Statutes of Limitations in All 50 States and DC, by Claim Type

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (Ala. Code §6-5-482(a))

Two years from the act or omission. If the claim could not reasonably have been discovered in that window, six months from the date of discovery, and in no event more than four years from the act.

Fraud: 2 years (Ala. Code §6-2-38(l), §6-2-3)

Two years under §6-2-38(l). The discovery rule is statutory and unconditional: §6-2-3 provides that a fraud claim is not considered to have accrued until the aggrieved party discovers the fact constituting the fraud, and gives two years from that point to sue.

Debt Collection: 6 years (Ala. Code §6-2-34)

Six years covers written promises and simple contracts. Alabama sets a shorter period for open and itemized accounts, which is the category most consumer card debt falls into, so confirm which one your debt is before relying on six years.

Sources consulted

• alison.legislature.state.al.us (official)
• alison.legislature.state.al.us (official)
• alison.legislature.state.al.us (official)

Personal Injury: 2 years (Alaska Stat. §09.10.070(a)(2))

Two years for personal injury or death, or injury to the rights of another not arising on contract. Alaska keeps the intentional torts on the same two-year clock rather than a shorter one: §09.10.070(a)(1) gives libel, slander, assault, battery, seduction and false imprisonment the same two years, so there is no shorter trap here of the kind several other states set.

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (Alaska Stat. §09.10.070(a))

Two years, under the same tort section that covers ordinary personal injury; Alaska has no separate medical malpractice limitations statute. The statute itself starts the clock at accrual and says nothing about discovery, so we do not push the deadline out for a late-discovered injury. Alaska courts do recognise a discovery rule as a matter of case law, so if you found out about the injury long after it happened, ask an Alaska lawyer whether your clock started later than the date shown here.

Property Damage: 2 years (Alaska Stat. §09.10.070(a)(3))

Two years for taking, detaining or injuring personal property. Trespass and waste actions affecting real property carry six years under §09.10.050.

Fraud: 2 years (Alaska Stat. §09.10.070(a)(2))

Two years, and the calculator runs that from accrual because the statute gives it nothing else to run from: AS 09.10.070 contains no discovery language for a private claim. The only fraud-discovery text in the chapter governs actions brought for the benefit of the state, a political subdivision or a public corporation, and does not reach a private plaintiff. Alaska courts do apply a discovery rule to fraud, so a later start may be available on your facts; it is not something the statute lets the calculator compute.

Wage Claims: 2 years (Alaska Stat. §09.10.070(a)(5))

Two years, as an action upon a liability created by statute other than a penalty or forfeiture. Alaska sets no wage-specific court deadline: AS 23.05.140 is "Pay periods; penalty", which makes final wages due within three working days of an employer-initiated termination and allows a penalty of up to 90 working days of wages, but fixes no limitation. If the claim is framed as a contract action instead, AS 09.10.053 gives three years. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act allows two years, or three for a willful violation.

Sources consulted

• akleg.gov (official)
• akleg.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (A.R.S. §12-542)

Two years, and Arizona has no separate malpractice statute: §12-542(1) names medical malpractice inside the general two-year personal-injury period. That section runs from accrual and contains no discovery language, so the calculator runs the clock from the act. The contrast within the same chapter is worth seeing: §12-543(3) expressly says a fraud claim does not accrue until the aggrieved party discovers it, so Arizona writes a discovery rule when it means one and did not write one here. Arizona courts do apply a discovery rule to malpractice, but it is judge-made, so it is not something the calculator can compute.

Wage Claims: 2 years (A.R.S. §23-364(H))

Two years after the violation last occurs, or three years if the violation was willful. The clock is suspended while the Industrial Commission or a law enforcement agency is investigating.

Sources consulted

• azleg.gov (official)
• azleg.gov (official)
• azleg.gov (official)
• azleg.gov (official)
• azleg.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (Ark. Code §16-114-203)

Two years, and Arkansas runs it from the date of the wrongful act itself, not from the date you found out. The one exception in the statute is a foreign object left in the body, which gives one year from the date it is or should have been discovered. Do not count on a general discovery rule here.

Fraud: see statute (Ark. Code §16-56-105)

Arkansas fixes no fraud-specific period. §16-56-105 gives three years for actions founded on a contract or liability, express or implied, and Arkansas runs a fraud claim on that general three-year period.

Arkansas has no fraud-specific limitations section, so the general three-year period applies and §16-56-115 tolls it where the fraud was concealed. Confirm this one with a lawyer before relying on it.

Wage Claims: see statute (Ark. Code §16-56-105)

Arkansas sets no wage-specific court deadline. An unpaid-wage suit is an action on a contract or liability under §16-56-105, which is three years. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act runs its own two years, or three for a willful violation.

Debt Collection: see statute (Ark. Code §16-56-111)

Debt collection is not a category Arkansas legislates separately. A written obligation runs on the five years in §16-56-111(a); a debt with nothing in writing behind it runs on the three years in §16-56-105. §16-56-111(b) also tolls the period on partial payment or written acknowledgment of default, which can restart a debt you thought was dead.

Sources consulted

• codes.findlaw.com (published mirror)
• codes.findlaw.com (published mirror)
• codes.findlaw.com (published mirror)

Personal Injury: 2 years (Cal. Civ. Proc. Code §335.1)

Government claims: If the defendant is a California public entity (a city, county, school district, transit agency, or the state), you must first present a written claim to that entity within SIX MONTHS of the injury under Cal. Gov. Code §911.2. Miss the six months and the two-year period never helps you.

Medical Malpractice: 3 years (Cal. Civ. Proc. Code §340.5)

1 year from discovery or 3 years from injury, whichever comes first. Extended for fraud, concealment, or presence of a foreign body.

Property Damage: 3 years (Cal. Civ. Proc. Code §338(b))

Government claims: A claim against a California public entity for injury to personal property must be presented to that entity within SIX MONTHS under Cal. Gov. Code §911.2. Other claims against a public entity get one year.

Fraud: 3 years (Cal. Civ. Proc. Code §338(d))

3 years from discovery of the fraud.

Wrongful Termination: see statute (Cal. Civ. Proc. Code §335.1)

California has no wrongful-termination limitations statute. §335.1 gives two years for injury caused by the wrongful act of another, and a Tameny claim for discharge in violation of public policy is such an injury. A FEHA claim is a different track with its own clock: file with the Civil Rights Department within three years, then sue within one year of the right-to-sue notice.

FEHA claims must first be filed with the CRD within 3 years.

Wage Claims: 3 years (Cal. Civ. Proc. Code §338(a))

Three years, as an action on a liability created by statute. A claim on a written employment agreement instead runs four years under §337, and an unfair competition claim four years under Bus. & Prof. Code §17208.

Sources consulted

• leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (official)
• leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (official)
• leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (official)

Personal Injury: 2 years (C.R.S. §13-80-102(1)(a))

MOTOR VEHICLE CLAIMS GET THREE YEARS, NOT TWO. Two years is the general tort period at §13-80-102(1)(a), and that paragraph expressly does not apply to a tort arising out of the use or operation of a motor vehicle: §13-80-101(1)(n)(I) puts all tort actions for bodily injury or property damage from a motor vehicle in the three-year list. Accrual is discovery-based by statute: §13-80-108(1) runs the clock from when BOTH the injury and its cause are known or should have been known through reasonable diligence.

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (C.R.S. §13-80-102.5)

Two years from accrual under §13-80-108(1), capped by a three-year statute of repose from the act or omission. That repose has four express exceptions in §13-80-102.5(3), and each restarts the clock at two years from discovery: where the act or omission was KNOWINGLY CONCEALED; where it consisted of leaving an unauthorized foreign object in the body; where both the physical injury and its cause were not known and could not reasonably have been known; and for minors, where a child under six at the time of the act may sue at any time before turning eight.

Written Contracts: 3 years (C.R.S. §13-80-101(1)(a))

Three years for contract actions generally. A suit to collect a liquidated debt or to enforce an instrument securing a debt gets six years under §13-80-103.5.

Oral Contracts: 3 years (C.R.S. §13-80-101(1)(a))

Colorado sets the same three-year period for written and oral contract actions.

Property Damage: 2 years (C.R.S. §13-80-102(1)(a))

Two years is the general tort period, and Colorado moves two large categories out of it into three years. Property damage arising out of the use or operation of a motor vehicle is §13-80-101(1)(n)(I). Replevin, or taking, detaining or converting goods or chattels, is §13-80-101(1)(h). Accrual runs from discovery of both the injury and its cause under §13-80-108(1).

Fraud: 3 years (C.R.S. §13-80-101(1)(c), §13-80-108(3))

Three years for fraud, misrepresentation, concealment or deceit under §13-80-101(1)(c). The discovery rule is statutory and lives in a different section: §13-80-108(3) provides that such a claim accrues on the date the fraud, misrepresentation, concealment or deceit is discovered or should have been discovered by the exercise of reasonable diligence.

Wage Claims: 2 years (C.R.S. §8-4-122)

Two years for an action under the Colorado Wage Act, extended to three years for a WILLFUL violation. §8-4-122 draws that line on willfulness, not on whether the claim is a minimum wage claim. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act happens to use the same two and three year split, also on willfulness.

Sources consulted

• leg.colorado.gov (official)
• leg.colorado.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (Conn. Gen. Stat. §52-584)

3-year statute of repose from the date of the act or omission. Discovery rule applies within that window.

Fraud: 3 years (Conn. Gen. Stat. §52-577)

Three years from the date of the act or omission complained of. §52-577 is a pure act-based period and contains no discovery language at all, which makes Connecticut stricter than most states here. §52-595 provides a later start where a person liable fraudulently conceals the existence of the cause of action, in which case it accrues when the person entitled to sue first discovers it. That turns on concealment, so pursue it on your own facts.

Wage Claims: 2 years (Conn. Gen. Stat. §52-596)

Two years after the right of action accrues, for remuneration for employment payable periodically. Filing a non-payment complaint with the Labor Commissioner can extend that.

Sources consulted

• cga.ct.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (Del. Code tit. 18, §6856)

Two years from the date the injury occurred. Where the injury was unknown and could not reasonably have been discovered in that window, the claim can still be brought up to three years from the injury, and no later. 3-year statute of repose.

Wage Claims: 2 years (Del. Code tit. 10, §8111)

Two years from accrual for a claim for wages, salary or overtime for work, labor or personal services performed. The wage payment act itself, 19 Del. C. §1113, creates the civil action but sets no period of its own.

Sources consulted

• delcode.delaware.gov (official)
• delcode.delaware.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 3 years (D.C. Code §12-301(8))

Three years. The District has no malpractice-specific statute, so this runs on the general residual at §12-301(8). That section times every listed action from when the right to maintain it accrues and contains no discovery language, so the calculator runs the clock from the act. District courts do apply a discovery rule, but it is judge-made rather than statutory.

Property Damage: 3 years (D.C. Code §12-301(3))

Three years for injury to property. Note that defamation, assault, battery and false imprisonment get only ONE year in the District under §12-301(4).

Fraud: 3 years (D.C. Code §12-301(8))

Three years under the general residual at §12-301(8), which times every listed action from when the right to maintain it accrues and contains no discovery language. The calculator therefore runs the clock from accrual. District courts do apply a discovery rule to fraud, but it is judge-made rather than statutory, so if you learned of the fraud late you need to raise it rather than assume it.

Wage Claims: 3 years (D.C. Code §32-1308.01)

Wage Payment Act claims.

Sources consulted

• code.dccouncil.gov (official)
• code.dccouncil.gov (official)

Personal Injury: 2 years (Fla. Stat. §95.11(5)(a))

Reduced from 4 years to 2 years effective March 24, 2023 (HB 837).

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (Fla. Stat. §95.11(5)(c))

2 years from discovery. 4-year statute of repose (7 years for fraud/concealment).

Fraud: 4 years (Fla. Stat. §95.11(3)(i))

Runs from discovery of the fraud. 12-year statute of repose.

Wrongful Termination: 4 years (Fla. Stat. §95.11(3)(o))

Four years under the catch-all for actions not specifically provided for. Florida Whistleblower Act claims run shorter, so check the statute your claim is brought under.

Wage Claims: 2 years (Fla. Stat. §95.11(5)(d))

Two years to recover wages or overtime. A WILLFUL violation of a labor law gets five years under §95.11(2)(d), so the shorter period is the one to plan around.

Sources consulted

• flsenate.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (O.C.G.A. §9-3-71)

Two years from the date the injury or death occurred, NOT from the date you found out. Georgia allows only narrow exceptions, mainly for a foreign object left in the body. 5-year statute of repose from the negligent act.

Property Damage: 4 years (O.C.G.A. §9-3-31)

Four years for injuries to personalty; trespass or damage to real property is also four years under §9-3-30.

Fraud: see statute (O.C.G.A. §9-3-31)

Georgia sets no fraud-specific period. §9-3-31 gives four years for injuries to personalty, which is the category a fraud claim for economic loss falls in. Where the defendant concealed the fraud, §9-3-96 tolls the period until discovery, and that turns on facts the calculator cannot know.

Four years for injuries to personalty. §9-3-31 contains no discovery language, so the calculator runs the clock from accrual. Georgia does provide a later start in one situation: §9-3-96 says that where the defendant is guilty of a fraud by which the plaintiff was debarred or deterred from bringing an action, the period runs only from the plaintiff's discovery of the fraud. That turns on the defendant having concealed, which the calculator cannot know, so pursue it on your own facts.

Sources consulted

• law.justia.com (published mirror)
• law.justia.com (published mirror)
• law.justia.com (published mirror)
• law.justia.com (published mirror)
• law.justia.com (published mirror)
• law.justia.com (published mirror)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (Haw. Rev. Stat. §657-7.3)

6-year statute of repose from the act or omission.

Wrongful Termination: see statute (Haw. Rev. Stat. §657-7)

Hawaii sets no wrongful-termination period. §657-7 gives two years for damage or injury to persons or property, which is the period a discharge tort runs on. A discrimination claim goes through the Civil Rights Commission first and has its own much shorter filing window.

Wage Claims: see statute (Haw. Rev. Stat. §657-1(1))

Two years here is deliberately cautious and is not a period Hawaii sets. Hawaii fixes no wage-specific court deadline; §657-1(1) gives six years for a debt founded on a contract or liability, which is the longer figure a wage suit would likely run on. We show the shorter number because filing early costs nothing and filing late costs the claim.

TWO YEARS IS A DELIBERATELY CAUTIOUS FIGURE, NOT A PERIOD HAWAII SETS. Hawaii fixes no wage-specific court deadline, so the real period has to be inferred, and the calculator will not round an inference upward. ONE YEAR IS THE DEADLINE THAT USUALLY BITES FIRST. §388-11(b) bars the director of labor and industrial relations from accepting a wage claim more than one year after the wages were due and payable, so the administrative route closes long before the court route does. §388-11(a) creates the court action but sets no period for it, and §388-10 is titled "Penalties" and sets none either, so a suit most likely runs on the general six years for a debt founded upon a contract, obligation or liability at §657-1(1). The federal Fair Labor Standards Act allows two years, or three for a willful violation. If you are past two years, do not assume you are finished: confirm with a Hawaii lawyer which route and period fit your facts.

Sources consulted

• capitol.hawaii.gov (official)
• capitol.hawaii.gov (official)
• capitol.hawaii.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (Idaho Code §5-219(4))

IDAHO RUNS THIS FROM THE OCCURRENCE, NOT FROM WHEN YOU FIND OUT. §5-219(4) does not merely omit a discovery rule, it forecloses one: in all actions arising from professional malpractice the cause of action accrues at the time of the occurrence, act or omission, and the limitation period is not extended by any continuing consequences, continuing damages, or a continuing professional relationship. Discovery accrual is available in only two named situations: a foreign object left in the body, and damage that was fraudulently and knowingly concealed by a wrongdoer who stood in a professional or commercial relationship with the injured party. In either of those the claim accrues when the injured party knows, or through reasonable care should have been put on inquiry.

Wrongful Termination: see statute (Idaho Code §5-219(4))

Idaho sets no wrongful-termination period. §5-219(4) gives two years for professional malpractice or an injury to the person, which is where a discharge tort falls. A claim pleaded as breach of an employment contract instead runs on the contract periods in §§5-216 and 5-217.

Wage Claims: 2 years (Idaho Code §45-614)

AN UNDERPAYMENT CLAIM GETS TWELVE MONTHS, NOT TWO YEARS. §45-614 gives two years to collect wages, penalties and liquidated damages, but where salary or wages HAVE been paid and the employee claims ADDITIONAL wages for work in that same pay period, the action must be commenced within twelve months of accrual. That covers the ordinary underpayment dispute, so most Idaho wage claimants are on the shorter clock. The section ends by saying that if the action is not commenced as it provides, any remedy on the cause of action is forever barred. Filing with the Department of Labor counts as filing for this purpose.

Sources consulted

• legislature.idaho.gov (official)
• legislature.idaho.gov (official)
• legislature.idaho.gov (official)
• legislature.idaho.gov (official)
• legislature.idaho.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (735 ILCS 5/13-212)

2 years from discovery but no more than 4 years from the act (statute of repose).

Wrongful Termination: 2 years (735 ILCS 5/13-202)

Illinois Human Rights Act claims: file charge within 300 days.

Wage Claims: 3 years (820 ILCS 105/12(a))

Three years from the date of the underpayment for a civil action under the Illinois Minimum Wage Law. The other route, a wage claim filed with the Illinois Department of Labor under 820 ILCS 115/11, has to be filed within ONE year of the wages coming due, so do not let that one lapse while you think you have three.

Debt Collection: 10 years (735 ILCS 5/13-206)

10 years for written contracts; 5 years for oral.

Sources consulted

• ilga.gov (official)
• ilga.gov (official)
• ilga.gov (official)
• ilga.gov (official)
• ilga.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (Ind. Code §34-18-7-1)

Two years from the date of the act, omission or neglect. Indiana is an occurrence state: the statute contains no discovery rule, so the clock does not wait until you learn of the injury. A child under six has until their eighth birthday. A claim against a qualified provider also has to be filed with the Indiana Department of Insurance for a medical review panel.

Written Contracts: 6 years (Ind. Code §34-11-2-9)

6 years for written contracts for the payment of money; 10 years for other written contracts (§34-11-2-11).

Property Damage: 2 years (Ind. Code §34-11-2-4(a)(2))

Two years applies to injury to PERSONAL property under §34-11-2-4(a)(2). Damage to real property is not in that section: §34-11-2-7(3) gives six years for injuries to property other than personal property. Which one you are in changes the deadline by four years, so identify the property first.

Fraud: 6 years (Ind. Code §34-11-2-7(4))

Six years for actions for relief against frauds. The statute itself has no discovery rule, so the calculator runs the clock from accrual. Indiana does have §34-11-5-1: where a person liable conceals the fact from the person entitled to sue, the action may be brought within the limitation period after DISCOVERY of the cause of action. That is concealment tolling rather than a general discovery rule, and Indiana courts have also developed discovery principles by case law, so a later start may well be available on your facts. It is not something the calculator can compute for you.

Wage Claims: 2 years (Ind. Code §34-11-2-1)

Two years for an action relating to the terms, conditions and privileges of employment, which is where a claim for unpaid compensation sits. A claim founded on a WRITTEN employment contract is carved out of that section and runs longer.

Debt Collection: 6 years (Ind. Code §34-11-2-9(b))

Six years for promissory notes, bills of exchange and other written contracts for the payment of money executed after August 31, 1982. Watch §34-11-2-9(c): an action upon a DEPOSIT ACCOUNT must be commenced within two years, whether it is brought by the depositor or by the financial institution. Contracts executed before September 1, 1982 ran ten years.

Sources consulted

• iga.in.gov (official)
• iga.in.gov (official)
• iga.in.gov (official)
• iga.in.gov (official)
• iga.in.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (Iowa Code §614.1(9))

6-year statute of repose from the date of the act or omission.

Fraud: 5 years (Iowa Code §614.1(4))

Five years under §614.1(4), which sets a period and contains no discovery language. Iowa applies a discovery rule to fraud through case law rather than statute, so the calculator runs the clock from accrual. If you learned of the fraud late, raise it.

Debt Collection: 10 years (Iowa Code §614.1(5))

10 years for written; 5 years for oral contracts.

Sources consulted

• legis.iowa.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (K.S.A. §60-513(a)(7), §60-513(c))

Two years, and Kansas starts the clock at the OCCURRENCE, not at discovery. §60-513(c) accrues a health-care claim at the time of the act giving rise to it, and moves that start only where the fact of injury is not reasonably ascertainable until later, in which case the period runs from when the injury becomes reasonably ascertainable. Either way the section caps it: in no event may the action be commenced more than FOUR years beyond the act.

Wage Claims: 3 years (K.S.A. §60-512(2))

Three years, as an action upon a liability created by a statute other than a penalty or forfeiture. Kansas sets no wage-specific court deadline, so a claim under the Wage Payment Act runs on this general period. §60-512(1) puts contracts not in writing on the same three years. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act allows two years, or three for a willful violation.

Debt Collection: see statute (K.S.A. §60-511(1))

Kansas does not legislate debt collection as its own category. A debt on a written agreement runs on the five years in §60-511(1); a debt on an unwritten one runs on the three years in §60-512(1).

Sources consulted

• ksrevisor.gov (official)
• ksrevisor.gov (official)
• ksrevisor.gov (official)

Personal Injury: 1 year (Ky. Rev. Stat. §413.140(1)(a))

One year for an injury to the person of the plaintiff. Read against the amending act, 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 172 sec. 28 effective 2026-07-15: that amendment reworded paragraph (1)(f) and renumbered cross-references, and left every limitations period in KRS 413.140 unchanged. Kentucky is one of the shortest personal-injury periods in the country, so treat the year as real.

Medical Malpractice: 1 year (Ky. Rev. Stat. §413.140(1)(e))

One year against a physician, surgeon, dentist or hospital licensed under KRS Chapter 216, for negligence or malpractice. The discovery rule is statutory: KRS 413.140(2) accrues the claim when the injury is first discovered or in the exercise of reasonable care should have been discovered, then caps it, because the same subsection requires the action to be commenced within FIVE years of the alleged negligent act or omission whatever the discovery date. Read against the amending act, 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 172 sec. 28 effective 2026-07-15, which reworded paragraph (1)(f) and renumbered cross-references and left every period in KRS 413.140 unchanged.

Written Contracts: 10 years (Ky. Rev. Stat. §413.160)

Read from the Kentucky General Assembly's own index to KRS Chapter 413, which prints the catchline of §413.160 as "Actions upon written contract or not provided for by statute -- Ten-year limitation" and of §413.090 as a fifteen-year limitation on judgments, contracts and bonds. Those catchlines are the issuing authority's statement of the periods, but the site says they do not form part of the law, and the section text itself is published as an image-only PDF we cannot read.

10 years for written contracts executed on or after July 15, 2014. Contracts executed before that date carry a 15-year period under §413.090(2).

Wage Claims: 3 years (Ky. Rev. Stat. §337.385(5))

Three years after the cause of action accrued, for any court or administrative action under the wages and hours chapter that has no express period of its own.

Debt Collection: 10 years (Ky. Rev. Stat. §413.160)

Same source and same limit as the written-contract entry: a written debt runs on the ten-year period whose catchline the General Assembly's index to KRS Chapter 413 prints for §413.160. We have not been able to read the section text itself, only the official catchline for it.

10 years for written contracts executed on or after July 15, 2014 (15 years if executed before); 5 years for oral.

Sources consulted

• apps.legislature.ky.gov (official)
• apps.legislature.ky.gov (official)
• codes.findlaw.com (published mirror)
• codes.findlaw.com (published mirror)
• law.justia.com (published mirror)

Personal Injury: 2 years (La. Civ. Code art. 3493.1)

Louisiana calls this a prescriptive period, not a statute of limitations, and it runs from the day the injury or damage is sustained. Two years applies only to delictual actions arising AFTER July 1, 2024: Act 423 of 2024 states in terms that it is prospective only, so an injury on or before July 1, 2024 keeps the old ONE year under the repealed art. 3492. If your accident straddles that date, get the exact rule checked before you count anything.

Medical Malpractice: 1 year (La. Rev. Stat. §9:5628(A))

One year from the act, or one year from discovering it, but in all events no more than three years from the act itself. Act 423 of 2024 doubled the general tort period to two years and left this one alone, so malpractice is still the short one. A claim against a qualified health care provider also has to go to a medical review panel before suit.

Written Contracts: 10 years (La. Civ. Code art. 3499)

Ten years is the residual period for a personal action, which is where an ordinary contract claim lands. Watch the carve-outs in art. 3494: money lent and open accounts run only three years.

Oral Contracts: 10 years (La. Civ. Code art. 3499)

Louisiana does not shorten the period because the agreement was spoken. Proving an unwritten contract above a threshold value needs one witness plus other corroborating circumstances, which is a different problem from the deadline.

Property Damage: 2 years (La. Civ. Code art. 3493.1)

Two years for damage arising after July 1, 2024, one year before that. Damage to IMMOVABLE property (land, buildings) is different in when the clock starts: art. 3493.2 runs it from the day the owner acquired or should have acquired knowledge of the damage, not from the damage itself. Damage to movable property runs from the damage.

Fraud: 2 years (La. Civ. Code art. 3493.1)

Fraud pleaded as a tort is a delictual action, so two years for a claim arising after July 1, 2024 and one year before it. Article 3493.1 starts the clock on the day the injury or damage is sustained and contains NO discovery rule, so do not assume the deadline waits until you found the fraud. Louisiana has a narrow judicial doctrine that can suspend prescription, but it is argued case by case, so have a Louisiana lawyer confirm your start date.

Wrongful Termination: 1 year (La. Rev. Stat. §23:303(D))

One year for a claim under the Louisiana Employment Discrimination Law, suspended while the EEOC or the Louisiana Commission on Human Rights is reviewing the claim, but for no more than six months. A discharge claim pleaded as an ordinary tort instead runs on the delictual period (two years after July 1, 2024), so the shorter figure is the one to plan around.

Wage Claims: 3 years (La. Civ. Code art. 3494(1))

Three years for an action to recover compensation for services rendered, which is where unpaid salary, wages, commissions and professional fees sit. La. Rev. Stat. §23:631 and §23:632 govern WHEN final pay is due and the penalty for withholding it, not how long you have to sue.

Debt Collection: 3 years (La. Civ. Code art. 3494(4))

Three years on an open account, which is the category most credit card and revolving store debt falls into, and three years on money lent. A suit on a promissory note or another written contract instead takes the ten-year personal-action period of art. 3499, so identify which kind of debt it is before you rely on either number.

Sources consulted

• legis.la.gov (official)
• legis.la.gov (official)
• legis.la.gov (official)
• legis.la.gov (official)
• legis.la.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 3 years (Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 24, §2902)

Three years, and the statute says in terms that the cause of action accrues on the date of the act or omission, not on the date you discovered the harm. The single exception is a foreign object left in the body, which accrues at discovery. A minor gets six years from accrual, or three years after turning eighteen, whichever comes first.

Fraud: 6 years (Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, §752)

Six years from accrual under 14 M.R.S. §752, which contains no discovery language. Maine provides a later start under 14 M.R.S. §859, "Limitation extended in cases of fraud", where a person liable fraudulently conceals the cause of action. That turns on concealment, so pursue it on your own facts.

Wage Claims: see statute (Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, §752)

Three years is deliberately cautious and is not a period Maine sets. Maine fixes no wage-specific court deadline; tit. 14 §752 gives six years for all civil actions, which is the longer figure a wage suit would run on. We show the shorter number on purpose.

Three years is a deliberately cautious figure, not a period Maine sets. Maine fixes no wage-specific court deadline: 26 M.R.S. §626 gives the right to sue and doubles the unpaid wages as liquidated damages but sets no limitation, and §626-A only sets penalties. The period that most likely governs is the general six years for civil actions at 14 M.R.S. §752. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act allows two years, or three for a willful violation. If you are past three years, do not assume you are finished; confirm with a Maine lawyer before letting anything lapse.

Sources consulted

• legislature.maine.gov (official)
• legislature.maine.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 3 years (Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. §5-109)

3 years from discovery. 5-year statute of repose from the date of the act.

Fraud: 3 years (Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. §5-101)

Three years from accrual under §5-101, which contains no discovery language. Maryland does provide a later start in one situation: §5-203 says that where knowledge of a cause of action is kept from a party by the fraud of an adverse party, the action accrues when that party discovered, or by ordinary diligence should have discovered, the fraud. That turns on concealment, which the calculator cannot know, so pursue it on your own facts.

Wage Claims: 3 years (Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. §5-101)

Three years, under the general Maryland civil limitations period. The Wage Payment and Collection Law and the Wage and Hour Law give you the claim and the treble-damages remedy but neither sets a period of its own.

Sources consulted

• mgaleg.maryland.gov (official)
• mgaleg.maryland.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 3 years (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, §4)

Three years after the cause of action accrues, against physicians, surgeons, dentists, optometrists, hospitals and sanitoria, and in no event more than SEVEN years after the act or omission. The section sets accrual and a repose and contains no discovery language, so the calculator runs the clock from the act. Massachusetts courts do read "accrues" to incorporate a discovery rule, but that is judge-made rather than statutory. The seven-year repose is the harder wall and it is the one to plan around.

Fraud: 3 years (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, §2A)

Three years from accrual under ch. 260 §2A, which contains no discovery language. Massachusetts provides a later start where a person liable fraudulently conceals the cause of action: ch. 260 §12 excludes the period before discovery when computing the limit. That turns on concealment, so pursue it on your own facts.

Sources consulted

• malegislature.gov (official)
• malegislature.gov (official)
• malegislature.gov (official)
• malegislature.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (Mich. Comp. Laws §600.5805(8), §600.5838a)

2 years from the act or 6 months from discovery, whichever is later. 6-year statute of repose.

Written Contracts: 6 years (Mich. Comp. Laws §600.5807(9))

Six years for an action to recover damages or money due for breach of contract that is not one of the special bond and covenant categories in subsections (2) to (8). Michigan does not shorten the period because the agreement was spoken.

Oral Contracts: 6 years (Mich. Comp. Laws §600.5807(9))

Six years for an action to recover damages or money due for breach of contract that is not one of the special bond and covenant categories in subsections (2) to (8). Michigan does not shorten the period because the agreement was spoken.

Fraud: see statute (Mich. Comp. Laws §600.5813)

Michigan sets no fraud-specific period. §600.5813 is the residual, "All other personal actions shall be commenced within the period of 6 years after the claims accrue", and fraud runs on it. The section contains no discovery language, so the calculator runs the clock from accrual; §600.5855 gives a separate two-year window from discovery where the liable person fraudulently concealed the claim.

Six years. §600.5813 is Michigan's residual, "All other personal actions shall be commenced within the period of 6 years after the claims accrue", and it contains no discovery language, so the calculator runs the clock from accrual. Michigan does provide a later start under §600.5855 where a person who is or may be liable fraudulently conceals the existence of the claim, or the identity of the person liable: the action may then be brought within two years after the claimant discovers or should have discovered it, even though it would otherwise be barred. That turns on concealment, which the calculator cannot know, so pursue it on your own facts.

Wrongful Termination: see statute (Mich. Comp. Laws §600.5805(2))

Michigan sets no wrongful-termination period. §600.5805(2) gives three years for injury to a person or property, which is the period a discharge tort runs on. A claim under the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act also runs three years.

Wage Claims: 1 year (Mich. Comp. Laws §408.481(1))

Twelve months after the alleged violation to file a written complaint with the department, and only 30 days for a complaint under section 13(2). Suing in court for the same wages as a breach of the employment contract runs on the longer general Michigan contract period, so which route you take changes the deadline completely. Confirm before choosing.

Debt Collection: 6 years (Mich. Comp. Laws §600.5807(9))

Six years, as money due for breach of contract. Suing on a bond, note or similar instrument given to a public entity instead runs ten years under subsection (8), which is the subsection this entry used to cite by mistake.

Sources consulted

• legislature.mi.gov (official)
• legislature.mi.gov (official)
• legislature.mi.gov (official)
• legislature.mi.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 4 years (Minn. Stat. §541.076)

Four years from the date the claim accrued. The statute contains no discovery rule and no statute of repose, and Minnesota generally treats the claim as accruing when the negligent act causes damage rather than when the patient learns of it, so do not assume the four years starts when you found out.

Wage Claims: 2 years (Minn. Stat. §541.07(5))

2 years for unpaid wage claims under state law.

Sources consulted

• revisor.mn.gov (official)
• revisor.mn.gov (official)
• revisor.mn.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (Miss. Code §15-1-36(2))

7-year statute of repose from the date of the act or omission.

Fraud: 3 years (Miss. Code §15-1-49)

Three years under §15-1-49(1). The discovery language in §15-1-49(2) reaches only latent injury or disease, not fraud, so the calculator runs the clock from accrual. Mississippi provides a later start under §15-1-67 where a person liable fraudulently conceals the cause of action, in which case it accrues when the fraud is, or with reasonable diligence might have been, discovered. That turns on concealment, so pursue it on your own facts.

Sources consulted

• law.justia.com (published mirror)
• law.justia.com (published mirror)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (Mo. Rev. Stat. §516.105)

Two years from the date the act of neglect occurred. Missouri is an occurrence state: the only discovery-based starts written into the statute are a foreign object left in the body and a negligent failure to tell the patient their test results, each of which gives two years from discovery. 10-year statute of repose.

Fraud: 5 years (Mo. Rev. Stat. §516.120)

10-year statute of repose.

Wage Claims: 3 years (Mo. Rev. Stat. §290.527)

Three years from the accrual of the cause of action for the collection of any deficiency in wages. An agreement to accept less than the minimum wage is no defence.

Debt Collection: 10 years (Mo. Rev. Stat. §516.110)

10 years for written; 5 years for oral obligations.

Sources consulted

• revisor.mo.gov (official)
• revisor.mo.gov (official)
• revisor.mo.gov (official)
• revisor.mo.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (Mont. Code §27-2-205(1))

Two years from the date of injury, or two years from the date you discovered or should have discovered it, whichever falls later, but in no case more than five years from the injury.

Fraud: 2 years (Mont. Code §27-2-203)

Two years, and the clock does not start at the fraud. §27-2-203 says the cause of action is "not to be deemed to have accrued until the discovery by the aggrieved party of the facts constituting the fraud or mistake", so the period runs from the day you found out.

Wrongful Termination: 1 year (Mont. Code §39-2-911)

Montana is the only state with a Wrongful Discharge from Employment Act.

Wage Claims: see statute (Mont. Code §27-2-211)

Montana sets no wage-specific court deadline. §27-2-211(1) gives two years for an action upon a statutory liability, which is what a claim under the Montana wage payment statutes is. The Department of Labor and Industry also runs an administrative wage-claim route with its own shorter filing window.

Sources consulted

• mca.legmt.gov (official)
• mca.legmt.gov (official)
• mca.legmt.gov (official)
• mca.legmt.gov (official)
• mca.legmt.gov (official)
• mca.legmt.gov (official)
• mca.legmt.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (Neb. Rev. Stat. §25-222)

2 years from the act. If the claim could not reasonably have been discovered in that window, 1 year from discovery. 10-year statute of repose.

Wage Claims: see statute (Neb. Rev. Stat. §25-206)

Two years is deliberately cautious and is not a period Nebraska sets. Nebraska fixes no wage-specific court deadline; §25-206 gives four years for an action upon a liability created by statute, which is the longer figure a Wage Payment and Collection Act claim would run on. We show the shorter number on purpose.

TWO YEARS IS A DELIBERATELY CAUTIOUS FIGURE, NOT A PERIOD NEBRASKA SETS, because Nebraska fixes no wage-specific court deadline and the calculator will not round an inference upward. The period that most likely governs is FOUR years, as an action upon a liability created by statute other than a forfeiture or penalty, which is what a Wage Payment and Collection Act claim is; §25-206 gives oral contracts the same four years. Nebraska sets no wage-specific court deadline. If the claim rests on a WRITTEN employment contract, §25-205 gives five years. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act allows two years, or three for a willful violation. If you are past two years, do not assume you are finished: confirm with a Nebraska lawyer before letting anything lapse.

Sources consulted

• nebraskalegislature.gov (official)
• nebraskalegislature.gov (official)
• nebraskalegislature.gov (official)
• nebraskalegislature.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 3 years (Nev. Rev. Stat. §41A.097(3))

For an injury on or after October 1, 2023: three years from the date of injury or two years from the date you discovered or should have discovered it, whichever comes FIRST. An injury between October 1, 2002 and September 30, 2023 runs on the older three-year / one-year version at NRS 41A.097(2). The clock is tolled while the provider conceals the act.

Wage Claims: 2 years (Nev. Rev. Stat. §608.260)

Two years for an employee's civil action against an employer who paid less than the minimum wage, under §608.260(1). Other wage claims are not in that section: an action on a liability created by statute runs three years under §11.190(3)(a), and the Labor Commissioner takes wage complaints on a separate administrative track. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act allows two years, or three for a willful violation.

Sources consulted

• leg.state.nv.us (official)
• leg.state.nv.us (official)
• leg.state.nv.us (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (N.H. Rev. Stat. §507-C:4)

Two years from the act, omission or failure complained of. The only discovery start written into this section is for a foreign object left in the body. Note the tension a New Hampshire claimant has to resolve: the general personal-injury statute, RSA 508:4, sets three years and does carry a discovery rule, and which section governs a medical injury claim is not something the statutes settle on their own. Two years is the safer number to plan around, but get it confirmed.

Wage Claims: see statute (N.H. Rev. Stat. §508:4)

New Hampshire sets no wage-specific court deadline. RSA 508:4(I) gives three years for all personal actions, and that is the period a wage suit runs on. The Department of Labor also takes wage claims administratively, on its own shorter schedule.

Three years under the general personal-action limitation, RSA 508:4. New Hampshire fixes no wage-specific court deadline: RSA 275:53 creates the employee remedy and sets none. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act allows two years, or three for a willful violation.

Sources consulted

• gc.nh.gov (official)
• gc.nh.gov (official)
• gencourt.state.nh.us (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (N.J. Stat. §2A:14-2(a))

Two years from accrual, under the same section that covers ordinary personal injury. The statute itself contains no discovery rule, so we do not push the deadline out for a late-discovered injury: in New Jersey the discovery rule comes from case law and the judge decides at a separate hearing whether it applies to you. A birth-injury claim on behalf of a minor must be filed before the child turns 13.

Fraud: 6 years (N.J. Stat. §2A:14-1)

Six years under §2A:14-1, which sets a period and contains no discovery language. New Jersey courts do recognize a discovery rule, but it is judge-made rather than statutory, so it is not something the calculator can compute for you. If you learned of the fraud late, raise it.

Wrongful Termination: see statute (N.J. Stat. §2A:14-2)

New Jersey sets no wrongful-termination period. §2A:14-2(a) gives two years for an action for injury to the person caused by the wrongful act of another, and that is the period New Jersey applies both to a Pierce public-policy discharge claim and to a Law Against Discrimination claim.

LAD (Law Against Discrimination) claims: 2 years.

Wage Claims: 6 years (N.J. Stat. §34:11-56a25.1)

Six years. No claim is valid for wages that came due more than six years before the action started, and the action counts as started when a complaint is filed with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, when the Director serves notice of probable cause after an audit, or when suit is filed.

Sources consulted

• law.justia.com (published mirror)
• law.justia.com (published mirror)
• law.justia.com (published mirror)

Medical Malpractice: 3 years (N.M. Stat. §41-5-13)

Three years from the date the act of malpractice occurred. New Mexico is an occurrence state under the Medical Malpractice Act: the three years runs from the act itself, not from the day you found out. Claimants who were minors or under an incapacity get a separate allowance running from the end of that status.

Fraud: 4 years (N.M. Stat. §37-1-4, §37-1-7)

Four years for relief on the ground of fraud under §37-1-4. The discovery rule is statutory and unconditional, and it lives in a different section: §37-1-7 provides that in actions for relief on the ground of fraud or mistake the cause of action is not deemed to have accrued until the fraud or mistake has been discovered by the party aggrieved.

Debt Collection: see statute (N.M. Stat. §37-1-3)

New Mexico sets no deadline for debt collection as such. A written debt is an action founded upon a contract in writing, which §37-1-3(A) gives six years; a debt with nothing in writing behind it runs on the four years in §37-1-4 instead, so check which one you have.

Sources consulted

• nmonesource.com (official)
• law.justia.com (published mirror)
• law.justia.com (published mirror)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years 6 months (N.Y. CPLR §214-a)

NEW YORK RUNS THIS FROM THE ACT, NOT FROM WHEN YOU FIND OUT. Two years and six months from the act, omission or failure complained of, or from the last treatment where there is continuous treatment for the same illness, injury or condition. Discovery only extends that in two narrow cases. FOREIGN OBJECT: one year from discovering it, or from discovering facts that would reasonably lead to its discovery, and the section expressly excludes a chemical compound, fixation device, prosthetic aid or device from what counts as a foreign object. FAILURE TO DIAGNOSE CANCER or a malignant tumor: two years and six months from when the person knows or reasonably should have known both of the negligence and that it caused injury, and in no event more than SEVEN years from the act. Continuous treatment does not include examinations the patient requests solely to check on their own condition.

Fraud: 6 years (N.Y. CPLR §213(8))

6 years from the fraud or 2 years from discovery, whichever is longer.

Wrongful Termination: see statute (N.Y. CPLR §214(2))

New York sets no wrongful-termination period, and recognizes no general common-law claim for it. CPLR §214(2) gives three years for an action to recover upon a liability created by statute, which is what a State Human Rights Law claim is. The New York City Human Rights Law also runs three years.

NY Human Rights Law (state): 3 years. NYC Human Rights Law: 3 years.

Wage Claims: 6 years (N.Y. Lab. Law §198(3))

6 years for unpaid wage claims under NYLL.

Sources consulted

• nysenate.gov (official)
• nysenate.gov (official)
• nysenate.gov (official)
• nysenate.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 3 years (N.C. Gen. Stat. §1-15(c))

3 years from the last act giving rise to the claim. Where the harm was not readily apparent within two years of that act, 1 year from discovery. 4-year statute of repose (10 years for a foreign object).

Sources consulted

• ncleg.gov (official)
• ncleg.gov (official)
• ncleg.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (N.D. Cent. Code §28-01-18(3))

2 years from discovery. 6-year statute of repose from the act or omission.

Wage Claims: 2 years (N.D. Cent. Code §34-14-09(1))

Two years to file a wage claim with the Department of Labor and Human Rights, running from the date each payday's wages came due, under §34-14-09(1). That route is capped: the department takes claims of at least $125 and not more than $15,000. Suing in court instead is an action on a contract or on a statutory liability, which §28-01-16 gives six years, and filing with the department tolls the court deadline while the claim is with them.

Sources consulted

• ndlegis.gov (official)
• ndlegis.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 1 year (Ohio Rev. Code §2305.113)

1 year from discovery or when discovery should have occurred. 4-year statute of repose.

Written Contracts: 6 years (Ohio Rev. Code §2305.06)

Reduced from 8 years to 6 years effective June 2021 (S.B. 13).

Oral Contracts: 4 years (Ohio Rev. Code §2305.07)

Reduced from 6 years to 4 years effective June 2021 (S.B. 13).

Property Damage: 2 years (Ohio Rev. Code §2305.10)

Two years for injury to personal property. Trespass on real property runs four years under §2305.09(A), so the shorter period governs unless your claim is purely a land claim.

Wrongful Termination: 2 years (Ohio Rev. Code §4112.052(C))

Two years for a civil action on an unlawful discriminatory practice in employment, under R.C. §4112.052(C). A charge with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission runs on its own two years under §4112.051(C), and filing one tolls the court deadline while the charge is pending. If the claim is instead a common-law discharge in violation of public policy, Ohio gives four years under §2305.09(D). Two years is shown because the discrimination route is the common one and it expires first.

Wage Claims: 3 years (Ohio Rev. Code §4111.14(K))

Three years from the violation, or from the date a continuing violation stopped, whichever is later; and if you filed a state wage complaint, one year after the state notifies you of its final disposition, if that runs longer.

Debt Collection: 6 years (Ohio Rev. Code §2305.06)

6 years for written; 4 years for oral obligations (S.B. 13, eff. June 2021).

Sources consulted

• codes.ohio.gov (official)
• codes.ohio.gov (official)
• codes.ohio.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (Okla. Stat. tit. 76, §18)

Discovery rule applies. Must file within 2 years of discovery.

Wage Claims: 3 years (Okla. Stat. tit. 12, §95(A)(2))

Three years, as an action on a liability created by statute. A claim resting on a written employment contract instead runs five years under §95(A)(1). Title 40 §165.9 gives you the action and the liquidated damages but no period of its own.

Sources consulted

• oksenate.gov (official)
• oksenate.gov (official)
• oksenate.gov (official)

Personal Injury: 2 years (Or. Rev. Stat. §12.110(1))

Two years for assault, battery, false imprisonment, or any injury to the person or rights of another not arising on contract and not specially enumerated elsewhere in the chapter. ORS 12.115(1) adds an outer wall: no action for negligent injury to person or property may be commenced more than 10 years after the act or omission, whatever the discovery date.

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (Or. Rev. Stat. §12.110(4))

Two years from the date the injury is first discovered, or when in the exercise of reasonable care it should have been discovered. ORS 12.110(4) then caps it: every such action must be commenced within five years of the treatment, omission or operation. That five-year repose has its own exception. Where no action was commenced within five years because of fraud, deceit or misleading representation, the claim runs for two years from when that fraud or deceit was discovered or reasonably should have been.

Property Damage: 6 years (Or. Rev. Stat. §12.080(3), (4))

Six years either way, which is why this entry is safe from the real-versus-personal property split that catches other states: ORS 12.080(3) covers waste, trespass or injury to an interest in REAL property and 12.080(4) covers taking, detaining or injuring PERSONAL property. Construction defect claims are carved out to ORS 12.135.

Fraud: 2 years (Or. Rev. Stat. §12.110(1))

The discovery rule here is statutory, not judge-made: the proviso in ORS 12.110(1) says that in an action at law based upon fraud or deceit, the limitation is deemed to commence only from the discovery of the fraud or deceit.

Wrongful Termination: 1 year (Or. Rev. Stat. §659A.875(1))

ONE YEAR IS THE RESIDUAL, NOT THE USUAL CASE, so read this before concluding you are out of time. ORS 659A.875(1)(a) gives one year from the OCCURRENCE of the unlawful employment practice, not from exhausting anything, and it applies only to practices OTHER than those listed next. ORS 659A.875(1)(b) gives FIVE years to a violation of ORS 659A.030, which is Oregon's main discrimination provision covering race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, age and disability, and also to ORS 243.323, 659A.082 (veterans), 659A.112 (disability) and 659A.370 (retaliation for a workers' compensation claim). Whistleblower claims under ORS 659A.199 are not in that list. If you filed a BOLI complaint under ORS 659A.820 the clock changes again under subsection (2), running from the notice BOLI mails you. Confirm which paragraph your facts sit in.

Wage Claims: 2 years (Or. Rev. Stat. §12.110(3))

Two years is NARROWER than it looks. ORS 12.110(3) covers overtime or premium pay, and the penalties or liquidated damages for failing to pay those. It is not a general wage deadline, and Oregon does not set one. A suit for ordinary unpaid wages is an action upon a contract under ORS 12.080(1), which runs six years. ORS 652.150 sets the penalty wages an employer owes for a late final paycheck; it is not a deadline. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act allows two years, or three for a willful violation.

Sources consulted

• oregonlegislature.gov (official)
• oregonlegislature.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (42 Pa. C.S. §5524(2))

2 years, running from discovery under Pennsylvania case law. The MCARE Act seven-year outer cap is NOT in force: the Pennsylvania Supreme Court held it unconstitutional in Yanakos v. UPMC (2019).

Fraud: 2 years (42 Pa. C.S. §5524(7))

Two years under 42 Pa. C.S. §5524(7), which covers tortious conduct including deceit or fraud and contains no discovery language. Pennsylvania courts do apply a discovery rule and fraudulent-concealment estoppel, but both are judge-made rather than statutory, so the calculator runs the clock from accrual. If you learned of the fraud late, raise it.

Wrongful Termination: 2 years (42 Pa. C.S. §5524)

PHRA claims: file complaint within 180 days.

Wage Claims: 3 years (43 Pa. Stat. §260.9a)

Wage Payment and Collection Law claims.

Sources consulted

• legis.state.pa.us (official)
• legis.state.pa.us (official)
• codes.findlaw.com (published mirror)

Medical Malpractice: 3 years (R.I. Gen. Laws §9-1-14.1)

3 years from the act or discovery. Discovery rule applies.

Fraud: see statute (R.I. Gen. Laws §9-1-14(b))

Three years is the cautious figure and Rhode Island sets no fraud-specific period. §9-1-14(b) gives three years for injuries to the person; the general catch-all in §9-1-13(a) gives ten years for all civil actions not otherwise provided for, which is the period a fraud claim would more likely run on. We show the shorter number, so if you are past three years, read §9-1-13(a) before deciding you are out of time.

Three years under §9-1-14(b), which contains no discovery language, so the calculator runs the clock from accrual. Rhode Island may allow a later start through its tolling and concealment doctrines; confirm on your own facts.

Wrongful Termination: see statute (R.I. Gen. Laws §9-1-14(b))

Rhode Island sets no wrongful-termination period. §9-1-14(b) gives three years for injuries to the person, which is where a discharge tort falls. A Fair Employment Practices Act claim goes through the Commission for Human Rights first and has its own shorter filing window.

Wage Claims: 3 years (R.I. Gen. Laws §28-14-19.2(g))

Three years. §28-14-19.2(g) puts it plainly: any claim under the section is forever barred unless commenced within three years after the cause of action accrued. The section also allows liquidated damages of up to twice the unpaid wages, plus attorney fees. Note subsection (e): a civil action may be brought INSTEAD OF, but not in addition to, the Department of Labor and Training enforcement route, and only if it is filed before the director issues notice of an administrative hearing.

Sources consulted

• webserver.rilegislature.gov (official)
• webserver.rilegislature.gov (official)
• webserver.rilegislature.gov (official)
• webserver.rilegislature.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 3 years (S.C. Code §15-3-545)

3 years from the date of the act or discovery. 6-year statute of repose.

Wage Claims: 3 years (S.C. Code §41-10-80)

Payment of Wages Act claims.

Sources consulted

• scstatehouse.gov (official)
• scstatehouse.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (S.D. Codified Laws §15-2-14.1)

Two years after the malpractice, error, mistake or failure to cure occurred. The section contains no discovery language at all, so South Dakota is one of the states where finding out late does not, on the face of the statute, buy you more time.

Fraud: 6 years (S.D. Codified Laws §15-2-13(6), §15-2-3)

The six-year period comes from SDCL 15-2-13(6). The discovery rule is separate and statutory: SDCL 15-2-3 provides that a fraud claim does not accrue until the aggrieved party discovers, or has actual or constructive notice of, the facts constituting the fraud. Constructive notice counts, so the clock can start before anyone actually knew.

Wrongful Termination: see statute (S.D. Codified Laws §15-2-14(3))

South Dakota sets no wrongful-termination period. §15-2-14(3) gives three years for an action for personal injury, which is the shorter of the two candidates; pleaded as a contract or statutory-liability claim it would run on the six years in §15-2-13 instead. We show the shorter one.

Three years is the shorter figure. Depending on how the claim is pleaded, a longer six-year period under SDCL 15-2-13(1) or 15-2-13(5) may apply. Confirm which provision governs before relying on either.

Wage Claims: see statute (S.D. Codified Laws §15-2-13(1))

South Dakota sets no wage-specific court deadline. §15-2-13(1) and (2) give six years for an action on a contract or on a liability created by statute. Shorter federal and administrative deadlines usually bite first, so do not plan around the six years: the Fair Labor Standards Act allows two, or three for a willful violation.

Shorter deadlines usually control here, so do not plan around the six years. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act allows two years, or three for a willful violation. If the claim is for the double damages South Dakota allows under SDCL 60-11-7 for an oppressive, fraudulent or malicious refusal to pay, that is a statutory penalty and SDCL 15-2-14(2) gives penalties three years. Six years is the outer figure for a plain contract action on unpaid wages, and South Dakota fixes no wage-specific court deadline, so confirm which applies to your facts.

Sources consulted

• sdlegislature.gov (official)
• sdlegislature.gov (official)
• sdlegislature.gov (official)

Personal Injury: 1 year (Tenn. Code §28-3-104(a)(1))

One year, one of the shortest in the country. It stretches to two years under §28-3-104(a)(2) where criminal charges are brought against the person who caused the injury.

Medical Malpractice: 1 year (Tenn. Code §29-26-116)

1 year from the date of the act or discovery. 3-year statute of repose. Pre-suit notice required.

Property Damage: 3 years (Tenn. Code §28-3-105(1))

Three years for injuries to personal or real property, and the same three years for detention or conversion of personal property under paragraph (2).

Fraud: see statute (Tenn. Code §28-3-105)

Tennessee sets no fraud-specific period. §28-3-105 gives three years for injuries to personal or real property and for statutory liabilities, and a fraud claim for economic loss runs on it.

Three years under §28-3-105. This entry used to cite subsection (4), which is not about fraud at all: (4) is the unpaid-wages paragraph. Tennessee reaches a fraud claim through the same three-year section as an injury to property. The section contains no discovery language. Tennessee applies a discovery rule and fraudulent-concealment tolling through case law rather than statute, so the calculator runs the clock from accrual. If you learned of the fraud late, raise it.

Wrongful Termination: see statute (Tenn. Code §28-3-104(a)(1))

Tennessee sets no wrongful-termination period. §28-3-104(a)(1)(A) gives one year for injuries to the person, and (a)(1)(B) gives one year for civil actions brought under the federal civil rights statutes. One year is short: a Tennessee discharge claim goes stale faster than in almost any other state.

Wage Claims: 3 years (Tenn. Code §28-3-105(4))

Three years for a civil action on a federal or state statute creating monetary liability for personal services rendered, which is where wages, overtime, salary, bonuses and commissions sit when the statute creating the liability fixes no period of its own.

Sources consulted

• law.justia.com (published mirror)
• law.justia.com (published mirror)
• law.justia.com (published mirror)
• law.justia.com (published mirror)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §74.251)

2 years from the tort, or from the date the treatment or hospitalization was completed. Texas has no general discovery rule here. 10-year statute of repose. A claim for a child under 12 may be brought up to the 14th birthday.

Wrongful Termination: 2 years (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §16.003)

Texas is an at-will employment state. Limited wrongful termination claims available (Sabine Pilot exception).

Wage Claims: see statute (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §16.004(a)(3))

Texas sets no wage-specific court deadline, so the four years shown is the debt period in Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §16.004(a)(3). The deadline that bites first is far shorter: Tex. Lab. Code §61.051(c) requires a wage claim to reach the Texas Workforce Commission not later than the 180th day after the wages came due, and the section states that the deadline is a matter of jurisdiction, so the Commission cannot hear a late one.

The deadline that actually bites first is 180 DAYS: Tex. Lab. Code §61.051 requires a wage claim to reach the Texas Workforce Commission not later than the 180th day after the wages came due, and that limit is jurisdictional, so the Commission cannot hear a late one. Suing in court instead is an action on a debt, which Texas gives four years, but confirm that period for your own facts because Texas sets no wage-specific court deadline. Separately, the federal Fair Labor Standards Act allows two years, or three for a willful violation.

Sources consulted

• statutes.capitol.texas.gov (official)
• statutes.capitol.texas.gov (official)
• statutes.capitol.texas.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (Utah Code §78B-3-404)

Two years from the date you discover, or reasonably should discover, the injury, but in no event more than four years from the act. That four-year outer limit was missing from this entry before August 2026. A foreign object left in the body, or fraudulent concealment, cuts the window to one year from discovery. Utah also requires a pre-litigation panel notice before suit.

Wage Claims: 1 year (Utah Code §34-28-9(1)(e))

One year to file a wage claim with the Labor Commission's division, running from the day the wages were earned, under §34-28-9(1)(e). That route only takes claims between $50 and $10,000. Above $10,000 you go straight to court under §34-28-9.5, and below it you generally have to exhaust the administrative route first. A court action is not governed by the one year: it runs on Utah's general periods, six years on a written contract under §78B-2-309 and four on an unwritten one under §78B-2-307.

Sources consulted

• le.utah.gov (official)
• le.utah.gov (official)
• le.utah.gov (official)
• le.utah.gov (official)
• le.utah.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 3 years (Vt. Stat. tit. 12, §521)

Three years from the date of the incident, or TWO years (not three) from the date the injury is or reasonably should have been discovered, whichever gives the later date, and never more than seven years from the incident. The shorter discovery window was missing from this entry before August 2026.

Fraud: 6 years (Vt. Stat. tit. 12, §511)

Six years under 12 V.S.A. §511, the general civil period, which contains no discovery language. Vermont applies a discovery rule through case law rather than statute, so the calculator runs the clock from accrual. If you learned of the fraud late, raise it.

Wrongful Termination: see statute (Vt. Stat. tit. 12, §512)

Vermont sets no wrongful-termination period. Tit. 12 §512(4) gives three years for injuries to the person suffered by the act or default of another, which is where a discharge tort falls. That paragraph accrues on the date the injury is discovered, which for a discharge is normally the day you were fired.

Wage Claims: see statute (Vt. Stat. tit. 12, §511)

Two years is deliberately cautious and is not a period Vermont sets. Vermont fixes no wage-specific court deadline; tit. 12 §511 gives six years for a civil action generally, which is the longer figure a wage suit would run on. We show the shorter number on purpose.

Treat this as an estimate, not a verified period. 21 V.S.A. §347, which this entry used to cite, is titled "Forfeiture": it doubles the damages for a violation of §342 or §343 and adds that the action cannot be maintained unless the wages are still unpaid when it is brought, but it fixes no deadline. Vermont's general civil limitations statute, 12 V.S.A. §511, gives six years. Two years is the cautious figure to work to, and you should confirm the real one with a Vermont lawyer before letting anything lapse.

Sources consulted

• legislature.vermont.gov (official)
• legislature.vermont.gov (official)
• legislature.vermont.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (Va. Code §8.01-243(A), (C))

2 years from the act. The one-year-from-discovery extension in §8.01-243(C) is narrow: foreign object, fraud or concealment, or a missed cancer or tumor diagnosis. 10-year statute of repose.

Fraud: 2 years (Va. Code §8.01-243(A))

Runs from discovery of the fraud.

Wrongful Termination: see statute (Va. Code §8.01-248)

Virginia recognizes only a narrow Bowman claim for discharge in violation of public policy and sets no period for it. One year here is the cautious figure: §8.01-248 itself now gives TWO years for a personal action accruing on or after July 1, 1995, and the two-year personal-injury period in §8.01-243(A) is what Virginia courts have applied to a Bowman claim. File on the one-year assumption and you are safe either way.

Virginia does not recognize a common law tort of wrongful termination in most cases.

Wage Claims: 3 years (Va. Code §40.1-29)

Three years after the cause of action accrued for the private wage action, individual or collective. The clock is tolled while an administrative complaint is pending. Where the employer knowingly failed to pay, the court must award triple the wages.

Sources consulted

• law.lis.virginia.gov (official)
• law.lis.virginia.gov (official)
• law.lis.virginia.gov (official)
• law.lis.virginia.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 3 years (Wash. Rev. Code §4.16.350)

3 years from the act or 1 year from discovery, whichever is later. 8-year statute of repose, which Washington courts have narrowed, so do not treat it as automatic.

Wage Claims: 3 years (Wash. Rev. Code §49.48.083)

Three years. The Department of Labor and Industries may not investigate a wage violation that happened more than three years before the complaint was filed, and filing that complaint tolls the civil limitations clock until the department finishes with it.

Sources consulted

• app.leg.wa.gov (official)
• app.leg.wa.gov (official)
• app.leg.wa.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (W. Va. Code §55-7B-4)

Two years from the injury, or two years from the date you discovered or should have discovered it, whichever occurs LAST, and in no event more than ten years from the injury. 10-year statute of repose. A claim against a nursing home or assisted living facility runs on a shorter one-year period. Pre-suit screening certificate of merit required.

Fraud: see statute (W. Va. Code §55-2-12)

West Virginia sets no fraud-specific period. §55-2-12(a) gives two years for a personal action for damage to property, which is where a fraud claim for economic loss falls. Paragraph (c) gives only one year for a claim that could not have been brought by or against a personal representative at common law, so if the claim is a purely personal one, assume the shorter period.

Wrongful Termination: see statute (W. Va. Code §55-2-12)

West Virginia sets no wrongful-termination period. The Harless tort of retaliatory discharge is a personal action for which no limitation is otherwise prescribed, so §55-2-12(b) gives two years. A Human Rights Act claim also runs two years.

Harless v. First National Bank established the tort in WV.

Wage Claims: see statute (W. Va. Code §55-2-6)

Two years is deliberately cautious and is not a period West Virginia sets. The state fixes no wage-specific court deadline; a claim under the Wage Payment and Collection Act would run on the contract periods in §55-2-6, which are five years on a written contract and ten on a sealed one. We show the shorter number on purpose.

TWO YEARS IS A DELIBERATELY CAUTIOUS FIGURE, NOT A PERIOD WEST VIRGINIA SETS, because the state fixes no wage-specific court deadline and the calculator will not round an inference upward. The period that most likely governs is FIVE years, on the footing that a Wage Payment and Collection Act claim is an action to recover money founded on a contract express or implied, which is the residual limb of §55-2-6. West Virginia sets no wage-specific court deadline. If the claim rests on a written contract signed by the party to be charged, or one under seal, the same section gives ten years. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act allows two years, or three for a willful violation. If you are past two years, do not assume you are finished: confirm with a West Virginia lawyer before letting anything lapse.

Debt Collection: 10 years (W. Va. Code §55-2-6)

10 years for written; 5 years for oral obligations.

Sources consulted

• code.wvlegislature.gov (official)
• code.wvlegislature.gov (official)
• code.wvlegislature.gov (official)

Medical Malpractice: 3 years (Wis. Stat. §893.55(1m))

3 years from the date of the injury. 5-year statute of repose from the date of the act.

Fraud: 3 years (Wis. Stat. §893.93(1m)(b))

Three years, running from discovery of the facts constituting the fraud rather than from the fraud itself, because §893.93(1m)(b) says so in its own words. The six-year figure that used to appear here came from a paragraph number Wisconsin no longer uses.

Wrongful Termination: see statute (Wis. Stat. §893.57)

Wisconsin sets no wrongful-termination period. Two years is the cautious figure: §893.57 gives three years for an intentional tort to the person, §893.93(1m)(a) gives three years for a liability created by statute, and a contract claim would run six. Every candidate is longer than what we show, so treat two years as a floor and read the sections before deciding a later claim is dead.

Wage Claims: 2 years (Wis. Stat. §109.09(1))

Two years. The department may only receive and investigate a wage claim filed no later than two years after the wages became due, and once it has one it can look back two years from the filing date.

Sources consulted

• docs.legis.wisconsin.gov (official)
• docs.legis.wisconsin.gov (official)
• docs.legis.wisconsin.gov (official)
• docs.legis.wisconsin.gov (official)
• docs.legis.wisconsin.gov (official)
• docs.legis.wisconsin.gov (official)

Personal Injury: 4 years (Wyo. Stat. §1-3-105(a)(iv)(C))

SOME PERSONAL INJURY CLAIMS GET ONE YEAR, NOT FOUR. Four years covers an injury to the rights of the plaintiff not arising on contract and not otherwise enumerated, at §1-3-105(a)(iv)(C). But §1-3-105(a)(v) gives just ONE year to libel or slander, to assault or battery not including sexual assault, and to malicious prosecution or false imprisonment. An intentional-tort injury is therefore on a far shorter clock than a negligence claim in Wyoming.

Medical Malpractice: 2 years (Wyo. Stat. §1-3-107(a))

Wyoming gives the GREATER of two years from the act, error or omission, or two years from discovering it where you can show it was not reasonably discoverable inside the first two years. If you discover it during the second year, the statute adds six months. A claim for injury to a minor runs to the eighth birthday or two years from the act, whichever is longer.

Property Damage: 4 years (Wyo. Stat. §1-3-105(a)(iv)(B))

Four years for recovery of personal property or for taking, detaining or injuring it. Trespass upon REAL property is four years too, at §1-3-105(a)(iv)(A), so Wyoming is not exposed to the real-versus-personal split that catches other states. Where the property was wrongfully taken, §1-3-106 delays accrual until the wrongdoer is discovered.

Fraud: 4 years (Wyo. Stat. §1-3-105(a)(iv)(D), §1-3-106)

Four years for relief on the ground of fraud. The discovery rule is statutory rather than judge-made: §1-3-106 provides that a cause of action on the ground of fraud is not deemed to have accrued until the discovery of the fraud, and the same section delays accrual for the wrongful taking of personal property until the wrongdoer is discovered.

Wage Claims: see statute (Wyo. Stat. §1-3-105(a)(ii))

Wyoming sets no wage-specific court deadline. §1-3-105(a)(ii)(B) gives eight years for an action upon a liability created by statute, which is unusually long and is why the figure looks out of place next to other states. Shorter deadlines usually control in practice: the federal Fair Labor Standards Act allows two years, or three for a willful violation.

Shorter deadlines usually control, so do not plan around the eight years. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act allows two years, or three for a willful violation. Wyoming fixes no wage-specific court deadline: §27-4-104 sets when wages fall due and adds 18 percent interest to a successful suit, but no limitation. A suit therefore runs as an action on a contract not in writing or upon a liability created by statute, eight years under §1-3-105(a)(ii), or ten years under §1-3-105(a)(i) if the employment contract was written. Confirm which fits your facts.

Debt Collection: 10 years (Wyo. Stat. §1-3-105(a)(i))

10 years for written; 8 years for oral obligations.

Sources consulted

• wyoleg.gov (official)