Statute of Limitations by StateFiling deadlines · cited to statute

New Jersey · civil and criminal deadlines

Statute of limitations: NJ (New Jersey)

New Jersey allows 2 years for personal injury, wrongful death and medical malpractice, 6 years for property damage, contracts, debt and fraud, and 1 year for defamation. A claim against the state, a town or a school needs a notice of claim within 90 days.

Statute of Limitations by State editorial teamUpdated 14 sources

Deadline calculator

New Jersey statute of limitations calculator

Enter the date your claim arose to get the last day to file under New Jersey Statutes Annotated (N.J.S.A.).

Discovered later, a minor, or a government defendant
Is the defendant a government body?
Example

New Jersey · Personal injury: file no later than

Saturday, April 3, 2027

  • Limitation period2 years · N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-2(a)
  • Clock startedApril 3, 2025 (the date the claim arose)
  • Weekend or holidayThe last day falls on a weekend or federal holiday. Most states extend it to the next court day, April 5, 2027; confirm your state’s court holidays.
  • Sexual abuse claims follow § 2A:14-2a: 37 years after a minor turns 18, or 7 years after discovery, whichever is later (adults: 7 years after discovery).

The calculator adds the state’s period to the start date by the anniversary method and flags weekends and federal holidays. It does not know every exception: accrual, tolling and claim type are legal questions. General information, not legal advice; see the legal disclaimer.

New Jersey statute of limitations by claim

In New Jersey you generally have 2 years to sue for personal injury, 6 years for property damage, 6 years on a written contract and 6 years on an oral one, but only 1 year for defamation.[1][4] The table lists every common civil claim with the statute and the notes that change it.

New Jersey statutes of limitations for civil claims (checked November 2026)
ClaimDeadlineStatute
Personal injury2 yearsN.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-2(a)Sexual abuse claims follow § 2A:14-2a: 37 years after a minor turns 18, or 7 years after discovery, whichever is later (adults: 7 years after discovery).
Medical malpractice2 yearsN.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-2Injuries to a minor at birth: suit must be filed before the child's 13th birthday (§ 2A:14-2(a)). Other injuries to minors are tolled until 18 (§ 2A:14-21). No statute of repose.
Wrongful death2 yearsN.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:31-3No time limit if the death resulted from murder, aggravated manslaughter or manslaughter and the defendant was convicted, found not guilty by reason of insanity, or adjudicated delinquent.
Property damage6 yearsN.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-1(a)Covers tortious injury to real or personal property and taking, detaining or converting personal property.
Written contract6 yearsN.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-1(a)Applies to contracts not under seal. Contracts for the sale of goods: 4 years under the UCC (§ 12A:2-725).
Oral contract6 yearsN.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-1(a)
Credit card / account debt6 yearsN.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-1(a)Covers contract claims and accounts (other than trade accounts between merchants). A new promise or acknowledgment must be in a writing signed by the debtor; payments of principal or interest are treated separately (§ 2A:14-24).
Fraud6 yearsN.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-1(a)Falls under 'tortious injury to the rights of another' not covered by §§ 2A:14-2 or 2A:14-3.
Defamation1 yearN.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-3Same 1 year for libel and slander.
Product liability2 yearsN.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-2(a)Personal injury from a product: 2 years; property damage: 6 years (§ 2A:14-1). No product-liability statute of repose.

What is different in New Jersey

New Jersey’s 90-day notice under the Tort Claims Act is the deadline most people miss; a late notice is allowed only by court permission within a year, for extraordinary circumstances. Birth-injury malpractice claims must be filed by the child’s 13th birthday, and childhood sexual abuse survivors have until age 55 or 7 years from discovery.

When the clock starts and stops

New Jersey courts apply a broad equitable discovery rule: the period starts when the plaintiff knew or should have known of the injury and that someone else may be at fault (Lopez v. Swyer, N.J. 1973). Sexual abuse claims have a statutory discovery rule (§ 2A:14-2a). (N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-2a)

Minors. New Jersey pauses the clock while the injured person is a minor: the period starts at age 18. The period starts when the minor turns 18 or a mental disability ends. Exception: medical malpractice injuries at birth must be sued on before the 13th birthday (§ 2A:14-2).[6]

Other tolling. Time a nonresident or absent defendant cannot be served, even by long-arm service, is excluded (§ 2A:14-22).

Suing the government in New Jersey

Claims against a public body follow their own rules, and a missed notice can end the claim even when the ordinary limitation period is still open.[7][8]

Notice and suit deadlines for claims against New Jersey government
DefendantDeadlineStatute
State agenciesNotice of claim to the Attorney General or the agency involved within 90 days after the claim accrues; late notice up to 1 year only with court permission for extraordinary circumstancesSuit may be filed 6 months after the notice is received and must be filed within 2 years after the claim accrues (§ 59:8-8)N.J. Stat. Ann. §§ 59:8-7, 59:8-8, 59:8-9
Cities, counties and other local entitiesNotice of claim filed with the local public entity within 90 days after the claim accrues; late notice up to 1 year only with court permissionSuit may be filed 6 months after the notice is received and must be filed within 2 years after the claim accrues (§ 59:8-8)N.J. Stat. Ann. §§ 59:8-7, 59:8-8, 59:8-9

Criminal statute of limitations in New Jersey

Most felonies in New Jersey: 5 years for crimes (indictable offenses); 7 years for certain official misconduct, bribery and related offenses. Misdemeanors: 1 year (disorderly persons and petty disorderly persons offenses).[9] Prosecutors must file charges within these periods; the victim’s civil deadline is separate.

New Jersey criminal limitation periods
OffenseTime limitStatute
Felonies5 years for crimes (indictable offenses); 7 years for certain official misconduct, bribery and related offensesWhen a case relies on DNA or fingerprint evidence, time starts only once the State has both the physical evidence and the match (§ 2C:1-6(c)). Limits do not apply to anyone fleeing from justice (§ 2C:1-6(f)).N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2C:1-6(b)(1), (b)(3)
Misdemeanors1 year (disorderly persons and petty disorderly persons offenses)N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2C:1-6(b)(2)
No time limitMurder, manslaughter, aggravated sexual assault and sexual assault, terrorism offenses, and certain other offenses listed in § 2C:1-6(a)N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2C:1-6(a)
Sexual assaultSexual assault and aggravated sexual assault: no limit for adult or child victims. Criminal sexual contact or endangering the welfare of a child under 18: 5 years after the victim turns 18 or 2 years after discovery, whichever is later.N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2C:1-6(a), (b)(4)
TheftNo theft-specific period: theft graded as a crime 5 years; disorderly persons theft 1 year (§ 2C:1-6(b)).

Worked example

A crash on the Garden State Parkway on April 3, 2025: under the personal injury deadline is April 3, 2027, which falls on a weekend or federal holiday, so the filing day is usually extended to April 5, 2027. If the injured person was a child born September 3, 2012, the clock would not start until September 3, 2030, making the deadline September 3, 2032.

For a claim of $5,000 or less, New Jersey’s small claims (Small Claims Section, Special Civil Part of the Superior Court) is usually faster and cheaper; see our New Jersey small claims court guide.[14] To value an injury claim, try the car accident settlement calculator; for medical cases, compare the medical malpractice statute of limitations in other states. All states are on the statute of limitations by state page.

Frequently asked questions

How long do you have to sue for personal injury in New Jersey?
2 years under N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-2(a), usually counted from the date of the injury. Claims against a government body may need a written notice much sooner.
What is the statute of limitations on debt in New Jersey?
6 years (N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-1(a)). Covers contract claims and accounts (other than trade accounts between merchants).
Does the statute of limitations pause for minors in New Jersey?
New Jersey pauses the clock while the injured person is a minor: the period starts at age 18. The period starts when the minor turns 18 or a mental disability ends. Exception: medical malpractice injuries at birth must be sued on before the 13th birthday (§ 2A:14-2).
What crimes have no statute of limitations in New Jersey?
Murder, manslaughter, aggravated sexual assault and sexual assault, terrorism offenses, and certain other offenses listed in § 2C:1-6(a) (N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2C:1-6(a)).
How long do you have to file a notice of claim against a NJ town?
90 days from the date the claim accrues (N.J.S.A. 59:8-8). A judge may allow a late notice within 1 year for extraordinary circumstances (59:8-9). Suit can follow 6 months after the notice, within 2 years.

Sources

  1. N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-2(a): personal injury limitation period · New Jersey Statutes Annotated (N.J.S.A.) (official), checked November 2026
  2. N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-2: medical malpractice limitation period · New Jersey Statutes Annotated (N.J.S.A.) (official), checked November 2026
  3. N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:31-3: wrongful death limitation period · New Jersey Statutes Annotated (N.J.S.A.) (official), checked November 2026
  4. N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-1(a): written contract limitation period · New Jersey Statutes Annotated (N.J.S.A.) (official), checked November 2026
  5. N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-1(a): credit card / account debt limitation period · New Jersey Statutes Annotated (N.J.S.A.) (official), checked November 2026
  6. N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-21: tolling for minors · New Jersey Statutes Annotated (N.J.S.A.) (official), checked November 2026
  7. N.J. Stat. Ann. §§ 59:8-7, 59:8-8, 59:8-9: claims against the state · New Jersey Statutes Annotated (N.J.S.A.) (official), checked November 2026
  8. N.J. Stat. Ann. §§ 59:8-7, 59:8-8, 59:8-9: claims against local government · New Jersey Statutes Annotated (N.J.S.A.) (official), checked November 2026
  9. N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2C:1-6(b)(1), (b)(3): criminal limitation periods · New Jersey Statutes Annotated (N.J.S.A.) (official), checked November 2026
  10. N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:31-3 · New Jersey Statutes Annotated (N.J.S.A.), checked November 2026
  11. N.J. Stat. Ann. §§ 2A:14-2, 2A:14-21 · New Jersey Statutes Annotated (N.J.S.A.), checked November 2026
  12. N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-2a · New Jersey Statutes Annotated (N.J.S.A.), checked November 2026
  13. N.J. Stat. Ann. §§ 2A:14-1, 2A:14-3 · New Jersey Statutes Annotated (N.J.S.A.), checked November 2026
  14. New Jersey small claims (official court self-help) · New Jersey Judicial Branch, checked November 2026