LegalZoom.com Logo
HOME | CONTACT US | MY ACCOUNT | CHECK ORDER STATUS
 
Small Claims
Overview
Check Pricing
3-Step Process
Why LegalZoom?
Education Center
Small Claims Education
FAQ
Glossary

Over 500,000
satisfied customers
World-class customer
service
100% Satisfaction
Guaranteed

Home | More Legal Documents | Small Claims

Small Claims


3. Statute of Limitations for a Small Claim
Each state has a time limit, or statute of limitation, as to when a small claims case can be filed.

For instance, if your neighbor owed you money 20 years ago, you cannot file a small claim today for that money. The statute of limitation has expired.

Time limits differ by state depending on the type of claim. The statute of limitation for written contract disputes is often longer than for personal injury claims.

See the chart below for the statute of limitations (in years) for some typical cases.

Statute of Limitations (Years)

State

Written Contracts

Oral Contracts

Personal Injury

Property Damage

Alabama

6

6

2

6

 

Alaska

3

3

2

6

(real estate)

 

2

(personal property)

Arizona

6

3

2

2

 

Arkansas

5

3

3

3

 

California

4

2

2

3

 

Colorado

6

6

2

2

 

Connecticut

6

3

2

2

 

Delaware

3

3

2

2

 

District of Columbia

3

3

3

3

 

Florida

5

4

4

4

 

Georgia

6

4

2

4

 

Hawaii

6

6

2

2

 

Idaho

5

4

2

3

 

Illinois

10

5

2

5

 

Indiana

10

6

2

6

(real estate)

 

2

(personal property)

Iowa

10

5

2

5

 

Kansas

5

3

2

2

 

Kentucky

15

5

1

5

(real estate)

 

2

(personal property)

Louisiana

10

10

1

1

 

Maine

6

6

6

6

 

Maryland

3

3

3

3

 

Massachusetts

6

6

3

3

 

Michigan

6

6

3

3

 

Minnesota

6

6

2

6

 

Mississippi

3

3

3

3

 

Missouri

5

5

5

5

 

Montana

8

5

3

2

 

Nebraska

5

4

4

4

 

Nevada

6

4

2

3

 

New Hampshire

3

3

3

3

 

New Jersey

6

6

2

6

 

New Mexico

6

4

3

4

 

New York

6

6

3

3

 

North Carolina

3

3

3

3

 

North Dakota

6

6

6

6

 

Ohio

15

6

2

4

(real estate)

 

2

(personal property)

Oklahoma

5

3

2

2

 

Oregon

6

6

2

6

 

Pennsylvania

4

4

2

2

 

Rhode Island

10

10

3

10

 

South Carolina

3

3

3

3

 

South Dakota

6

6

3

6

 

Tennessee

6

6

1

3

 

Texas

4

4

2

2

 

Utah

6

4

4

3

 

Vermont

6

6

3

3

 

Virginia

5

3

2

5

 

Washington

6

3

3

3

 

West Virginia

10

5

2

2

 

Wisconsin

6

6

3

6

 

Wyoming

10

8

4

4

 

 
LegalZoom Newsletter
Sign up for our free monthly newsletter and receive periodic special offers.
Choose Another Document
About Us | Contact Us | Press | Careers | Articles | Privacy | Affiliate Program | Sitemap
© LegalZoom.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this site is not legal advice, but general information on legal issues commonly encountered. LegalZoom's Legal Document Service is not a law firm and is not a substitute for an attorney or law firm. Your access to and use of this site is subject to additional terms and conditions.
Click here for our full disclaimer. Click here for site directory.
Member Of Verisign  Security