Civil Litigation & Business Disputes
Statute of Limitations: Pennsylvania Filing Deadlines
Last updated July 2026
3 min read
✓ Verified Jul. 2026Before anything else in litigation comes the threshold question: do you still have time to file? Every civil claim in Pennsylvania has a statute of limitations, a deadline after which you lose the right to sue, regardless of how strong your case is. Miss it by one day and the case is gone.
The following table covers the most common civil claims. The clock generally starts on the date of the injury or breach, though the discovery rule may toll the deadline when harm was not immediately apparent.
The clock generally starts on the date of the injury or breach. The discovery rule can delay the start when the harm was not immediately apparent.
Written notice to the government unit. Suit itself is 2 years.
42 Pa.C.S. § 5522
Runs from publication. One of the shortest PA deadlines.
42 Pa.C.S. § 5523(1)
Appeal from probate. Court may shorten to 3 months on petition.
20 Pa.C.S. § 908(a)
Car crashes, slip-and-fall, most negligence claims.
42 Pa.C.S. § 5524
Discovery rule applies. No statute of repose after Yanakos.
42 Pa.C.S. § 5524
Runs from the date of death, not the date of injury.
42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(2)
The decedent's own claim, carried on by the estate.
42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(2)
Strict liability or negligence theory. From injury.
42 Pa.C.S. § 5524
Damage to real or personal property.
42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(3)/(4)
Discovery rule may toll: runs from when the fraud was found.
42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(7)
Most written agreements.
42 Pa.C.S. § 5525(a)(8)
Same clock as written. Proving the terms is the hard part.
42 Pa.C.S. § 5525(a)(3)
Suing on a judgment. The lien is separately revived every 5 years.
42 Pa.C.S. § 5525(a)(5)
Residual period applied to Unfair Trade Practices claims.
42 Pa.C.S. § 5527(b)
A 10-year path exists under § 5527.1 with a quiet-title action.
42 Pa.C.S. § 5530
A short window runs after the settlor's death. Do not delay.
20 Pa.C.S. Ch. 77
General guidance only, not legal advice. These are the most common civil deadlines in Pennsylvania. Many exceptions apply, including the discovery rule, tolling for minors and incapacity, statutes of repose, contractual limitation periods, and a defendant's absence from the state. A single fact can change your deadline. Confirm any deadline with a lawyer before you rely on it, and do not wait.
The full table below adds the statutory detail and the exceptions behind each deadline.
| Claim Type | SOL | Statute | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Injury / Negligence | 2 years | 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524 | Bodily injury, slip and fall, MVA, medical malpractice (with discovery rule). Note: Pennsylvania previously imposed a 7-year statute of repose for medical malpractice (40 P.S. § 1303.513), but the PA Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional in Yanakos v. UPMC, 218 A.3d 1214 (Pa. 2019), holding it violated the remedies clause of the PA Constitution (Art. I, § 11). There is currently no medical malpractice statute of repose in Pennsylvania; the 2-year statute of limitations with the discovery rule is the operative deadline. |
| Wrongful Death | 2 years | 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(2) | From date of death, not date of injury |
| Survival Action | 2 years | 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(2) | Runs with the decedent's claim: same SOL as underlying tort |
| Breach of Contract (written) | 4 years | 42 Pa.C.S. § 5525(8) | Written agreements generally; promissory notes and negotiable instruments under § 5525(7); sale/construction of personal property under § 5525(1) |
| Breach of Contract (oral) | 4 years | 42 Pa.C.S. § 5525(3) | Oral agreements: proving terms is the practical challenge |
| Property Damage | 2 years | 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(3)/(4) | Damage to real or personal property (personal property under § 5524(3); waste or trespass of real property under § 5524(4)) |
| Fraud / Misrepresentation | 2 years | 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(7) | Discovery rule may toll: runs from when fraud was or should have been discovered |
| Defamation (Libel / Slander) | 1 year | 42 Pa.C.S. § 5523(1) | One of the shortest PA civil limitations periods: do not wait |
| Products Liability | 2 years | 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524 | Strict liability or negligence theory. 2 years from injury |
| UCC. Breach of Warranty (Goods) | 4 years | 13 Pa.C.S. § 2725 | From tender of delivery, not from discovery of defect. Exception: for warranties explicitly extending to future performance, the cause of action accrues when the breach is or should have been discovered. |
| Trespass / Nuisance | 2 years | 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524 | Continuing trespass may restart the clock |
| Legal Malpractice | 2 years | 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(7) | Discovery rule applies, from when client knew or should have known |
| Will Contest (after probate) | 1 year | 20 Pa.C.S. § 908 | Appeal from probate. 1 year from the decree of the register, per 20 Pa.C.S. § 908(a); the court may limit the time for appeal to three months on petition |
| Government Tort Claims (notice) | 6 months | 42 Pa.C.S. § 5522 | Written notice to government unit generally required within 6 months of injury. Under § 5522(a)(2), the court must excuse non-compliance on a showing of reasonable excuse for the failure to file, and § 5522(a)(3) provides exceptions for incapacity (tolling up to 90 days) and where the government unit had actual or constructive notice |
| UTPCPL (Unfair Trade Practices) | 6 years | 42 Pa.C.S. § 5527(b) | Private actions under the PA Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law |
| Specific Performance (real estate) | 5 years | 42 Pa.C.S. § 5526(2) | Action to enforce or recover damages for noncompliance with a contract for sale of real property |
| Adverse Possession | 21 years | 42 Pa.C.S. § 5530 | Recovery of real property or quiet title; actual, continuous, exclusive, visible, notorious, distinct, and hostile possession required. A shorter 10-year period applies under § 5527.1 to acquire title by adverse possession, but the possessor must commence a quiet title action and give the record owner one year to respond by filing an action in ejectment. A contiguous additional lot may be included only if the combined area does not exceed one-half acre. |
| Real Estate Appraiser Claims | 5 years | 42 Pa.C.S. § 5539 | From date of appraisal; exception for fraud and for consumer single-family residential transactions not involving a lender (Act 93 of 2021) |
Minors: The statute of limitations is generally tolled during minority. A minor has until age 20 (two years after turning 18) for most tort claims, but this is a trap. Parents and guardians should not assume they can wait. Evidence disappears, witnesses forget, and some claims (like medical malpractice involving birth injuries) have complex rules.
Discovery rule: When the injury or breach was not immediately apparent, the clock may not start until the plaintiff knew or should have known of the harm. This is heavily litigated; the defendant will argue you should have discovered it sooner.
Defendant's absence: Time during which the defendant is absent from Pennsylvania may not count toward the limitations period (42 Pa.C.S. § 5532).
Do Not Wait
If you think you might have a claim, call a lawyer now, not when the deadline is approaching. Evidence needs to be preserved, witnesses need to be identified, and sometimes pre-suit notice requirements apply. The worst outcome in litigation is having a valid claim that you can never bring because the clock ran out.
Statutory content on this page was last verified against Pennsylvania statutes (20 Pa.C.S.; 72 P.S. Art. XXI): Jul. 2026. If you are reading this significantly after that date, confirm key provisions with current statute text or contact our office.
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