Civil statutes of limitations
How long do you have to sue in Oregon?
A statute of limitations is a hard filing deadline. File even one day after it and a court will almost always throw the case out permanently — no matter how strong it is. Among the nine claims on this page, the shortest in Oregon is 1 year.
Were you fired, treated unfairly at work, or harmed by a government agency? Those claims are not on this page and often have much shorter deadlines — sometimes only a few months (for example, many job-discrimination claims must be filed with the EEOC or a state agency within about 180 days; many claims against a government can require notice in 6 months or less). If that's you, your clock may be running out right now — contact an attorney or legal aid today.
If you think you might have a claim, treat the clock as already running. The deadline for your situation can be shorter than the table below — and missing it is usually fatal to the case.
Find free legal help in Oregon →Filing deadlines by type of claim
statutory period · longer ≠ more time for youBar length is the number of years the statute allows; color flags how little time that is. disc. = a discovery rule may start the clock when you discover the harm, not when it happened. repose = an outer limit that can bar a claim even before you discover it.
What to do today
- Find the date you were harmed — the injury, the contract breach, the death, the day you discovered it.
- Compare it to the shortest deadline above that fits your situation. If you're anywhere close, treat today as your deadline, not the statutory date.
- Contact an attorney or free legal aid in Oregon now. Even if the deadline looks past, the discovery rule or tolling may still help — don't decide that yourself; ask someone licensed.
The statute for each claim
Defamation (libel / slander)
1 yearOr. Rev. Stat. § 12.120(2) RECORDED the statute as written — verify at the cited code
- • Covers libel and slander; retraction demand affects damages under ORS 31.215.
Fraud
2 yearsOr. Rev. Stat. § 12.110(1) RECORDED the statute as written — verify at the cited code
- • Discovery rule may apply — the clock can start when you discover the injury, not when it occurred (can give you more time, or can already have started without your knowing).
- • Statute expressly references discovery accrual for fraud/deceit.
Medical malpractice
2 yearsOr. Rev. Stat. § 12.110(4) RECORDED the statute as written — verify at the cited code
- • Discovery rule may apply — the clock can start when you discover the injury, not when it occurred (can give you more time, or can already have started without your knowing).
- • Statute of repose: 5 years — an outer cutoff that can bar the claim even if the discovery rule would otherwise extend it.
- • Fraud/deceit extends to 2 years after discovery.
Personal injury
2 yearsOr. Rev. Stat. § 12.110(1) RECORDED the statute as written — verify at the cited code
- • Discovery rule may apply — the clock can start when you discover the injury, not when it occurred (can give you more time, or can already have started without your knowing).
- • Tolling under ORS 12.160 for minors (max 5 years or 1 year after age 18).
Product liability
2 yearsOr. Rev. Stat. § 30.905 RECORDED the statute as written — verify at the cited code
- • Discovery rule may apply — the clock can start when you discover the injury, not when it occurred (can give you more time, or can already have started without your knowing).
- • Statute of repose: 10 years — an outer cutoff that can bar the claim even if the discovery rule would otherwise extend it.
- • Wrongful death from product limited to 3 years/10 years.
Wrongful death
3 years from injury discoveryOr. Rev. Stat. § 30.020 RECORDED the statute as written — verify at the cited code
- • Discovery rule may apply — the clock can start when you discover the injury, not when it occurred (can give you more time, or can already have started without your knowing).
- • Public-body claims subject to 2-year SOL and tort-claim notice.
Contract oral
6 yearsOr. Rev. Stat. § 12.080(1) RECORDED the statute as written — verify at the cited code
- • Express or implied contracts treated alike.
Contract written
6 yearsOr. Rev. Stat. § 12.080(1) RECORDED the statute as written — verify at the cited code
- • UCC 4-year SOL on sale-of-goods.
Property damage
6 yearsOr. Rev. Stat. § 12.080(3) RECORDED the statute as written — verify at the cited code
- • Construction defect actions also subject to 10-year repose under ORS 12.135.
Why this table is not your actual deadline
These are the statutes Oregon has on the books. Your real deadline depends on facts only a lawyer can sort out:
- When the clock started (accrual) — usually the date of harm, but the discovery rule can move it to when you reasonably should have known.
- Whether it paused (tolling) — being a minor, incapacity, the defendant leaving the state, or fraud can stop or restart the clock.
- A statute of repose — a separate outer limit that can bar a claim even before you discover it.
- Which claim you actually have — the same facts can support several causes of action with different deadlines; the shortest one that applies controls.
The safe move is always to assume less time than you think and talk to an attorney immediately.
What this is — and is not
This page states the published statutory deadlines in Oregon for common civil claims — an informational reference, with each statute citation linked so you can verify it. It is not legal advice, not a calculation of your deadline, and not a substitute for a licensed attorney. Accrual, tolling, and the discovery rule are fact-specific. If you may have a claim, consult an attorney in Oregon immediately; for free help, see civil legal aid in Oregon.
Source: CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026) · statutes last verified 2026-04-29.
Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. See also all states.