Every state sets a filing deadline — the statute of limitations. Miss it and your claim is usually gone for good, no matter how strong it was. Find your state's deadline below, then see the exceptions that can quietly make it shorter.
Pick your state. Add the injury date and we'll estimate your filing deadline too.
Most states give you 2 to 3 years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit. A few are shorter — Kentucky and Tennessee are just 1 year — and a few are longer, up to 5 years (Missouri) or 6 years (Maine, North Dakota). The deadline is called the statute of limitations, and once it passes the court will almost always dismiss your case regardless of merit. Two things change the clock in practice: the discovery rule (for injuries you couldn't reasonably have known about right away, the clock can start later) and claims against a government entity (which usually carry a much shorter, separate notice deadline). The table below lists the standard personal-injury deadline for every state.
Standard deadline for a negligence-based personal injury claim. Special case types (malpractice, government, wrongful death) can differ — see the exceptions below.
| State | Deadline to file | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2 years | — |
| Alaska | 2 years | — |
| Arizona | 2 years | — |
| Arkansas | 3 years | — |
| California | 2 years | — |
| Colorado | 2 years | 3 yrs for motor-vehicle accidents |
| Connecticut | 2 years | — |
| Delaware | 2 years | — |
| District of Columbia | 3 years | — |
| Florida | 2 years | changed from 4 yrs in March 2023 |
| Georgia | 2 years | — |
| Hawaii | 2 years | — |
| Idaho | 2 years | — |
| Illinois | 2 years | — |
| Indiana | 2 years | — |
| Iowa | 2 years | — |
| Kansas | 2 years | — |
| Kentucky | 1 year | 2 yrs for motor-vehicle accidents |
| Louisiana | 2 years | extended from 1 yr, effective July 2024 |
| Maine | 6 years | — |
| Maryland | 3 years | — |
| Massachusetts | 3 years | — |
| Michigan | 3 years | — |
| Minnesota | 2 years | — |
| Mississippi | 3 years | — |
| Missouri | 5 years | — |
| Montana | 3 years | — |
| Nebraska | 4 years | — |
| Nevada | 2 years | — |
| New Hampshire | 3 years | — |
| New Jersey | 2 years | — |
| New Mexico | 3 years | — |
| New York | 3 years | — |
| North Carolina | 3 years | — |
| North Dakota | 6 years | — |
| Ohio | 2 years | — |
| Oklahoma | 2 years | — |
| Oregon | 2 years | — |
| Pennsylvania | 2 years | — |
| Rhode Island | 3 years | — |
| South Carolina | 3 years | — |
| South Dakota | 3 years | — |
| Tennessee | 1 year | — |
| Texas | 2 years | — |
| Utah | 4 years | — |
| Vermont | 3 years | — |
| Virginia | 2 years | — |
| Washington | 3 years | — |
| West Virginia | 2 years | — |
| Wisconsin | 3 years | — |
| Wyoming | 4 years | — |
This is where the one-line answers other sites give you fall apart. Any of these can move your real deadline.
Suing a city, county, state, or public hospital usually requires a formal written notice of claim first — often within 60 days to 1 year, far shorter than the standard deadline. Miss the notice and the claim can be barred even if years remain on the normal clock.
For injuries you couldn't reasonably have discovered at the time (some medical or toxic-exposure cases), the clock may start when you knew or should have known — not the date of the incident. It can extend your window, but don't count on it without legal advice.
When the injured person is under 18, the deadline is often paused (tolled) until they reach adulthood, so a child's claim can be filed years later. The rules vary by state and don't always apply to every claim type.
Wrongful-death claims typically run from the date of death, not the injury, and medical-malpractice claims often have their own deadline plus a hard outer limit (a statute of repose). Both can differ from the general number above.
A free, no-obligation review confirms your real deadline and whether your claim is worth pursuing — most attorneys will tell you in one short call, and it costs nothing to ask. Don't let the clock decide for you.
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In almost all cases the court will dismiss your lawsuit and you lose the right to compensation, no matter how clear the other side's fault was. There are narrow exceptions (tolling for minors or certain discovery situations), but they don't apply to most claims — which is why the deadline is treated as a hard wall. If you're close to it, talk to an attorney immediately; some filings can be made quickly to preserve the claim.
Usually the date of the injury or accident. The exception is the discovery rule: for harm you couldn't reasonably have known about right away (some medical or toxic-exposure injuries), the clock may start when you discovered it or should have. Because whether the discovery rule applies is a legal judgment, don't assume it buys you time without confirming.
In most states the standard personal-injury deadline applies to car accidents. A few states set a different period specifically for motor-vehicle claims — for example Colorado allows 3 years for motor-vehicle accidents (vs. 2 general), and Kentucky allows 2 years for motor-vehicle accidents (vs. 1 general). Claims involving a government vehicle can be much shorter. Check your state's row above and confirm the specifics.
No. Negotiating with an insurer does not pause the statute of limitations. Many people lose valid claims because talks dragged past the deadline while they waited for an offer. The lawsuit deadline runs independently of any insurance negotiation, so track it separately.
State deadlines reflect the general statute of limitations for negligence-based personal injury claims, cross-referenced across multiple current legal sources as of 2026. Figures are for orientation and exclude special case types and the exceptions described above. Verify your specific deadline with a licensed attorney in your state.