Civil statutes of limitations

How long do you have to sue in Texas?

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 Texas 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.

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Filing deadlines by type of claim

statutory period · longer ≠ more time for you

Defamation (libel / slander)

Bar 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 Texas 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 year

Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.002(a) RECORDED the statute as written — verify at the cited code

• Covers libel, slander, and malicious prosecution.

Medical malpractice

2 years

Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 74.251 RECORDED the statute as written — verify at the cited code

• Statute of repose: 10 years — an outer cutoff that can bar the claim even if the discovery rule would otherwise extend it.
• Foreign-object exception; minors under 12 have until 14th birthday.

Personal injury

2 years

Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003(a) RECORDED the statute as written — verify at the cited code

• Service of process must also occur within limitations or with diligent service.

Product liability

2 years

Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003 RECORDED the statute as written — verify at the cited code

• Statute of repose: 15 years — an outer cutoff that can bar the claim even if the discovery rule would otherwise extend it.
• Disease-exposure and warranted-life-extension exceptions exist.

Property damage

2 years

Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003(a) RECORDED the statute as written — verify at the cited code

• Covers trespass and conversion of personal property.

Wrongful death

2 years

Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003(b) RECORDED the statute as written — verify at the cited code

• Substantive right under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 71.021.

Contract oral

4 years

Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.051 RECORDED the statute as written — verify at the cited code

• Residual 4-year limitations period applies to oral contracts.

Contract written

4 years

Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.051 RECORDED the statute as written — verify at the cited code

• Section 16.004 covers contracts for conveyance of real property.

Fraud

4 years

Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004(a)(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).
• Same period for breach of fiduciary duty.

Why this table is not your actual deadline

These are the statutes Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas immediately; for free help, see civil legal aid in Texas.

Source: CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026) · statutes last verified 2026-04-29.

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