Introduction
Statutes of limitations are laws that limit the amount of time after which a lawsuit can be filed. In the United States a government agency is required by Congress, under federal regulations, to create its own statute of limitations.
These statutes can govern various areas of law, from contracts (written and oral) to personal injury. Once the years set by the law have tolled, one cannot start a lawsuit for that injury.
Debts, because they are caused by a breach of a written contract, are governed by the statute of limitations for written contracts. In the U.S., statutes of limitations for written contracts vary from state to state, with the longest being ten years, the shortest being three years.
Learn for yourself how statutes of limitations differ by state by exploring the data in the charts.
| # | State | Statute of Limitations Period | Written Contracts Prescriptive Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | 10 | 10 |
| 2 | Indiana | 10 | 10 |
| 3 | Iowa | 10 | 10 |
| 4 | Kentucky | 10 | 10 |
| 5 | Louisiana | 10 | 10 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | 10 | 10 |
| 7 | West Virginia | 10 | 10 |
| 8 | Wyoming | 10 | 10 |
| 9 | Montana | 8 | 8 |
| 10 | Alabama | 6 | 6 |
| 11 | Arizona | 6 | 6 |
| 12 | Colorado | 6 | 3 |
| 13 | Connecticut | 6 | 6 |
| 14 | Georgia | 6 | 6 |
| 15 | Hawaii | 6 | 6 |
| 16 | Maine | 6 | 6 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | 6 | 6 |
| 18 | Michigan | 6 | 6 |
| 19 | Minnesota | 6 | 6 |
| 20 | Nevada | 6 | 6 |
| 21 | New Jersey | 6 | 6 |
| 22 | New Mexico | 6 | 6 |
| 23 | New York | 6 | 6 |
| 24 | North Dakota | 6 | 6 |
| 25 | Ohio | 6 | 6 |
| 26 | Oregon | 6 | 6 |
| 27 | South Dakota | 6 | 6 |
| 28 | Tennessee | 6 | 6 |
| 29 | Utah | 6 | 6 |
| 30 | Vermont | 6 | 6 |
| 31 | Washington | 6 | 6 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | 6 | 6 |
| 33 | Arkansas | 5 | 5 |
| 34 | Florida | 5 | 5 |
| 35 | Idaho | 5 | 5 |
| 36 | Kansas | 5 | 5 |
| 37 | Missouri | 5 | 10 |
| 38 | Nebraska | 5 | 5 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | 5 | 5 |
| 40 | Virginia | 5 | 5 |
| 41 | California | 4 | 4 |
| 42 | Pennsylvania | 4 | 4 |
| 43 | Texas | 4 | 4 |
| 44 | Alaska | 3 | 3 |
| 45 | Delaware | 3 | 3 |
| 46 | District of Columbia | 3 | 3 |
| 47 | Maryland | 3 | 3 |
| 48 | Mississippi | 3 | 3 |
| 49 | New Hampshire | 3 | 3 |
| 50 | North Carolina | 3 | 3 |
| 51 | South Carolina | 3 | 3 |
Statute of Limitations Period by State
Alabama
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#10
Ranked in the US
#11
Alaska
Statute of Limitations Period
3
Ranked in the US
#44
Ranked in the US
#43
Arizona
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#11
Ranked in the US
#12
Arkansas
Statute of Limitations Period
5
Ranked in the US
#33
Ranked in the US
#33
California
Statute of Limitations Period
4
Ranked in the US
#41
Ranked in the US
#40
Colorado
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#12
Ranked in the US
#44
Connecticut
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#13
Ranked in the US
#13
Delaware
Statute of Limitations Period
3
Ranked in the US
#45
Ranked in the US
#45
District of Columbia
Statute of Limitations Period
3
Ranked in the US
#46
Ranked in the US
#46
Florida
Statute of Limitations Period
5
Ranked in the US
#34
Ranked in the US
#34
Georgia
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#14
Ranked in the US
#14
Hawaii
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#15
Ranked in the US
#15
Idaho
Statute of Limitations Period
5
Ranked in the US
#35
Ranked in the US
#35
Illinois
Statute of Limitations Period
10
Ranked in the US
#1
Ranked in the US
#1
Indiana
Statute of Limitations Period
10
Ranked in the US
#2
Ranked in the US
#2
Iowa
Statute of Limitations Period
10
Ranked in the US
#3
Ranked in the US
#3
Kansas
Statute of Limitations Period
5
Ranked in the US
#36
Ranked in the US
#36
Kentucky
Statute of Limitations Period
10
Ranked in the US
#4
Ranked in the US
#4
Louisiana
Statute of Limitations Period
10
Ranked in the US
#5
Ranked in the US
#5
Maine
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#16
Ranked in the US
#16
Maryland
Statute of Limitations Period
3
Ranked in the US
#47
Ranked in the US
#47
Massachusetts
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#17
Ranked in the US
#17
Michigan
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#18
Ranked in the US
#18
Minnesota
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#19
Ranked in the US
#19
Mississippi
Statute of Limitations Period
3
Ranked in the US
#48
Ranked in the US
#48
Missouri
Statute of Limitations Period
5
Ranked in the US
#37
Ranked in the US
#6
Montana
Statute of Limitations Period
8
Ranked in the US
#9
Ranked in the US
#10
Nebraska
Statute of Limitations Period
5
Ranked in the US
#38
Ranked in the US
#37
Nevada
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#20
Ranked in the US
#20
New Hampshire
Statute of Limitations Period
3
Ranked in the US
#49
Ranked in the US
#49
New Jersey
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#21
Ranked in the US
#21
New Mexico
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#22
Ranked in the US
#22
New York
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#23
Ranked in the US
#23
North Carolina
Statute of Limitations Period
3
Ranked in the US
#50
Ranked in the US
#50
North Dakota
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#24
Ranked in the US
#24
Ohio
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#25
Ranked in the US
#25
Oklahoma
Statute of Limitations Period
5
Ranked in the US
#39
Ranked in the US
#38
Oregon
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#26
Ranked in the US
#26
Pennsylvania
Statute of Limitations Period
4
Ranked in the US
#42
Ranked in the US
#41
Rhode Island
Statute of Limitations Period
10
Ranked in the US
#6
Ranked in the US
#7
South Carolina
Statute of Limitations Period
3
Ranked in the US
#51
Ranked in the US
#51
South Dakota
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#27
Ranked in the US
#27
Tennessee
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#28
Ranked in the US
#28
Texas
Statute of Limitations Period
4
Ranked in the US
#43
Ranked in the US
#42
Utah
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#29
Ranked in the US
#29
Vermont
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#30
Ranked in the US
#30
Virginia
Statute of Limitations Period
5
Ranked in the US
#40
Ranked in the US
#39
Washington
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#31
Ranked in the US
#31
West Virginia
Statute of Limitations Period
10
Ranked in the US
#7
Ranked in the US
#8
Wisconsin
Statute of Limitations Period
6
Ranked in the US
#32
Ranked in the US
#32
Wyoming
Statute of Limitations Period
10
Ranked in the US
#8
Ranked in the US
#9