Statute of limitations in Pennsylvania
2 yearsPersonal injury deadline
2 years (42 Pa.C.S. 5524(2))1
The details
- Personal injury
- 2 years for injury to a person or death caused by wrongful act, neglect or violence (42 Pa.C.S. 5524(2)).1
- Property damage
- 2 years for taking, detaining or injuring personal property, and for waste or trespass on real property (42 Pa.C.S. 5524(3), 5524(4)).1
- Written contract
- 4 years on a contract, obligation or liability founded upon a writing (42 Pa.C.S. 5525(a)(8)).2
- Oral contract
- 4 years on an express contract not founded upon an instrument in writing (42 Pa.C.S. 5525(a)(3)).2
- Fraud
- 2 years for injury to a person or property founded on deceit or fraud (42 Pa.C.S. 5524(7)).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
- 42 Pa.C.S. 5524 Two year limitation, Pennsylvania General Assembly, checked 1 November 2026
- 42 Pa.C.S. 5525 Four year limitation, Pennsylvania General Assembly, checked 1 November 2026
Checked 1 November 2026. "Secondary" marks a source used only because the official page could not be read.