Statute of Limitations

SOL in personal injury cases

Every state has a statute of limitations: a drop dead date for bringing personal injury claims. Below is a list of each state statute of limitation in personal injury cases.

Huge caveats in using this information. Check the statute (there is a link) to make sure the law has not changed (or that we got it right in the first place). Second, remember that statutes of limitations have exceptions that can shorten or extend the statute of limitations. Literally one-third of legal malpractice cases stem from personal injury lawyers blowing the statute of limitations. True fact: 83.6% of those personal injury lawyers thought they could figure out the statute of limitations with a quick Google search. (Okay, not really.) The point is, in a minority of cases, you have to peel the onion beyond just looking at the default personal injury statute of limitations. statuteoflimitations

The biggest landmines in personal injury claims SOL against governmental entities and claims where you are not sure which state's statute of limitations applies to the claim. With respect to the latter, watch out for states with a borrowing statute. It might say the state has an SOL of 4 years but if the accident happened in a 3 year state, that claim may not fly after year 3.

Enough caveats. You get the point. Here is the list:

Alabama 2 years Ala. Code Sec. 6-2-38
Alaska 2 years Alaska Stat. Sec. 9.10.070
Arizona 2 years Ariz. Rev. Stat. Sec. 12-542
Arkansas 2 years Ark. Stat. Sec. 16-114-203
California 2 years Cal. Code of Civ. Proc. Sec. 335.1
Colorado 2 years Colo. Rev. Stat. Sec. 13-80-102
Connecticut 2 years Conn. Gen. State. Sec. 52-584
Delaware 2 years Del. Code Ann. Title 10, Sec. 8119
District of Columbia (D.C.) 3 years D.C. Code Ann. Sec. 12-301
Florida 4 years Fla. Stat. Ann. Sec. 95.11
Georgia 2 years Ga. Code Ann. Sec. 9-3-33
Hawaii 2 years Haw. Rev. Stat. Sec. 657.7
Idaho 2 years Idaho Code Sec. 5-219
Illinois 2 years Ill. Ann. State. Ch. 735, Art. 8, Sec. 13-202
Indiana 2 years Ind. Code Ann. Sec. 34-11-2-4
Iowa 2 years Iowa Code Ann. Sec. 614.1
Kansas 2 years Kan. Stat. Ann. Sec. 60-513
Kentucky 1 year Ky. Rev. Stat. Sec. 413.140
Louisiana 1 year La. Civ. Code Ann. Art. 3492
Maine 6 years Maine Rev. Stat. Ann. Title 14, Ch. 205, Sec. 752
Maryland 3 years Md. Ann. Code Sec. 5-101
Massachusetts 3 years Mass. Gen. Laws, Art. 260, Secs. 2A, 4
Michigan 3 years Mich. Comp Laws Sec. 600.5805(9)
Minnesota 2 years Minn. Stat. Ann. Sec. 541.05, 541.07
Mississippi 3 years Miss. Code Ann. Sec. 15-1-49
Missouri 5 years Missouri Ann. Stat. Title 35, Sec. 516.120

Montana

 3 years Mont. Code Ann. Sec. 27-2-204, 27-2-207
Nebraska 4 years Neb. Rev. Stat. Sec. 25-207

Nevada

 2 years Nev. Rev. Stat. Sec 11.190
New Hampshire 3 years N.H. Rev. State. Sec. 508.4
New Jersey 2 years N.J. Stat. Ann. Sec. 2A:14-2
New Mexico 3 years N.M. Stat. Ann. Sec. 37-1-8
New York 3 years N.Y. Civ. Prac. R. Sec. 214
North Carolina 3 years N.C. Gen. Stat. Sec. 1-52
North Dakota 6 years (wrongful death is 2 years) N.D. Cent. Code Sec. 28-01-16, 28-01-18
Ohio 2 years Ohio Rev. Code Sec. 2305.10
Oklahoma 2 years Okla. Stat. Ann. Title 12, Sec. 95
Oregon 2 years Ore. Rev. Stat. Sec. 12.110
Pennsylvania 2 years 42 Pa. Con. Stat. Sec. 5524
Rhode Island 3 years R.I. Gen. Laws Sec. 9-1-14
South Carolina 3 years S.C. Code Ann. Sec. 15-3-530
South Dakota 3 years S.D. Comp. Laws Ann. Sec. 15-2-14
Tennessee 1 year Tenn. Code Ann. Sec. 28-3-104
Texas 2 years Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Sec. 16.003
Utah 4 years Utah Code Ann. Sec. 78-12-28
Vermont 3 years Vt. Stat. Ann. Title 12, Sec. 512
Virginia 2 years Va. Code Sec. 8.01-243
Washington 3 years Wa. Rev. Code Ann. Sec. 4.16.080
Washingon, D.C. 3 years D.C. Code Ann. Sec. 12-301
West Virginia 2 years W. Va. Code Sec. 55-2-12
Wisconsin 3 years Wisc. Stat. Ann. Sec. 893.54
Wyoming 4 years Wy. Stat. Ann. Sec. 1-3-105