Section 1983 Statute of Limitations by State

Section 1983 has no deadline of its own. Federal courts borrow the general personal-injury limitations period of the state where the violation happened. That period is one year in some states and six in others. This table gives the period and the statute for every state, with notes where the law recently changed.

Before you rely on this

This table was compiled on 2026-09-06 from the statute text linked in each row. Nothing here is a substitute for reading the statute. Legislatures change these periods, and the period that applies is the one in force for your incident date. Confirm the statute on your state legislature's website before you calculate a deadline. When in doubt, file by the shorter possible date. Rows marked recent change have a known amendment or a live dispute described on the state's page.

The table

State	Period	Borrowed statute	Notes
Alabama	2 years	Ala. Code § 6-2-38(l)
Alaska	2 years	Alaska Stat. § 09.10.070(a)
Arizona	2 years	Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-542
Arkansas	3 years	Ark. Code Ann. § 16-56-105
California	2 years	Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 335.1
Colorado	2 years	Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-80-102(1)	recent change
Connecticut	3 years	Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-577
Delaware	2 years	Del. Code Ann. tit. 10, § 8119
District of Columbia	3 years	D.C. Code § 12-301(8)
Florida	4 years	Fla. Stat. § 95.11(3)(o)	recent change
Georgia	2 years	O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33
Hawaii	2 years	Haw. Rev. Stat. § 657-7
Idaho	2 years	Idaho Code § 5-219(4)
Illinois	2 years	735 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/13-202
Indiana	2 years	Ind. Code § 34-11-2-4
Iowa	2 years	Iowa Code § 614.1(2)
Kansas	2 years	Kan. Stat. Ann. § 60-513(a)(4)
Kentucky	1 year	Ky. Rev. Stat. § 413.140(1)(a)
Louisiana	1 year	La. Civ. Code art. 3492 (acts before July 1, 2024); art. 3493.1 (acts on or after July 1, 2024)	recent change
Maine	6 years	Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 752
Maryland	3 years	Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101
Massachusetts	3 years	Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2A
Michigan	3 years	Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5805(2)
Minnesota	6 years	Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1(5)	recent change
Mississippi	3 years	Miss. Code Ann. § 15-1-49
Missouri	5 years	Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.120(4)
Montana	3 years	Mont. Code Ann. § 27-2-204(1)
Nebraska	4 years	Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-207(3)
Nevada	2 years	Nev. Rev. Stat. § 11.190(4)(e)
New Hampshire	3 years	N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4(I)
New Jersey	2 years	N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-2
New Mexico	3 years	N.M. Stat. Ann. § 37-1-8
New York	3 years	N.Y. C.P.L.R. § 214(5)
North Carolina	3 years	N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-52(16)
North Dakota	6 years	N.D. Cent. Code § 28-01-16(5)
Ohio	2 years	Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.10(A)
Oklahoma	2 years	Okla. Stat. tit. 12, § 95(A)(3)
Oregon	2 years	Or. Rev. Stat. § 12.110(1)
Pennsylvania	2 years	42 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5524
Puerto Rico	1 year	P.R. Civil Code of 2020, art. 1204 (31 L.P.R.A. § 9496); formerly art. 1868 (31 L.P.R.A. § 5298)	recent change
Rhode Island	3 years	R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-14(b)
South Carolina	3 years	S.C. Code Ann. § 15-3-530(5)
South Dakota	3 years	S.D. Codified Laws § 15-2-14(3)	recent change
Tennessee	1 year	Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104(a)(1)
Texas	2 years	Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003(a)
Utah	4 years	Utah Code § 78B-2-307(4)	recent change
Vermont	3 years	Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 12, § 512(4)
Virginia	2 years	Va. Code Ann. § 8.01-243(A)
Washington	3 years	Wash. Rev. Code § 4.16.080(2)
West Virginia	2 years	W. Va. Code § 55-2-12(b)
Wisconsin	3 years	Wis. Stat. § 893.53	recent change
Wyoming	4 years	Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 1-3-105(a)(iv)(C)

Grouped by period

1 year

Kentucky , Louisiana , Puerto Rico , Tennessee

2 years

Alabama , Alaska , Arizona , California , Colorado , Delaware , Georgia , Hawaii , Idaho , Illinois , Indiana , Iowa , Kansas , Nevada , New Jersey , Ohio , Oklahoma , Oregon , Pennsylvania , Texas , Virginia , West Virginia

3 years

Arkansas , Connecticut , District of Columbia , Maryland , Massachusetts , Michigan , Mississippi , Montana , New Hampshire , New Mexico , New York , North Carolina , Rhode Island , South Carolina , South Dakota , Vermont , Washington , Wisconsin

4 years

Florida , Nebraska , Utah , Wyoming

5 years

Missouri

6 years

Maine , Minnesota , North Dakota

Why the period comes from state law

Section 1983 does not say how long a plaintiff has to sue. In Wilson v. Garcia, 471 U.S. 261 (1985), the Supreme Court held that every Section 1983 claim borrows the forum state's limitations period for personal-injury actions. In Owens v. Okure, 488 U.S. 235 (1989), it added that when a state has more than one personal-injury period, courts use the general or residual one, not a shorter period for a specific intentional tort like assault or false imprisonment.

That is why the table lists one period per state even where the state has a shorter deadline for assault or battery. A police beating is pleaded as a Fourth Amendment claim, and it gets the general period.

The clock starts under federal law, not state law

The state supplies the length of the period. Federal law decides when it starts. A claim accrues when the plaintiff has a complete and present cause of action, which is usually when the plaintiff knows or has reason to know of the injury.

Excessive force accrues on the day of the force.
False arrest accrues when you are first held under legal process, usually your first court appearance, not when the charges are dropped. Wallace v. Kato .
Fabricated evidence (due process) accrues when the criminal case ends in your favor. McDonough v. Smith .
Malicious prosecution (Fourth Amendment) also requires favorable termination, and any ending without a conviction counts. Thompson v. Clark .
Claims that would undermine a standing conviction do not accrue until the conviction is set aside. Heck v. Humphrey .

One incident can produce counts with different accrual dates. Calculate each one. Read Statute of Limitations and Tolling in a Section 1983 Case for the full walkthrough.

Tolling comes from state law, with limits

Rules that pause the clock also come from the forum state, as long as they are not inconsistent with federal law. Most states toll for minority and for legal incapacity. Some toll during imprisonment, and some do not. Some recognize equitable tolling when the defendant concealed facts. A few circuits toll the period while a prisoner exhausts the grievance process the PLRA requires. Each state's page notes the doctrines most likely to matter, but tolling is fact-specific and rarely rescues a late filing. Plan to file inside the period.

How to use the table

Find the state where the incident happened. That is the forum.
Write down the accrual date for each count you plan to bring, using the rules above.
Add the period. If the state's row says recent change, open the state page and read the note. Then confirm the statute yourself either way.
If the result is within a few months, read what to do when the deadline is close. Filing the complaint stops the clock; a pending records request does not.

Have corrections or want to suggest a change?