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Statute of limitations for personal injury in Texas

Texas allows two years from the date the personal-injury cause of action accrues. The discovery rule is available but narrowly construed.

SoL period
2 years
From the date the cause of action accrues

Compute your deadline

Filing deadline
—

Where this rule comes from

Statute
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003(a)
"Except as provided by Sections 16.010, 16.0031, and 16.0045, a person must bring suit for trespass for injury to the estate or to the property of another, conversion of personal property, taking or detaining the personal property of another, personal injury, forcible entry and detainer, and forcible detainer not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues."
Read the full statute Last verified May 7, 2026 by Juryvine Editorial

What can extend or pause this clock

Discovery rule. Texas applies the discovery rule narrowly: only when the injury is inherently undiscoverable AND objectively verifiable. Computer Assoc. Int'l, Inc. v. Altai, Inc. (1996).
Minority tolling. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.001 tolls the statute during minority.

Frequently asked

What is the statute of limitations for personal injury in Texas?
2 years from the date the cause of action accrues. Authority: Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003(a).
What if the injury wasn't immediately apparent?
Texas applies the discovery rule narrowly: only when the injury is inherently undiscoverable AND objectively verifiable. Computer Assoc. Int'l, Inc. v. Altai, Inc. (1996).
What if the plaintiff was a minor?
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.001 tolls the statute during minority.

Personal Injury statute by state

California 2 years Florida 2 years Illinois 2 years New York 3 years Pennsylvania 2 years

Other Texas statutes of limitations

Medical Malpractice 2 years Wrongful Death 2 years Breach of Written Contract 4 years Breach of Oral Contract 4 years Fraud 4 years Civil Rights — 42 U.S.C. § 1983 2 years Premises Liability 2 years Product Liability 2 years
Not legal advice. Statutes of limitations are governed by complex doctrine with many exceptions. Use this page as a starting point and verify with an attorney before relying on any deadline. Juryvine is not a law firm and does not represent clients.