Statute of limitations for a personal-injury claim, by state
The general limitation period each state's statute sets for a civil action for personal injury caused by negligence, quoted from the official text with the section cited and the date we read it.
Verify with a lawyer before you rely on any of this. This page states the general limitation period written in each state's statute for a personal-injury claim, with the section it came from and the date we read it. It is not legal advice and it is not your deadline: when the clock starts, whether it pauses, shorter notice rules for claims against governments, and special rules for medical malpractice, motor-vehicle and product cases all change the answer, and the statute may have changed since we read it. States we could not verify against an official source are marked and show no period at all. Reading this page creates no attorney-client relationship.
How to read this table
Verified rows quote the statutory sentence the period comes from, name the section, and show the date we read the official text. Not verified rows are states whose statute is not published on an official state website we could read (several states publish their code only through a commercial portal), or where two official sections prescribe different periods and which one applies is a question for a lawyer; those rows show the citation and no period. A verified row older than 180 days automatically drops back to citation-only until it is re-read. Today: 45 verified, 6 not verified, of 51 jurisdictions.
The last column links to the LawyerLand directory page for the city in that state with the most currently published personal-injury law firms; a +n is how many other cities in the state also have one. It is generated when this page loads, so a state whose listings have lapsed shows no link rather than a dead one. Nothing in that column is paid placement and the order is by state.
| State | Period | Statute | Status | Lawyers in this state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2 years | Ala. Code § 6-2-38(l) § 6-2-38(l): "All actions for any injury to the person or rights of another not arising from contract and not specifically enumerated in this section must be brought within two years." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Montgomery +1 |
| Alaska | 2 years | Alaska Stat. § 09.10.070(a) AS 09.10.070(a): "Except as otherwise provided by law, a person may not bring an action ... (2) for personal injury or death, or injury to the rights of another not arising on contract and not specifically provided otherwise; ... unless the action is commenced within two years of the accrual of the cause of action." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Anchorage |
| Arizona | 2 years | Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-542 § 12-542: "Except as provided in section 12-551 there shall be commenced and prosecuted within two years after the cause of action accrues, and not afterward, the following actions: 1. For injuries done to the person of another including causes of action for medical malpractice as defined in section 12-561." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Chandler +6 |
| Arkansas | Not verified - no period shown | Ark. Code Ann. § 16-56-105 | Not verified. The Arkansas General Assembly publishes the Arkansas Code only through a LexisNexis public-access portal (arkleg.state.ar.us home page: the Arkansas Code link opens an external-link dialog to lexisnexis.com/hottopics/arcode/). No official state host serves the section text, so rule 17 cannot be met for a VERIFIED verdict. | Little Rock |
| California | 2 years | Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1 § 335.1: "Within two years: An action for assault, battery, or injury to, or for the death of, an individual caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Los Angeles +21 |
| Colorado | 2 years | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-80-102(1)(a) § 13-80-102(1): "The following civil actions, regardless of the theory upon which suit is brought, or against whom suit is brought, must be commenced within two years after the cause of action accrues, and not thereafter: (a) Tort actions, including but not limited to actions for negligence, trespass, malicious abuse of process, malicious prosecution, outrageous conduct, interference with relationships, and tortious breach of contract; except that this paragraph (a) does not apply to any tort action arising out of the use or operation of a motor vehicle as set forth in section 13-80-101 (1)(n);" |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Aurora +2 |
| Connecticut | 2 years | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-584 § 52-584: "No action to recover damages for injury to the person, or to real or personal property, caused by negligence, or by reckless or wanton misconduct, or by malpractice ... shall be brought but within two years from the date when the injury is first sustained or discovered or in the exercise of reasonable care should have been discovered, and except that no such action may be brought more than three years from the date of the act or omission complained of ..." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Bridgeport |
| Delaware | 2 years | Del. Code Ann. tit. 10, § 8119 § 8119: "No action for the recovery of damages upon a claim for alleged personal injuries shall be brought after the expiration of 2 years from the date upon which it is claimed that such alleged injuries were sustained; subject, however, to the provisions of § 8127 of this title." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Wilmington |
| District of Columbia | 3 years | D.C. Code § 12-301(a)(8) § 12-301(a): "Except as otherwise specifically provided by law, actions for the following purposes may not be brought after the expiration of the period specified below from the time the right to maintain the action accrues: ... (8) for which a limitation is not otherwise specially prescribed— 3 years;" |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Washington |
| Florida | 2 years | Fla. Stat. § 95.11(5)(a) § 95.11(5): "WITHIN TWO YEARS.— (a) An action founded on negligence." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Orlando +12 |
| Georgia | Not verified - no period shown | Ga. Code Ann. § 9-3-33 | Not verified. The Official Code of Georgia Annotated is published for public access only through a LexisNexis portal linked from legis.ga.gov; no official state host serves the section text, so rule 17 cannot be met for a VERIFIED verdict. | Atlanta |
| Hawaii | 2 years | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 657-7 § 657-7: "Actions for the recovery of compensation for damage or injury to persons or property shall be instituted within two years after the cause of action accrued, and not after, except as provided in section 657-13." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Honolulu |
| Idaho | 2 years | Idaho Code § 5-219(4) § 5-219: "Within two (2) years: ... 4. An action to recover damages for professional malpractice, or for an injury to the person, or for the death of one caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another ..." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Boise |
| Illinois | 2 years | 735 ILCS 5/13-202 735 ILCS 5/13-202: "Actions for damages for an injury to the person, or for false imprisonment, or malicious prosecution, or for a statutory penalty, ... shall be commenced within 2 years next after the cause of action accrued ..." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Chicago +1 |
| Indiana | 2 years | Ind. Code § 34-11-2-4(a) IC 34-11-2-4(a): "An action for: (1) injury to person or character; (2) injury to personal property; or (3) a forfeiture of penalty given by statute; must be commenced within two (2) years after the cause of action accrues." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Indianapolis +1 |
| Iowa | 2 years | Iowa Code § 614.1(2) § 614.1: "Actions may be brought within the times limited as follows, respectively, after their causes accrue, and not afterwards, except when otherwise specially declared: ... 2. Injuries to person or reputation — relative rights — statute penalty. Those founded on injuries to the person or reputation, including injuries to relative rights, whether based on contract or tort, or for a statute penalty, within two years." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Des Moines |
| Kansas | 2 years | Kan. Stat. Ann. § 60-513(a)(4) § 60-513(a): "The following actions shall be brought within two years: ... (4) An action for injury to the rights of another, not arising on contract, and not herein enumerated." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Kansas City +1 |
| Kentucky | 1 year | Ky. Rev. Stat. § 413.140(1)(a) KRS 413.140(1): "The following actions shall be commenced within one (1) year after the cause of action accrued: (a) An action for an injury to the person of the plaintiff, or of her husband, his wife, child, ward, apprentice, or servant;" |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Lexington +1 |
| Louisiana | 2 years | La. Civ. Code art. 3493.1 C.C. art. 3493.1: "Delictual actions are subject to a liberative prescription of two years. This prescription commences to run from the day that injury or damage is sustained." (Acts 2024, No. 423, § 1, eff. July 1, 2024.) |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Baton Rouge +2 |
| Maine | 6 years | Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 752 § 752: "All civil actions shall be commenced within 6 years after the cause of action accrues and not afterwards, except actions on a judgment or decree of any court of record of the United States, or of any state, or of a justice of the peace in this State, and except as otherwise specially provided." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Portland |
| Maryland | 3 years | Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101 § 5-101: "A civil action at law shall be filed within three years from the date it accrues unless another provision of the Code provides a different period of time within which an action shall be commenced." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Baltimore |
| Massachusetts | 3 years | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2A ch. 260, § 2A: "Except as otherwise provided, actions of tort, actions of contract to recover for personal injuries, and actions of replevin, shall be commenced only within three years next after the cause of action accrues." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Boston |
| Michigan | 3 years | Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5805(2) § 600.5805(2): "Except as otherwise provided in this section, the period of limitations is 3 years after the time of the death or injury for all actions to recover damages for the death of a person or for injury to a person or property." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Detroit |
| Minnesota | Not verified - no period shown | Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1(5); § 541.07(1) | Not verified. Two official sections prescribe different periods (six years under 541.05 subd. 1(5); two years under 541.07(1) for a tort resulting in personal injury) and which one governs a general-negligence claim is a question of case law, not of statutory text. A period is not asserted; the reader is shown both citations and the verify-with-a-lawyer band. | Saint Paul +2 |
| Mississippi | Not verified - no period shown | Miss. Code Ann. § 15-1-49 | Not verified. The Mississippi Code is published for public access only through a LexisNexis portal linked from legislature.ms.gov; no official state host serves the section text, so rule 17 cannot be met for a VERIFIED verdict. | Jackson |
| Missouri | 5 years | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.120(4) § 516.120: "Within five years: ... (4) An action for taking, detaining or injuring any goods or chattels, including actions for the recovery of specific personal property, or for any other injury to the person or rights of another, not arising on contract and not herein otherwise enumerated;" |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Kansas City +1 |
| Montana | 3 years | Mont. Code Ann. § 27-2-204(1) § 27-2-204(1): "Except as provided in 27-2-216, the period prescribed for the commencement of an action upon a liability not founded upon an instrument in writing is within 3 years." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Billings |
| Nebraska | 4 years | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-207(3) § 25-207: "The following actions can only be brought within four years: ... (3) an action for an injury to the rights of the plaintiff, not arising on contract, and not hereinafter enumerated ..." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Lincoln +1 |
| Nevada | 2 years | Nev. Rev. Stat. § 11.190(4)(e) NRS 11.190(4): "Within 2 years: ... (e) Except as otherwise provided in NRS 11.215 or 11.217, an action to recover damages for injuries to a person or for the death of a person caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Henderson +3 |
| New Hampshire | 3 years | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4, I RSA 508:4, I: "Except as otherwise provided by law, all personal actions, except actions for slander or libel, may be brought only within 3 years of the act or omission complained of ..." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Manchester |
| New Jersey | 2 years | N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-2 N.J.S. 2A:14-2(a): "Except as otherwise provided by law, every action at law for an injury to the person caused by the wrongful act, neglect or default of any person within this State shall be commenced within two years next after the cause of any such action shall have accrued; except that an action by or on behalf of a minor that has accrued for medical malpractice for injuries sustained at birth shall be commenced prior to the minor's 13th birthday." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Newark +1 |
| New Mexico | Not verified - no period shown | N.M. Stat. Ann. § 37-1-8 | Not verified. The recorded NMOneSource URL returns 404 (read 2026-09-12). NMOneSource is the New Mexico Compilation Commission's official publication, but it is a .com host the verifier's official-host rule does not accept; a VERIFIED verdict would need both a working item URL and an explicit allowlist entry for nmonesource.com (filed as an OS-104 refinement). | Albuquerque |
| New York | 3 years | N.Y. C.P.L.R. § 214(5) CPLR § 214: "The following actions must be commenced within three years: ... 5. an action to recover damages for a personal injury except as provided in sections 214-b, 214-c, 214-i and 215;" |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | New York City +2 |
| North Carolina | 3 years | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-52(5) § 1-52: "Within three years an action - ... (5) For criminal conversation, or for any other injury to the person or rights of another, not arising on contract and not hereafter enumerated, except as provided by G.S. 1-17(d) and (e)." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Durham +5 |
| North Dakota | 6 years | N.D. Cent. Code § 28-01-16(5) § 28-01-16: "The following actions must be commenced within six years after the claim for relief has accrued: ... 5. An action for criminal conversation or for any other injury to the person or rights of another not arising upon contract, when not otherwise expressly provided." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Fargo |
| Ohio | 2 years | Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.10(A) § 2305.10(A): "Except as provided in division (C) or (E) of this section, an action based on a product liability claim and an action for bodily injury or injuring personal property shall be brought within two years after the cause of action accrues." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Columbus +3 |
| Oklahoma | 2 years | Okla. Stat. tit. 12, § 95(A)(3) 12 O.S. § 95(A): "Civil actions other than for the recovery of real property can only be brought within the following periods, after the cause of action shall have accrued, and not afterwards: ... 3. Within two (2) years: ... an action for injury to the rights of another, not arising on contract, and not hereinafter enumerated; ..." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Tulsa +1 |
| Oregon | 2 years | Or. Rev. Stat. § 12.110(1) ORS 12.110(1): "An action for assault, battery, false imprisonment, or for any injury to the person or rights of another, not arising on contract, and not especially enumerated in this chapter, shall be commenced within two years ..." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Portland |
| Pennsylvania | 2 years | 42 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5524(2) 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524: "The following actions and proceedings must be commenced within two years: ... (2) An action to recover damages for injuries to the person or for the death of an individual caused by the wrongful act or neglect or unlawful violence or negligence of another." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Philadelphia +1 |
| Rhode Island | 3 years | R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-14(b) § 9-1-14(b): "Actions for injuries to the person shall be commenced and sued within three (3) years next after the cause of action shall accrue, and not after, except as provided for otherwise in subsection (c) herein." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Providence |
| South Carolina | 3 years | S.C. Code Ann. § 15-3-530(5) § 15-3-530: "Within three years: ... (5) an action for assault, battery, or any injury to the person or rights of another, not arising on contract and not enumerated by law, and those provided for in Section 15-3-545;" |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Columbia |
| South Dakota | 3 years | S.D. Codified Laws § 15-2-14(3) § 15-2-14: "Except where, in special cases, a different limitation is prescribed by statute, the following civil actions other than for the recovery of real property can be commenced only within three years after the cause of action shall have accrued: ... (3) An action for personal injury." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Sioux Falls |
| Tennessee | Not verified - no period shown | Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104 | Not verified. The Tennessee Code is published for public access only through a LexisNexis portal (lexisnexis.com/hottopics/tncode) linked from the General Assembly site; the state-agency PDF the prior dataset cited (tn.gov/.../tccy-tca-title-28.pdf, a Commission on Children and Youth excerpt) now returns HTTP 404 (curl, 2026-09-12). No official state host serves the section text, so no period is asserted. | Nashville +1 |
| Texas | 2 years | Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003(a) § 16.003(a): "Except as provided by Sections 16.010, 16.0031, and 16.0045, a person must bring suit for trespass for injury to the estate or to the property of another, conversion of personal property, taking or detaining the personal property of another, personal injury, forcible entry and detainer, and forcible detainer not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Houston +12 |
| Utah | 4 years | Utah Code § 78B-2-307(4) § 78B-2-307: "An action may be brought within four years: ... (4) for relief not otherwise provided for by law." (Effective 5/3/2023.) |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Salt Lake City |
| Vermont | 3 years | Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 12, § 512(4) 12 V.S.A. § 512: "Actions for the following causes shall be commenced within three years after the cause of action accrues, and not after: ... (4) except as otherwise provided in this chapter, injuries to the person suffered by the act or default of another person, provided that the cause of action shall be deemed to accrue as of the date of the discovery of the injury;" |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Burlington |
| Virginia | 2 years | Va. Code Ann. § 8.01-243(A) § 8.01-243(A): "Unless otherwise provided in this section or by other statute, every action for personal injuries, whatever the theory of recovery, and every action for damages resulting from fraud, shall be brought within two years after the cause of action accrues." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Norfolk +3 |
| Washington | 3 years | Wash. Rev. Code § 4.16.080(2) RCW 4.16.080: "The following actions shall be commenced within three years: ... (2) An action for taking, detaining, or injuring personal property, including an action for the specific recovery thereof, or for any other injury to the person or rights of another not hereinafter enumerated;" |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Seattle +2 |
| West Virginia | 2 years | W. Va. Code § 55-2-12(b) § 55-2-12: "Every personal action for which no limitation is otherwise prescribed shall be brought: ... (b) within two years next after the right to bring the same shall have accrued if it be for damages for personal injuries ..." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Charleston |
| Wisconsin | 3 years | Wis. Stat. § 893.54(1m)(a) § 893.54(1m): "Except as provided in sub. (2m), the following actions shall be commenced within 3 years or be barred: (a) An action to recover damages for injuries to the person, including an action to recover damages for injuries to the person caused or sustained by or arising from an accident involving a motor vehicle." |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Madison +1 |
| Wyoming | 4 years | Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 1-3-105(a)(iv)(C) § 1-3-105(a): "Civil actions other than for the recovery of real property can only be brought within the following periods after the cause of action accrues: ... (iv) Within four (4) years, an action for: ... (C) An injury to the rights of the plaintiff, not arising on contract and not herein enumerated;" |
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text | Cheyenne |
What this table measures, and what it leaves out
The general limitation period for a personal-injury (general negligence) civil action, in years, as stated in the cited section. Not a deadline for any reader: accrual, tolling, discovery rules, notice-of-claim requirements and special defendants (governments, health-care providers, motor-vehicle statutes) all change the answer.
Every row re-read on 2026-09-12 from an official state legislature or court host in a real Chromium browser (Claude in-app browser), or - where the legislature serves the section only as a PDF or as a bulk text archive - fetched by curl from the official host and read from the PDF (pdftotext) or the unpacked archive (New Jersey, STATUTES-TEXT.zip). A VERIFIED row carries the quoted statutory text, the section and the date read. A row whose official text is not served by any state host (vendor-portal-only codes, a retired URL) is COULD-NOT-VERIFY and asserts no period. No commercial mirror is cited anywhere.
Related: what a statute of limitations is, negligence, wrongful death, medical malpractice.
Part of LawyerLand's free legal reference tools. Every figure on this page is quoted from the official text of a state legislature or court, with the section and the date it was read. Nothing here is paid placement, and the page links to no paid listing.
If you cannot afford a lawyer, civil legal aid programmes provide free help with many injury and insurance problems: civil legal aid programmes by state.
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