Statute of limitations in North Carolina
3 yearsPersonal injury deadline
3 years (N.C. Gen. Stat. 1-52(5))1
The details
- Personal injury
- 3 years for any injury to the person or rights of another not arising on contract (G.S. 1-52(5)).1
- Property damage
- 3 years for taking, detaining, converting or injuring goods or chattels (G.S. 1-52(4)).1
- Written contract
- 3 years on a contract, obligation or liability arising out of a contract, express or implied (G.S. 1-52(1)).1
- Oral contract
- 3 years on a contract, obligation or liability arising out of a contract, express or implied (G.S. 1-52(1)).1
- Fraud
- 3 years, not accruing until the aggrieved party discovers the facts (G.S. 1-52(9)).1
The sources we read do not say: medical malpractice, defamation, debt collection (open account), claims against the state government (notice deadline).
Deadlines usually run from the date of the harm or its discovery, and many exceptions apply. A lawyer can tell you how they apply to you.
Sources
- N.C. Gen. Stat. 1-52, North Carolina General Assembly, checked 1 November 2026
Checked 1 November 2026. "Secondary" marks a source used only because the official page could not be read.