Pennsylvania Statute of Limitations: Filing Deadlines by Case Type

What Is a Statute of Limitations in Pennsylvania?

A statute of limitations is a law that sets the maximum amount of time a person has to start legal proceedings after an event occurs. In Pennsylvania, these deadlines apply to both civil lawsuits and criminal prosecutions.

If you miss the filing deadline, you lose your right to bring the case. In a civil lawsuit, the defendant can file a motion to dismiss, and the court will grant it. In a criminal case, the prosecution cannot bring charges once the time has run out.

Pennsylvania organizes its statutes of limitations under Title 42 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes (Pa.C.S.), Chapter 55. Civil deadlines appear in Sections 5521 through 5536, and criminal deadlines appear in Sections 5551 through 5554.

Pennsylvania Civil Statute of Limitations

Pennsylvania law sets different filing deadlines based on the type of civil claim. These deadlines range from one year to 21 years, depending on the cause of action.

The clock typically starts on the date the injury or breach occurs. However, the "discovery rule" may delay the start date until the injured person knew or should have known about the harm. This is especially relevant in medical malpractice and product liability cases.

One-Year Limitation (42 Pa.C.S. § 5523)

The shortest civil deadline in Pennsylvania applies to defamation claims.

Case Type	Time Limit	Statute
Libel	1 year	42 Pa.C.S. § 5523(1)
Slander	1 year	42 Pa.C.S. § 5523(1)
Invasion of privacy	1 year	42 Pa.C.S. § 5523

Two-Year Limitation (42 Pa.C.S. § 5524)

Most tort claims in Pennsylvania fall under the two-year deadline. This section covers a wide range of personal injury and property damage claims.

Case Type	Time Limit	Statute
Personal injury	2 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(2)
Wrongful death	2 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(2)
Medical malpractice	2 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(2)
Product liability	2 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(2)
Property damage	2 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(3)
Trespass	2 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(4)
Fraud / deceit	2 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(7)
Professional malpractice	2 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(7), (8)
Debt collection on account	2 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5524
Assault and battery	2 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(1)
False imprisonment	2 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(1)

For wrongful death and survival actions based on medical malpractice, the two-year clock starts from the date of death under the MCARE Act (Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error Act), Section 513(d). The Pennsylvania Supreme Court confirmed this rule in Dubose v. Quinlan (2017).

Four-Year Limitation (42 Pa.C.S. § 5525)

Contract-related claims generally carry a four-year deadline in Pennsylvania.

Case Type	Time Limit	Statute
Written contracts (not under seal)	4 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5525(8)
Oral contracts	4 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5525(3)
Implied contracts	4 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5525(4)
Sale of goods (UCC)	4 years	13 Pa.C.S. § 2725
Judgments (revival)	4 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5525(5)
Construction contracts (personal property/fixtures)	4 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5525(1)

Under the Uniform Commercial Code (13 Pa.C.S. § 2725), breach of contract claims for the sale of goods must also be filed within four years. The parties may agree in writing to shorten this period to as little as one year, but they cannot extend it.

Five-Year Limitation (42 Pa.C.S. § 5526)

Case Type	Time Limit	Statute
Revival of judgment lien on real property	5 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5526

Six-Year Limitation (42 Pa.C.S. § 5527)

Pennsylvania uses a six-year catch-all period for any civil action not covered by a more specific section.

Case Type	Time Limit	Statute
Eminent domain proceedings	6 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5527(b)
Any civil action not otherwise specified	6 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5527(c)

Twenty-Year and Twenty-One-Year Limitations

Some long-term obligations carry much longer filing deadlines.

Case Type	Time Limit	Statute
Contracts under seal (formal written instruments)	20 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5529(b)
Collection of rents	21 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5530(a)(2)
Recovery of real property	21 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5530(a)(1)

Civil Statute of Limitations for Sexual Abuse

Pennsylvania updated its civil filing deadlines for sexual abuse claims through Act 87 of 2019. These rules vary based on the age of the victim at the time of the abuse.

Victim Age at Time of Abuse	Filing Deadline	Source
Under 18 years old	Until the victim turns 55	Act 87 of 2019
18 to 24 years old	Until the victim turns 30	Act 87 of 2019
25 or older	2 years from the date of abuse	42 Pa.C.S. § 5524

Act 87 of 2019 is not retroactive. Victims whose claims were already time-barred before the law took effect cannot use the new extended deadlines. As of 2025, the Pennsylvania legislature has considered bills (such as House Bill 462) that would open a two-year retroactive window for previously time-barred claims, but no such law has been enacted yet.

Pennsylvania Criminal Statute of Limitations

Criminal statutes of limitations in Pennsylvania set the deadline for prosecutors to file charges. These rules are found in 42 Pa.C.S. Sections 5551 through 5554.

Crimes With No Statute of Limitations (42 Pa.C.S. § 5551)

Pennsylvania has no time limit for prosecuting the following offenses:

• Murder (all degrees)
• Voluntary manslaughter
• Conspiracy or solicitation to commit murder (when murder results)
• Any felony committed in connection with first- or second-degree murder
• Vehicular homicide (75 Pa.C.S. § 3732)
• Hit-and-run resulting in death (75 Pa.C.S. § 3742)
• Sexual offenses against victims under 18 at the time of the crime (including rape, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, and indecent assault)

The elimination of time limits for child sexual offenses was a major reform under Act 87 of 2019.

Twelve-Year Limitation

Major sexual offenses against adult victims carry a 12-year limitation period.

Offense	Time Limit	Statute
Rape (18 Pa.C.S. § 3121)	12 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5552(b.1)
Statutory sexual assault (18 Pa.C.S. § 3122.1)	12 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5552(b.1)
Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse (18 Pa.C.S. § 3123)	12 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5552(b.1)
Sexual assault (18 Pa.C.S. § 3124.1)	12 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5552(b.1)

Five-Year Limitation (42 Pa.C.S. § 5552(b))

A wide range of serious felonies must be prosecuted within five years.

Offense Category	Examples	Time Limit
Violent crimes	Aggravated assault, terroristic threats, kidnapping	5 years
Property crimes	Arson, burglary, robbery	5 years
Financial crimes	Forgery, insurance fraud, bribery, perjury	5 years
Witness/victim crimes	Intimidation of witnesses or victims	5 years
Organized crime	Corrupt organizations (18 Pa.C.S. § 911)	5 years
Theft offenses	Theft by unlawful taking through unlawful use of computer (18 Pa.C.S. §§ 3921-3933)	5 years
Public corruption	Offenses by public officers in course of duties	5 years (max 8 years)

For offenses committed by public officers or employees in the course of their duties, prosecution must begin while the defendant is still in office or within 5 years of the offense, with an overall maximum of 8 years.

Two-Year Limitation (42 Pa.C.S. § 5552(a))

All other felonies and misdemeanors not listed under a longer limitation period carry a default two-year deadline.

Offense Type	Time Limit	Statute
Other felonies	2 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5552(a)
Misdemeanors	2 years	42 Pa.C.S. § 5552(a)

Summary Offenses (42 Pa.C.S. § 5553)

Summary offenses involving vehicle violations under Title 75 must be charged within 30 days of the offense, or 30 days after discovery of the offense or the offender's identity, whichever is later. No proceeding may be brought more than 3 years after the commission of a vehicle-related summary offense.

Tolling and Exceptions

Several situations can pause ("toll") the running of the statute of limitations in Pennsylvania.

Tolling for Minors (42 Pa.C.S. § 5533)

If the injured person is under 18 years old, the statute of limitations does not begin to run until they turn 18. For example, a child injured in an accident at age 10 would have until age 20 to file a personal injury lawsuit (18 + 2 years).

Tolling for Disability

If a person has a mental disability that prevents them from understanding their legal rights or managing their affairs, the statute of limitations is tolled until the disability ends. If no guardian files the case during the period of disability, the clock remains paused.

Discovery Rule

Pennsylvania courts apply the discovery rule to delay the start of the limitations period when the injury or its cause was not immediately apparent. The clock begins when the plaintiff knew or reasonably should have known about the injury. This rule applies frequently in medical malpractice, toxic exposure, and product defect cases.

Criminal Tolling (42 Pa.C.S. § 5554)

The criminal statute of limitations is tolled in the following situations:

• The accused is continuously absent from the state or has no reasonably ascertainable residence or work address in the state.
• The accused already has a prosecution pending for the same conduct.
• Crimes against children under 18 involving injuries from wrongful acts, neglect, unlawful violence, or negligence committed by a parent or person responsible for the child.

How Pennsylvania Compares to Neighboring States

Pennsylvania's filing deadlines are similar to those in nearby states but with some differences worth noting.

Claim Type	Pennsylvania	New Jersey	New York	Ohio
Personal injury	2 years	2 years	3 years	2 years
Written contracts	4 years	6 years	6 years	8 years
Oral contracts	4 years	6 years	6 years	6 years
Fraud	2 years	6 years	6 years	4 years
Property damage	2 years	6 years	3 years	2 years

Pennsylvania's two-year personal injury deadline is among the shorter periods in the region. Neighboring states like New York and New Jersey provide longer windows for many claim types.