What is a statute of limitations?

A statute of limitations sets the window in which a lawsuit or prosecution must begin, measured from when the claim arose. The purpose is practical: evidence degrades, memories fade, witnesses disappear, and people should not face indefinite exposure to stale claims. Civil deadlines vary by claim type and state, commonly around two to three years for personal injury, three to six for written contracts, and shorter for some specialized claims, with medical malpractice and claims against government entities often carrying notably short and strict deadlines plus separate notice requirements.

Criminal limits vary the same way, with more serious offenses getting longer periods and the most serious, murder in essentially every state, having none at all. Many states have extended or eliminated limitations for certain sexual offenses, particularly against minors, and some have opened temporary lookback windows allowing previously time-barred claims. Several rules can pause or extend the clock: the discovery rule starts it when the harm was or reasonably should have been discovered rather than when it occurred, which matters for latent injuries and fraud, and tolling can apply while a plaintiff is a minor, incapacitated, or while a defendant is out of state. Because the deadlines are strict and the exceptions are technical, the correct move on any potential claim is to consult a lawyer early rather than to estimate, since a claim that is worth pursuing today can be worth nothing next month.