Time Limits for Bringing a Case: The "Statute of Limitations"

Remember that the delay in discovery must be one that is reasonable under the circumstances. So, if the patient in the above example was experiencing abdominal pain after the first surgery but refused to seek medical treatment for a number of years, his or her lawsuit may very well be barred by the statute of limitations. Also, the "discovery of harm" rule will almost never arise in the most common types of injury claims -- those after car accidents and slip and fall incidents. This is because such occurrences usually leave nothing to "discover" in terms of the source and nature of any harm suffered.

The Statute of Limitations in Your State

As mentioned above, every state has enacted its own statute of limitations, requiring any personal injury suit be filed in court within a set time after the incident or injury. The specific limit prescribed by each state is identified in the chart below, along with a link to the relevant state law.

(Note: State laws are frequently revised from year-to-year, so it is important to speak with an attorney to understand how your state's current laws will apply in your case, especially in areas as critical as the statute of limitations. Remember also that special time-limit rules exist for injury claims against the government.)

State	Statute of Limitations	State Law
Alabama	2 years	Ala. Code Sec. 6-2-38
Arkansas	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. 5, 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. Art. 14, 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 (2 in wrongful death)	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
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