The personal-injury filing deadline in the United States is set by state law and ranges from one year (Kentucky, Louisiana before July 2024, Tennessee) to six years (Maine, North Dakota). One missed day, regardless of how serious the injury, dismisses the case with prejudice. Pick your state below for the exact statute, citation, tolling rules, and an accident-date countdown.
2 states apply a one-year deadline. 25 apply two years (the national norm). 17 apply three years. 7 apply four or more. Many states also impose much shorter notice deadlines for claims against government defendants , often 60 to 180 days , that override the general SOL.
This page is a hub: every state\'s detail page links to the controlling statute, the comparative-fault rule, government-claim notice deadlines, and a live SOL countdown based on your accident date.
| State | PI SOL | Medmal | Wrongful death | Statute | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2y | 2y | 2y | Ala. Code § 6-2-38 | View |
| Alaska | 2y | 2y | 2y | Alaska Stat. § 09.10.070 | View |
| Arizona | 2y | 2y | 2y | Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-542 | View |
| Arkansas | 3y | 2y | 3y | Ark. Code § 16-56-105 | View |
| California | 2y | 1y | 2y | Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 335.1 (PI) | View |
| Colorado | 2y | 2y | 2y | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-80-102 | View |
| Connecticut | 2y | 2y | 2y | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-584 | View |
| Delaware | 2y | 2y | 2y | Del. Code tit. 10 § 8119 | View |
| Florida | 2y | 2y | 2y | Fla. Stat. § 95.11 (amended 2023 to reduce PI SOL from 4 to 2 years) | View |
| Georgia | 2y | 2y | 2y | O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33 | View |
| Hawaii | 2y | 2y | 2y | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 657-7 | View |
| Idaho | 2y | 2y | 2y | Idaho Code § 5-219 | View |
| Illinois | 2y | 2y | 2y | 735 ILCS 5/13-202 | View |
| Indiana | 2y | 2y | 2y | Ind. Code § 34-11-2-4 | View |
| Iowa | 2y | 2y | 2y | Iowa Code § 614.1 | View |
| Kansas | 2y | 2y | 2y | Kan. Stat. § 60-513 | View |
| Kentucky | 1y | 1y | 1y | Ky. Rev. Stat. § 413.140 | View |
| Louisiana | 2y | 1y | 1y | La. Civ. Code art. 3493.1 (extended from 1 year to 2 years by 2024 La. Acts No. 423 | View |
| Maine | 6y | 3y | 2y | Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14 § 752 | View |
| Maryland | 3y | 5y | 3y | Md. Code Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101 | View |
| Massachusetts | 3y | 3y | 3y | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260 § 2A | View |
| Michigan | 3y | 2y | 3y | Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5805 | View |
| Minnesota | 6y | 4y | 3y | Minn. Stat. § 541.05 | View |
| Mississippi | 3y | 2y | 3y | Miss. Code § 15-1-49 | View |
| Missouri | 5y | 2y | 3y | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.120 | View |
| Montana | 3y | 3y | 3y | Mont. Code § 27-2-204 | View |
| Nebraska | 4y | 2y | 2y | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-207 | View |
| Nevada | 2y | 3y | 2y | Nev. Rev. Stat. § 11.190 | View |
| New Hampshire | 3y | 3y | 6y | N.H. Rev. Stat. § 508:4 | View |
| New Jersey | 2y | 2y | 2y | N.J. Stat. § 2A:14-2 | View |
| New Mexico | 3y | 3y | 3y | N.M. Stat. § 37-1-8 | View |
| New York | 3y | 2.5y | 2y | N.Y. CPLR § 214 (PI) | View |
| North Carolina | 3y | 3y | 2y | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-52 | View |
| North Dakota | 6y | 2y | 2y | N.D. Cent. Code § 28-01-16 | View |
| Ohio | 2y | 1y | 2y | Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.10 | View |
| Oklahoma | 2y | 2y | 2y | Okla. Stat. tit. 12 § 95 | View |
| Oregon | 2y | 2y | 3y | Or. Rev. Stat. § 12.110 | View |
| Pennsylvania | 2y | 2y | 2y | 42 Pa. C.S. § 5524 | View |
| Rhode Island | 3y | 3y | 3y | R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-14 | View |
| South Carolina | 3y | 3y | 3y | S.C. Code § 15-3-530 | View |
| South Dakota | 3y | 2y | 3y | S.D. Codified Laws § 15-2-14 | View |
| Tennessee | 1y | 1y | 1y | Tenn. Code § 28-3-104 | View |
| Texas | 2y | 2y | 2y | Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003 | View |
| Utah | 4y | 2y | 2y | Utah Code § 78B-2-307 | View |
| Vermont | 3y | 3y | 2y | Vt. Stat. tit. 12 § 512 | View |
| Virginia | 2y | 2y | 2y | Va. Code § 8.01-243 | View |
| Washington | 3y | 3y | 3y | Wash. Rev. Code § 4.16.080 | View |
| Washington DC | 3y | 3y | 2y | D.C. Code § 12-301 | View |
| West Virginia | 2y | 2y | 2y | W. Va. Code § 55-2-12 | View |
| Wisconsin | 3y | 3y | 3y | Wis. Stat. § 893.54 | View |
| Wyoming | 4y | 2y | 2y | Wyo. Stat. § 1-3-105 | View |
The personal-injury statute of limitations is a substantive bar, not a recommendation. Once the deadline passes, the right to ask a court to award damages does not weaken; it disappears entirely. Defense lawyers file a motion to dismiss the moment a complaint is filed even one day late. The judge has no discretion to forgive the lateness absent a recognized tolling exception. The dismissal is "with prejudice," meaning the same facts cannot be brought as a new case in a different court.
The deadline runs from the date of injury in nearly every state. Settlement negotiations, insurance adjuster calls, and pre-litigation demands do not pause the running of the statute. Only proper filing of a complaint in a court of competent jurisdiction stops the clock. Plaintiffs' lawyers routinely file protective complaints in the final 30 days of the limitations period even if settlement talks are ongoing , once the complaint is filed, the parties can continue negotiating with the deadline neutralized.
Tolling exceptions exist but are narrow. Most states recognize tolling for minors (until age of majority), mental incapacity, defendant absence from the state, and (in limited contexts) the discovery rule for injuries that could not reasonably have been discovered at the time. Each tolling theory has its own evidentiary burden, and courts apply them strictly. The safest course is to treat the SOL as the binding deadline and treat any potential tolling as a backstop, not a primary strategy.
Government-defendant cases involve a separate, much shorter deadline. State and federal tort claims acts require a written notice of claim within 60 to 180 days from the date of injury, served on the appropriate official. Missing this notice deadline bars the lawsuit even if the general SOL has not yet expired. Plaintiffs' attorneys treat the notice deadline as the operative date in any case involving a potential government defendant.