Washington 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 October 20, 2017
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.
These time limits are called the "statutes of limitations" and typically differ by type of civil claim or criminal charge. In Washington, there is a three-year statute of limitations for personal injury, injury to property, fraud, and trespass claims; but defamation claims only have a two-year limit. For Washington criminal charges, there is no limit for murder charges but a two-year statute of limitations for gross misdemeanors. Choose a link below to learn more.