Tennessee Statutes of Limitations
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.
Created by FindLaw's team of legal writers and editors | Last reviewed June 20, 2016
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These time limits are called the "statutes of limitations" and typically differ by type of civil claim or criminal charge. In Tennessee, there is a one-year statute of limitations for personal injury, professional malpractice claims; but contract disputes and debt collection claims have a six-year limit. For Tennessee criminal charges, there is no limit for murder charges but a one-year statute of limitations for most misdemeanors. Choose a link below to learn more.