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Personal Injury Laws by State

Personal injury laws vary significantly across the United States. Each state has its own statute of limitations, fault rules, and damage caps that directly impact the value of your claim. Select your state below to learn about the specific laws that apply to your case.

Understanding your state's personal injury laws is critical to protecting your rights after an accident. The statute of limitations sets a deadline for filing your lawsuit — miss it, and you lose your right to compensation entirely. Fault rules determine whether and how much your own negligence reduces your recovery. Some states follow pure comparative fault, allowing you to recover even if you are 99% at fault, while contributory negligence states bar recovery entirely if you share any blame.

Damage caps limit the amount of non-economic damages (like pain and suffering) you can recover, particularly in medical malpractice cases. Many states have enacted these caps to control insurance costs, but they can significantly reduce the value of serious injury claims. Browse the state guides below for detailed information about the laws in your jurisdiction.

Alabama

AL

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Contributory Negligence

Alaska

AK

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Pure Comparative

Arizona

AZ

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Pure Comparative

Arkansas

AR

Statute of Limitations: 3 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

California

CA

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Pure Comparative

Colorado

CO

Statute of Limitations: 3 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Connecticut

CT

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Delaware

DE

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Florida

FL

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Pure Comparative

Georgia

GA

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Hawaii

HI

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Idaho

ID

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Illinois

IL

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (51%)

Indiana

IN

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (51%)

Iowa

IA

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Kansas

KS

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Kentucky

KY

Statute of Limitations: 1 years

Fault Rule: Pure Comparative

Louisiana

LA

Statute of Limitations: 1 years

Fault Rule: Pure Comparative

Maine

ME

Statute of Limitations: 6 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Maryland

MD

Statute of Limitations: 3 years

Fault Rule: Contributory Negligence

Massachusetts

MA

Statute of Limitations: 3 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (51%)

Michigan

MI

Statute of Limitations: 3 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Minnesota

MN

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Mississippi

MS

Statute of Limitations: 3 years

Fault Rule: Pure Comparative

Missouri

MO

Statute of Limitations: 5 years

Fault Rule: Pure Comparative

Montana

MT

Statute of Limitations: 3 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Nebraska

NE

Statute of Limitations: 4 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Nevada

NV

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

New Hampshire

NH

Statute of Limitations: 3 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

New Jersey

NJ

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

New Mexico

NM

Statute of Limitations: 3 years

Fault Rule: Pure Comparative

New York

NY

Statute of Limitations: 3 years

Fault Rule: Pure Comparative

North Carolina

NC

Statute of Limitations: 3 years

Fault Rule: Contributory Negligence

North Dakota

ND

Statute of Limitations: 6 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Ohio

OH

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Oklahoma

OK

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Oregon

OR

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Pennsylvania

PA

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Rhode Island

RI

Statute of Limitations: 3 years

Fault Rule: Pure Comparative

South Carolina

SC

Statute of Limitations: 3 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

South Dakota

SD

Statute of Limitations: 3 years

Fault Rule: Pure Comparative

Tennessee

TN

Statute of Limitations: 1 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Texas

TX

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Utah

UT

Statute of Limitations: 4 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Vermont

VT

Statute of Limitations: 3 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Virginia

VA

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Contributory Negligence

Washington

WA

Statute of Limitations: 3 years

Fault Rule: Pure Comparative

West Virginia

WV

Statute of Limitations: 2 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

Wisconsin

WI

Statute of Limitations: 3 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (51%)

Wyoming

WY

Statute of Limitations: 4 years

Fault Rule: Modified Comparative (50%)

This information is for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. Consult a licensed personal injury attorney in your state.