The Editors · Updated May 2026
Statute of Limitations Checker.
Time is the #1 reason injury victims lose their cases. Check exactly how long you have to file in your state — before it is too late.
Check your deadline.
How this works
Why deadlines matter so much.
A statute of limitations is a hard legal deadline. Once it passes, your right to sue is gone — almost always permanently, with very limited exceptions. The deadlines vary by state, by case type, and by who you are suing.
Three things this tool accounts for
- State variation. Statutes range from 1 year (Kentucky, Louisiana, Tennessee) to 6 years (Maine, Minnesota, North Dakota). Most states are 2-3 years.
- Case type. Medical malpractice and wrongful death often have different deadlines than general personal injury. Car accidents typically follow the general PI deadline.
- Government entity claims. If a city, county, state, or federal entity is involved (a city bus, public hospital, road defect), most states require a 6-month administrative claim before any lawsuit.
This estimator is not legal advice.
Statutes of limitations have many exceptions: discovery rule (clock starts when you knew or should have known), minor tolling (deadlines paused for minors), continuous treatment (med-mal cases), and others. A licensed attorney in your state can confirm your exact deadline.
Don’t wait
Talk to a real lawyer in 60 seconds.
Free. No obligation. We will match you with a vetted attorney in your state.