Statute of Limitations Tracker

What This Calculator Does

This statute of limitations tracker calculates filing deadlines for common civil claims in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It covers personal injury, medical malpractice, product liability, written contracts, oral contracts, property damage, fraud, wrongful death, defamation, and legal malpractice. The tool accepts an incident date (or discovery date for claims subject to the discovery rule), looks up the applicable limitation period for the selected state and claim type, calculates the filing deadline, and displays days remaining with urgency alerts for approaching or expired deadlines.

Step-by-Step Example

Real-World Use Cases

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Assuming the statute runs from the incident date when the discovery rule applies. In medical malpractice, fraud, and some product liability cases, the statute may run from when the injury was discovered or should have been discovered.

• Not accounting for tolling provisions. The statute may be tolled (paused) if the plaintiff was a minor, mentally incapacitated, or if the defendant was out of state. These can add months or years to the deadline.

• Forgetting government claim notice requirements. Claims against government entities (cities, counties, states, federal agencies) often require administrative notice within 30 to 180 days, far shorter than the general statute of limitations.

• Relying solely on a calculator for deadline determination. Statutes of limitations involve complex legal analysis including accrual rules, tolling, relation-back doctrines, and recent legislative changes. Always verify with current state statutes.

• Not accounting for statute of repose. Some states have statutes of repose that set an absolute outer deadline (for example, 10 years from product manufacture) regardless of when the injury occurred or was discovered.

Frequently Asked Questions