{"id":376504,"date":"2016-03-31T21:36:48","date_gmt":"2016-04-01T02:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/tennessee-law\/tennessee-statutes-of-limitations.html"},"modified":"2025-06-02T14:33:23","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T19:33:23","slug":"tennessee-statutes-of-limitations","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/tennessee-law\/tennessee-statutes-of-limitations.html","title":{"rendered":"Tennessee Statutes of Limitations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n \n Tennessee Statutes of Limitations\n <\/h1>\n \n State and federal courts have time limits for either filing a civil complaint or formal criminal charges, which are intended to ensure the integrity of evidence and to prevent people from threatening lawsuits indefinitely.\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\n By Christie Nicholson, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by FindLaw Staff<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

Every state has laws regarding time limits for filing civil lawsuits and criminal charges, which are called statutes of limitations. Tennessee law is stricter than most other states about how long a person has to either file a lawsuit, especially regarding personal injury claims<\/a>. Prosecutors have similar deadlines for seeking criminal charges.<\/p>\r\n

Tennessee has a one-year statute of limitations for personal injury and medical malpractice<\/a> claims. However, you have up to six years to file a breach of contract action. The Tennessee criminal statutes of limitations are similar to those in other states. For example, there is no time limit to file murder charges, but there is a one-year statute of limitations for most misdemeanors.<\/p>\r\n

This page summarizes the key FindLaw articles on the Tennessee statutes of limitations and provides links to related articles and sections of the Tennessee Code<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

Learn About Tennessee Statutes of Limitations<\/b><\/h2>\r\n

Tennessee Civil Statute of Limitations<\/a>: What you need to know about the civil statute of limitations in the State of Tennessee, including the specific amount of time plaintiffs have to file a civil action<\/a> in Tennessee.<\/p>\r\n

This article covers several causes of action, including the limitations period for the following types of civil cases:<\/p>\r\n