A statute of limitations is a law that outlines how long a person has to file a lawsuit. For criminal cases, the statute of limitations dictates how long a prosecutor has to charge someone with a crime. For example, if a person commits a crime but many years have passed, depending on the state and the crime, the accused person may not have to go to trial or face criminal punishment.
First, let’s take a look at the statute of limitations for civil cases. This varies not just by state, but also by the type of lawsuit being filed. For example, a property damage suit may have different statute of limitations than a suit filed over an oral contract. We’ll start by first looking at the statute of limitations based on contracts.
- Alabama: Written – 6 years, Oral – 6 years
- Alaska: Written – 3 years, Oral – 3 years
- Arizona: Written – 6 years, Oral – 3 years
- Arkansas: Written – 5 years, Oral – 3 years
- California: Written – 4 years, Oral – 2 years
- Colorado: Written – 3 years, Oral – 3 years
- Connecticut: Written – 6 years, Oral – 3 years
- Delaware: Written – 3 years, Oral – 3 years
- District of Columbia: Written – 2 years, Oral – 3 years
- Florida: Written – 5 years, Oral: 4 years
- Georgia: Written – 6 years, Oral – 4 years
- Hawaii: Written – 6 years, Oral – 6 years
- Idaho: Written – 5 years, Oral – 4 years
- Illinois: Written – 10 years, Oral – 5 years
- Indiana: Written – 10 years, Oral – 6 years
- Iowa: Written – 10 years, Oral – 5 years
- Kansas: Written – 5 years, Oral – 3 years
- Kentucky: Written – 10 years, Oral – 5 years
- Louisiana: Written – 10 years, Oral – 10 years
- Maine: Written – 6 years, Oral – 6 years
- Maryland: Written – 3 years, Oral – 3 years
- Massachusetts: Written – 6 years, Oral – 6 years
- Michigan: Written – 6 years, Oral – 6 years
- Minnesota: Written – 6 years, Oral – 6 years
- Mississippi: Written – 6 years, Oral – 3 years
- Missouri: Written – 10 years, Oral – 5 years
- Montana: Written – 8 years, Oral - 5 years
- Nebraska: Written – 5 years, Oral – 4 years
- Nevada: Written – 6 years, Oral – 4 years
- New Hampshire: Written – 3 years, Oral – 3 years
- New Jersey: Written – 6 years, Oral – 6 years
- New Mexico: Written – 6 years, Oral – 4 years
- New York: Written – 6 years, Oral – 6 years
- North Carolina: Written – 3 years, Oral – 3 years
- North Dakota: Written – 6 years, Oral – 6 years
- Ohio: Written – 8 years, Oral – 6 years
- Oklahoma: Written – 5 years, Oral – 3 years
- Oregon: Written – 6 years, Oral – 6 years
- Pennsylvania: Written – 4 years, Oral – 4 years
- Rhode Island: Written – 10 years, Oral – 10 years
- South Carolina: Written – 3 years, Oral – 3 years
- South Dakota: Written – 6 years, Oral – 6 years
- Tennessee: Written – 6 years, Oral – 6 years
- Texas: Written – 4 years, Oral – 4 years
- Utah: Written – 6 years, Oral – 4 years
- Vermont: Written – 6 years, Oral – 6 years
- Virginia: Written – 5 years, Oral – 3 years
- Washington: Written – 6 years, Oral – 3 years
- West Virginia: Written – 10 years, Oral – 5 years
- Wisconsin: Written – 6 years, Oral – 6 years
- Wyoming: Written – 10 years, Oral – 8 years
Next, we’ll take a look at the statute of limitations for felonies by state:
- Alabama: No statute of limitations for forgery, violent felonies, arson, counterfeiting, drug trafficking, or a sex offense with a person under age 16. Other felonies – 3 years.
- Alaska: No statute of limitations for multiple sex crimes, murder, or kidnapping. Other felonies – 5 to 10 years.
- Arizona: No statute of limitations for homicide, falsifying public records, misuse of public money, or violent sexual assault. Other felonies – 7 years.
- Arkansas: No statute of limitations for multiple sex offenses or murder. Other felonies: 3 to 6 years.
- California: No statute of limitations for multiple sex crimes, offenses punishable by life in prison or death, or embezzlement of public funds. Other felonies: 3 to 6 years.
- Colorado: No statute of limitations for treason, sex offenses against children, murder, kidnapping, or forgery. Other felonies: 3 years.
- Connecticut: No statute of limitations for Class A felonies or murder. Other felonies: 5 to 30 years.
- Delaware: No statute of limitations for murder, Class A felonies, or multiple sex offenses. Other felonies: 5 to 13 years
- District of Columbia: No statute of limitations for 1st or 2nd degree murder. Other felonies: 3 to 9 years.
- Florida: No statute of limitations for perjury, capital or life felonies, or felonies that result in death. Other felonies: 3 to 5 years
- Georgia: No statute of limitations on certain crimes against children and murder. Other felonies: 4 to 15 years.
- Hawaii: No statute of limitations for 1st or 2nd degree murder or attempted murder or solicitation to commit murder. Other felonies: 3 to 10 years
- Idaho: No statute of limitations for murder, rape, sexual abuse or lewd conduct with a child, or voluntary manslaughter. Other felonies: 3 to 5 years
- Illinois: No statute of limitations for involuntary manslaughter, 1st or 2nd degree murder, reckless homicide, treason, arson, child pornography, or forgery. Other felonies: 3 to 7 years.
- Indiana: No statute of limitations for murder or Level 1 or 2 felonies. Other felonies: 5 to 6 years. For some sex crimes against children, statute of limitations is until allege victim turns 31 years old.
- Iowa: No statute of limitations for 1st and 2nd degree murder. Other felonies: 3 to 10 years.
- Kansas: No statute of limitations for terrorism, rape, or murder. Other felonies: 5 to 10 years.
- Kentucky: No statute of limitations for felonies.
- Louisiana: No statute of limitations for crimes punishable by death or life imprisonment. Other felonies: 4 to 10 years
- Maine: No statute of limitations for incest, rape, gross sexual assault on a victim under 16, homicide, or murder. Other felonies: 2 to 6 years
- Maryland: No statute of limitations for murder, unlawful homicide, or manslaughter. Other felonies: 3 years.
- Massachusetts: No statute of limitations for murder. Other felonies: 6 to 15 years
- Michigan: No statute of limitations for murder. Other felonies: 6 to 10 years
- Minnesota: No statute of limitations for murder. Other felonies: 3 to 9 years.
- Mississippi: No statute of limitations for arson, burglary, forgery, murder, manslaughter, counterfeiting, rape, larceny, robbery, sexual crimes, obtaining money under false pretenses, and embezzlement. Other felonies: 2 years.
- Missouri: No statute of limitations for Class A felonies or murder. Other felonies: 1 to 10 years.
- Montana: No statute of limitations for mitigated, negligent, or deliberate homicide. Other felonies: 1 to 10 years.
- Nebraska: No statute of limitations for forgery, arson, sex assaults, murder, or treason. Other felonies: 1 to 7 years.
- Nevada: No statute of limitations for certain sexual assault offenses or murder. Other felonies: 4 years.
- New Hampshire: No statute of limitations for murder. Other felonies: 1 to 6 years.
- New Jersey: No statute of limitations for murder or manslaughter. Other felonies: 5 to 7 years.
- New Mexico: No statute of limitations for capital or 1st degree felonies. Other felonies: 3 to 6 years.
- New York: No statute of limitations for Class A felonies, murder, or rape. Other felonies: 1 to 5 years
- North Carolina: No statute of limitations for felonies.
- North Dakota: No statute of limitations for murders. Other felonies: 3 to 10 years.
- Ohio: No statute of limitations for murder. Other felonies: 1 to 20 years.
- Oklahoma: No statute of limitations for murder. Other felonies: 3 to 7 years
- Oregon: No statute of limitations for manslaughter or murder. Other felonies: 6 to 12 years.
- Pennsylvania: No statute of limitations for murder, manslaughter, conspiracy to murder, soliciting to commit murder, or vehicular homicide. Other felonies: 2 to 12 years.
- Rhode Island: No statute of limitations for treason, arson, homicide, counterfeiting, burglary, robbery, forgery, sexual assault, bigamy, child molestation, manufacturing, selling, distributing or possession of a controlled substance, or conspiracy. Other felonies: 3 to 10 years.
- South Carolina: No statute of limitations for felonies.
- South Dakota: No statute of limitations for murder. Other felonies: 7 years.
- Tennessee: No statute of limitations for any crime punishable by life imprisonment or death. Other felonies: 2 to 25 years.
- Texas: No statute of limitations for manslaughter, murder, or sex crimes. Other felonies: 3 to 10 years.
- Utah: No statute of limitations for manslaughter, murder, or sex crimes. Other felonies: 2 to 4 years.
- Vermont: No statute of limitations for arson causing death, kidnapping, sex crimes, or murder. Other felonies: 6 to 40 years.
- Virginia: No statute of limitations for murder. Other felonies: 1 to 5 years.
- Washington: No statute of limitations for murder, arson causing death, or vehicular homicide. Other felonies: 1 to 10 years.
- West Virginia: No statute of limitations for felonies.
- Wisconsin: No statute of limitations for felonies.
- Wyoming: No statute of limitations for felonies.