Texas Statutes of Limitations
Created by FindLaw's team of legal writers and editors | Last reviewed June 20, 2016
This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw’s team of legal writers and attorneys and in accordance with our editorial standards.
The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors. 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.
Statutes of limitations define the time period in which a lawsuit or other civil action must be filed, as measured from the date of the incident. Statutes of limitations also apply to criminal cases, prohibiting prosecutors from filing criminal after the passage of a specified number of years. Different states have different statutes of limitations for various types of civil actions and crimes, and Texas is no different. For instance, Texas has a four-year time limit to bring fraud cases, but a seven-year statute of limitations for arson charges. Click on the links below to learn more about statutes of limitations in Texas courts.