State Statutes Of Limitations In Civil Cases
Most states, including California, require that to recover damages in a personal injury action a claim must be filed against the responsible party within a certain time period. This is called a "Statute of Limitations." Your may lose your rights to recovery if a lawsuit is not brought within these specified time periods. Most courts strictly apply the Statute of Limitations.
In California the Statute of Limitations requires a personal injury action to be filed with the court within one year from the date the injury occurred, unless there is a minor or government entity involved. If a minor or governmental agency is involved the statute of limitations in California are different. If the responsible party is a government-owned entity, there may be special notices that must be given within a certain time period to the government entity before filing a legal claim. Often, the time limit in which to provide these notices is as short as 30 to 60 days.
If you have been injured in an accident, please seek the advice of a personal injury lawyer immediately to determine the appropriate Statute of Limitations which covers the filing of your complaint.
Below is a listing of the third party liability statute of limitations for each state:
| State | Statute Code | Years |
| Alabama | Code of Alabama Section 6-2-38 | 2 years |
| Alaska | Alaska Statutes Section 09 10.070 | 2 years |
| Arizona | Arizona Revised Statutes Section 12-542 | 2 years |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Stat. Annotated Section 16-56-115 | 5 years |
| California | Civil Civ. Procedure code Section 340 | 2 years |
| Colorado | Colorado Revised Statutes Section 13-80-102 | 2 years |
| Connecticut | Connecticut General Statutes Section 52-584 | 2 years |
| Delaware | Delaware Code Annotated cc 8107, 8119 | 2 years |
| D.C. | District of Columbia Code Section 12-301 | 3 years |
| Florida | Florida Statutes Section 95.11 | 4 years |
| Georgia | Georgia Code Ann. Section 3-1004 | 2 years |
| Hawaii | Hawaii Revised Statutes Section 657-7 | 2 years |
| Idaho | Idaho Code Section 5-219 | 2 years |
| Illinois | Illinois Statutes Ann. Section 13-202 | 2 years |
| Indiana | Indiana Code Ann. Section 34-1-2-2 | 2 years |
| Iowa | Iowa Code Annotated Section 614.1 | 2 years |
| Kansas | Kansas Statutes Annotated Section 60.513 | 2 years |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Civil Code Section 3492 | 1 year |
| Maine | Maine Revised Statutes Ann. Section 752 | 6 years |
| Maryland | Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings Code,Section 5-101 | 3 years |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts General Laws Ann. Ch. 260,Section 2A4 | 3 years |
| Michigan | Michigan Compiled Laws Section 600.5805S | 3 years |
| Mississippi | Mississippi Code Annotated Section 15-1-49 | 3 years |
| Missouri | Missouri Statute Annotated 35 Section 516.120 | 5 years |
| Montana | Montana Code Annotated Section 27-2-204, 27-2-207 | 3 years |
| Nebraska | Revised Statutes of Nebraska Section 25-208 | 4 years |
| Nevada | Nevada Revised Statutes Annotated Section 11.190 | 2 years |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire Rev. Statutes Ann.Section 508:4 | 3 years |
| New Jersey | New Jersey Statutes Annotated Section 2A:14-2 | 2 years |
| New Mexico | New Mexico Statutes Ann. Section 37-1-8 | 3 years |
| New York | NEW YORK CIV. PRAC.R. Section 214 | 3 years |
| North Carolina | General Statutes of North Carolina Section 1-52 | 3 years |
| North Dakota | North Dakota Century Code Section 28-01-16 | 6 years |
| Ohio | Ohio Rev. Code Ann. Section 2305.10 | 2 years |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Statutes Annotated Title 12 Section 95 | 2 years |
| Oregon | Oregon Revised Statutes Section 12.110 | 2 years |
| Pennsylvania | 42 PA Con. Stat. Annotated Section 5524 | 2 years |
| Rhode Island | General Laws of Rhode Island Section 9-1-14 | 3 years |
| South Carolina | South Carolina Code Ann. Section 15-3-530 | 3 years |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Comp. Laws Ann. Section 15-12-2, 15-2-14 | 3 years |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Code Annotated Section 28-3-104 | 1 year |
| Texas | Texas Civil Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. 2 Section 16.003 | 2 years |
| Utah | Utah Code Annotated Section 78-12-25 | 4 years |
| Vermont | Vermont Statutes Ann. Title 12, Section 512 | 3 years |
| Virginia | Virginia code Section 8.01-243 | 2 years |
| Washington | Revised Code of Washington Ann.Section 4.16.020 | 3 years |
| West Virginia | West Virginia Code Section 55-2-12 | 2 years |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Statutes Ann. Section 893.54 | 3 years |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Statutes Ann. Section 1-3-105 | 4 years |
Disclaimer: The Calilfornia legal information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer or attorney client relationship. Any results set forth here were dependent on the facts of that case and the results will differ from case to case. This web site is not intended to solicit clients for matters outside of the State of California. The lawyer responsible for this website is John Bisnar.
The Malpractice Attorneys at Bisnar|Chase are licensed to practice in California and Nevada. We represent Malpractice Injury clients in other states through our associations with local law firms. Through the local firm, we will be admitted to practice law in their State, "pro hac vice", meaning "for this particular occasion". When in our client's best interest, we employ the local law firm (at no additional cost to our client) to assist us with routine court appearances and discovery proceedings to more efficiently pursue our client's cause.
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