	12 Okla. Stat. § 95
Oregon	2 years	3 years	Or. Rev. Stat. § 12.110
Pennsylvania	2 years	2 years	42 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5524
Rhode Island	3 years	3 years	R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-14(b)
South Carolina	3 years	3 years	S.C. Code § 15-3-530
South Dakota	3 years	3 years	S.D. Codified Laws § 15-2-14
Tennessee	1 year	1 year	Tenn. Code § 28-3-104
Texas	2 years	2 years	Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003
Utah	4 years	2 years	Utah Code § 78B-2-307
Vermont	3 years	2 years	12 V.S.A. § 512
Virginia	2 years	2 years	Va. Code § 8.01-243
Washington	3 years	3 years	Wash. Rev. Code § 4.16.080
West Virginia	2 years	2 years	W. Va. Code § 55-2-12
Wisconsin	3 years	3 years	Wis. Stat. § 893.54
Wyoming	4 years	2 years	Wyo. Stat. § 1-3-105

Sources: compiled from the state statute linked in each row, cross-checked against SetCalc's 50-state table and Nolo's statute of limitations chart. Last reviewed 2026-10-16. Laws change: always confirm with the current statute or an attorney. Spotted an error? Tell us.

Personal injury statute of limitations by state

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