Statute of limitations: Texas

Texas statute of limitations by claim

In Texas you generally have 2 years to sue for personal injury, 2 years for property damage, 4 years on a written contract and 4 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.

What is different in Texas

Texas uses one 4-year period for written and oral contracts, and since 2019 a debt buyer may not sue on a consumer debt after those 4 years; a payment or a promise to pay does not revive it. Medical malpractice runs 2 years even for most children: a child under 12 has until the 14th birthday, and the 10-year repose still applies. Survivors of sexual assault have 5 years to sue, and survivors of child sexual abuse 30 years.

• Debt buyers cannot sue on consumer debt after the 4-year limitation period, and a payment or reaffirmation does not revive the debt; collection letters must say so (H.B. 996, 2019). (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307)^[10]
• Civil suits for injuries from child sexual abuse may be filed up to 30 years after the cause of action accrues; adult sexual assault claims have 5 years. Bills in 2025 to remove the 30-year limit (H.B. 179, H.B. 2022, S.B. 1167) died in committee. (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.0045)^[11]
• 2025 changes: Penal Code ch. 32 fraud offenses now have 7 years, and the new real property theft and real property fraud offenses have 10 years; art. 12.01 was amended by four 2025 acts, the last (S.B. 16, 2nd called session) effective Dec. 4, 2025. (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 12.01(2)(I)–(J), (3)(A))^[12]
• Product liability claims are cut off 15 years after the defendant sold the product, whatever theory is pleaded. (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.012)^[13]

When the clock starts and stops

We could not confirm from the statute text how Texas applies the discovery rule; check the statute before counting from the date you discovered the harm. (Computer Associates Int'l v. Altai, Inc., 918 S.W.2d 453 (Tex. 1996))

Minors. Texas pauses the clock while the injured person is a minor: the period starts at age 18. Time under age 18 is not counted. Medical malpractice: minors under 12 must file by their 14th birthday, and the 10-year repose still applies (§ 74.251).^[6]

Other tolling. The defendant's absence from Texas suspends the period (§ 16.063); unsound mind tolls like minority (§ 16.001); disabilities cannot be tacked (§ 16.001(c)).

Suing the government in Texas

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]

Criminal statute of limitations in Texas

Most felonies in Texas: 3 years for felonies not otherwise listed; 5, 7, 10 or 20 years (or no limit) for listed offenses. Misdemeanors: 2 years; 3 years for misdemeanor assault against a family, household or dating partner.^[9] Prosecutors must file charges within these periods; the victim’s civil deadline is separate.

Worked example

A rear-end crash on I-35 in Austin on June 14, 2025: under the personal injury deadline is June 14, 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 $20,000 or less, Texas’s small claims (Justice Court (small claims case)) is usually faster and cheaper; see our Texas 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.