Statute of Limitations by State (2026): Complete Chart for All 50 States

If you have a legal claim, the most important number you don’t know yet is your deadline. Every civil claim comes with a clock, and once it runs out the court will almost always refuse to hear your case no matter how strong it is. That clock is the statute of limitations, and the chart below maps it out for all 50 states and the District of Columbia across the claim types people search for most: personal injury, medical malpractice, car accidents, written and oral contracts, defamation, debt, product liability, and wrongful death.

The thing to understand up front is that the statute of limitations by state is really two questions stacked on top of each other. First, which state’s law applies — usually where the injury happened or where the contract was performed. Second, what kind of claim you have — because a single state can give you one year for one type of case and ten years for another. A car accident in Louisiana and a written-contract dispute in Louisiana are governed by wildly different deadlines. Read the chart with both variables in mind, then confirm your specific date with the free calculator.

How to read this chart

Each row is a state (plus DC), and each column is a claim type. The number is the standard filing window measured in years from the date your claim “accrues” — typically the date of the injury, the breach, or the missed payment. Find your state’s row, slide across to your claim type, and that’s your baseline deadline.

A few things the chart can’t show in a single cell. The clock’s start date isn’t always the date something bad happened — for hidden injuries the discovery rule can push it later. Certain circumstances pause the clock entirely, which we cover in tolling explained. And a handful of claim types carry a separate outer limit called a statute of repose. Treat the chart as your starting point, not the final word, and never let a deadline pass based on a table alone. For a plain-English primer on the concept itself, see what is a statute of limitations.

Statute of limitations by state: the mega chart

State	Personal Injury	Med Mal	Car Accident	Written Contract	Oral Contract	Defamation	Debt	Product Liability	Wrongful Death
Alabama	2 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
Alaska	2 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	2 yrs	3 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
Arizona	2 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	1 yr	6 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
Arkansas	3 yrs	2 yrs	3 yrs	5 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	5 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs
California	2 yrs	3 yrs	2 yrs	4 yrs	2 yrs	1 yr	4 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
Colorado	2 yrs	2 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	1 yr	6 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
Connecticut	2 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
Delaware	2 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	2 yrs	3 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
District of Columbia	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	1 yr	3 yrs	3 yrs	2 yrs
Florida	2 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs	5 yrs	4 yrs	2 yrs	5 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
Georgia	2 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	4 yrs	1 yr	6 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
Hawaii	2 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
Idaho	2 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs	5 yrs	4 yrs	2 yrs	5 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
Illinois	2 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs	10 yrs	5 yrs	1 yr	10 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
Indiana	2 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs	10 yrs	6 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
Iowa	2 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs	10 yrs	5 yrs	2 yrs	10 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
Kansas	2 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs	5 yrs	3 yrs	1 yr	5 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
Kentucky	1 yr	1 yr	2 yrs	10 yrs	5 yrs	1 yr	10 yrs	1 yr	1 yr
Louisiana	1 yr	1 yr	1 yr	10 yrs	10 yrs	1 yr	3 yrs	1 yr	1 yr
Maine	6 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	2 yrs
Maryland	3 yrs	5 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	1 yr	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs
Massachusetts	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs
Michigan	3 yrs	2 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	1 yr	6 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs
Minnesota	2 yrs	4 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	2 yrs	3 yrs
Mississippi	3 yrs	2 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	1 yr	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs
Missouri	5 yrs	2 yrs	5 yrs	10 yrs	5 yrs	2 yrs	10 yrs	5 yrs	3 yrs
Montana	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	8 yrs	5 yrs	2 yrs	8 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs
Nebraska	4 yrs	2 yrs	4 yrs	5 yrs	4 yrs	1 yr	5 yrs	4 yrs	2 yrs
Nevada	2 yrs	3 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	4 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
New Hampshire	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs
New Jersey	2 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	1 yr	6 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
New Mexico	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	4 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs
New York	3 yrs	2.5 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	1 yr	6 yrs	3 yrs	2 yrs
North Carolina	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	1 yr	3 yrs	3 yrs	2 yrs
North Dakota	6 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	2 yrs
Ohio	2 yrs	1 yr	2 yrs	8 yrs	6 yrs	1 yr	8 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
Oklahoma	2 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs	5 yrs	3 yrs	1 yr	5 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
Oregon	2 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	1 yr	6 yrs	2 yrs	3 yrs
Pennsylvania	2 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs	4 yrs	4 yrs	1 yr	4 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
Rhode Island	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	10 yrs	10 yrs	3 yrs	10 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs
South Carolina	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	2 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs
South Dakota	3 yrs	2 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs
Tennessee	1 yr	1 yr	1 yr	6 yrs	6 yrs	1 yr	6 yrs	1 yr	1 yr
Texas	2 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs	4 yrs	4 yrs	1 yr	4 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
Utah	4 yrs	2 yrs	4 yrs	6 yrs	4 yrs	1 yr	6 yrs	4 yrs	2 yrs
Vermont	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	2 yrs
Virginia	2 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs	5 yrs	3 yrs	1 yr	5 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
Washington	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	2 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs
West Virginia	2 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs	10 yrs	5 yrs	1 yr	10 yrs	2 yrs	2 yrs
Wisconsin	3 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	6 yrs	3 yrs	3 yrs
Wyoming	4 yrs	2 yrs	4 yrs	10 yrs	8 yrs	1 yr	10 yrs	4 yrs	2 yrs

Why deadlines vary so much by state

There is no federal statute of limitations for everyday civil claims. Each state legislature sets its own deadlines, and they’ve reached very different conclusions about how long is fair. Some states prioritize giving injured people time to recover and find counsel; others lean toward closing the books quickly so defendants and insurers aren’t exposed to stale claims with faded evidence and missing witnesses.

The result is the patchwork you see above. A personal injury deadline ranges from a single year in a few states to six years in others — a sixfold difference for the exact same type of harm. Contract deadlines swing even wider, from three years up to ten. Because these numbers are products of separate legislatures revised at different times, there’s no clean regional pattern to memorize. The only safe approach is to look up the state and claim type that actually apply to you.

The shortest-deadline states

Three states stand out for the tightest personal injury windows in the country. Kentucky, Louisiana, and Tennessee each give you just 1 year to file a personal injury claim. That is brutally short — by the time you’ve finished treatment and started thinking about your options, a meaningful chunk of the window may already be gone.

These states are strict elsewhere too. Louisiana and Tennessee both cap car accident claims at 1 year, and all three apply a 1-year limit to medical malpractice and wrongful death. Kentucky’s car accident deadline is a slightly more generous 2 years, but its injury, malpractice, and wrongful death claims all run on the 1-year clock. If your claim arises in any of these three states, treat the calendar as your enemy and move fast. You can confirm the exact expiration date for a Tennessee personal injury or Louisiana personal injury claim in seconds with the calculator.

The longest-deadline states

At the other end, a couple of states are unusually generous with personal injury claims. Maine and North Dakota both allow 6 years for personal injury — six times the window you’d get in Kentucky. Maine extends that 6-year period to car accidents and product liability as well, and North Dakota matches it for car accidents and product liability too. Missouri sits in the middle-high range at 5 years for personal injury and car accidents, while Nebraska, Utah, and Wyoming each give 4 years.

For contracts and debt, the longest windows climb even higher. Several states — including Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and Wyoming — allow 10 years to sue on a written contract or an unpaid debt. A longer deadline is not a reason to wait, though. Evidence still degrades, memories fade, and the discovery rule and tolling rules cut both ways. File when you’re ready, not when the clock forces you.

Claim type matters as much as your state

Look across any single row and you’ll see the same lesson: the type of claim can matter just as much as the state you’re in. Take California — a personal injury claim there gets 2 years, but a written contract gets 4 years, an oral contract gets 2, and a defamation claim gets just 1. Texas gives 2 years for injury and 4 for written contracts, but defamation is capped at 1 year. New York allows 3 years for personal injury, 2.5 years for medical malpractice, 6 years for written contracts, and only 1 year for defamation.

Defamation is the clearest example of a claim type that runs short almost everywhere — a large share of states cap libel and slander at just 1 year regardless of how long they give for other claims. Debt and written contracts, by contrast, tend to run long. The practical takeaway: don’t assume your “deadline” from one type of case carries over to another. If you have overlapping claims arising from the same event, the shortest applicable deadline usually controls when you need to act. Programmatic pages make this easy to check state by state — for example Florida personal injury, California personal injury, Texas personal injury, New York personal injury, and North Carolina personal injury. For deeper dives by claim type, see our pillar guides on personal injury statute of limitations by state and car accident statute of limitations by state.

What can change your deadline

The number in the chart is your baseline, but several legal doctrines can move it:

• The discovery rule. When an injury is hidden — a surgical error you couldn’t have known about, a defect that surfaces years later — the clock may not start until you discovered (or reasonably should have discovered) the harm. We break this down in the discovery rule explained.
• Tolling. Certain circumstances pause the clock. A plaintiff who is a minor, who is legally incapacitated, or a defendant who has left the state can stop the deadline from running. See tolling explained for the common triggers.
• Statute of repose. This is a separate, absolute outer limit that can cut off a claim even if the regular limitations clock hasn’t expired — common in medical malpractice and product liability cases. The difference matters, and we cover it in statute of limitations vs. statute of repose.

Because any of these can quietly shift your real deadline, use the chart to orient yourself and then verify the precise date for your situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the statute of limitations the same in every state?

No. There is no national civil statute of limitations — each state sets its own. For the same personal injury claim, deadlines range from 1 year in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Tennessee to 6 years in Maine and North Dakota. Always check the state whose law applies to your claim.

Which state’s deadline applies to my claim?

Usually the state where the injury occurred, where the accident happened, or where the contract was performed. If your situation crosses state lines, more than one state’s law might be in play, and the analysis can get complicated. When in doubt, the safest move is to assume the shortest applicable deadline and confirm with an attorney.

What happens if I miss the statute of limitations?

If you file after the deadline, the defendant can ask the court to dismiss your case, and courts almost always grant it — no matter how strong your claim is on the merits. A few narrow exceptions exist, such as the discovery rule and tolling, but you can’t count on them. Missing the deadline usually ends the claim.

Does the clock always start on the day I was injured?

Not always. The default start is the date the claim accrues — often the injury, breach, or missed payment. But the discovery rule can push the start date to when you found out about a hidden injury, and tolling can pause the clock entirely. That’s why a calculator that accounts for the start date matters.

This article is general legal information, not legal advice, and deadlines turn on facts specific to your situation. To pin down your exact date, plug your state, claim type, and start date into the free statute of limitations calculator — it does the counting for you and flags the deadline you can’t afford to miss.