New Jersey
New Jersey Statute of Limitations: Filing Deadlines by Case Type
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited August 18, 2026). · Reviewed by the RecordingLaw editorial team. · Law checked current as of August 18, 2026. · 5 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
New Jersey gives most civil plaintiffs two years to file a personal injury lawsuit under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2 and six years to sue for breach of contract, property damage, or fraud under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-1, though a contract for the sale of goods runs on a shorter four-year clock. Missing either deadline allows the defendant to move for dismissal, permanently ending the claim.
Hurt in New Jersey? If you are still within the deadline above, you can estimate what your injury claim may be worth with our free New Jersey personal injury settlement calculator. It gives an instant range based on your medical costs and New Jersey's fault rule (general information, not legal advice).
What Is a Statute of Limitations in New Jersey?
A statute of limitations is a law that sets the maximum amount of time a person has to file a lawsuit or press criminal charges. In New Jersey, these deadlines vary based on the type of case.
Once the statute of limitations expires on a civil claim, the defendant can ask the court to dismiss the case. If the court grants that motion, the plaintiff permanently loses the right to pursue the claim. In criminal cases, prosecutors lose the ability to bring charges once the deadline passes.
New Jersey organizes its civil filing deadlines under Title 2A of the New Jersey Statutes Annotated (N.J.S.A.), primarily in sections 2A:14-1 through 2A:14-5. Criminal time limits fall under the New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice at N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6.
New Jersey Civil Statute of Limitations
New Jersey's civil statute of limitations governs the deadlines for filing lawsuits in state court. These limits typically range from one to twenty years depending on the type of claim. The clock usually starts on the date of the incident or, in some cases, the date the injury was discovered.
If you miss the filing deadline, the opposing party can raise the statute of limitations as an affirmative defense and file a motion to dismiss your case. Once the court grants that motion, the legal claim is gone for good.
Personal Injury and Tort Claims
New Jersey gives plaintiffs two years to file most personal injury lawsuits. This deadline applies to car accidents, slip and fall incidents, assault, and other claims involving bodily harm.
| Case Type | Time Limit | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Injury | 2 years | N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2 |
| Wrongful Death | 2 years from date of death (no deadline where the death resulted from murder, aggravated manslaughter, or manslaughter and the defendant was convicted, found not guilty by reason of insanity, or adjudicated delinquent) | N.J.S.A. 2A:31-3 |
| Medical Malpractice | 2 years (discovery rule applies) | N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2 |
| Product Liability | 2 years | N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2 |
| Libel/Slander (Defamation) | 1 year | N.J.S.A. 2A:14-3 |
The wrongful death clock starts on the date of the person's death, not the date of the act that caused the death. N.J.S.A. 2A:31-3 removes that deadline entirely in one situation: where the death resulted from murder, aggravated manslaughter, or manslaughter for which the defendant has been convicted, found not guilty by reason of insanity, or adjudicated delinquent, the action may be brought at any time. Medical malpractice claims follow the discovery rule, meaning the two-year period may not begin until the patient knew or should have known about the injury.
Contract and Property Claims
Most contract and property-related lawsuits must be filed within six years of the breach or damage. New Jersey does not distinguish between written and oral contracts for statute of limitations purposes.
One carve-out matters more than any other. N.J.S.A. 2A:14-1(b) states that the six-year period does not apply to a contract for the sale of goods, which N.J.S.A. 12A:2-725 limits to four years. That four-year clock runs from the breach itself, regardless of the buyer's lack of knowledge of it, so a goods-purchase claim filed on the six-year assumption arrives two years late.
| Case Type | Time Limit | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Written Contracts (other than sales of goods) | 6 years | N.J.S.A. 2A:14-1 |
| Oral Contracts (other than sales of goods) | 6 years | N.J.S.A. 2A:14-1 |
| Contracts for the Sale of Goods | 4 years | N.J.S.A. 12A:2-725 |
| Property Damage (Personal or Real) | 6 years | N.J.S.A. 2A:14-1 |
| Trespass | 6 years | N.J.S.A. 2A:14-1 |
| Fraud | 6 years | N.J.S.A. 2A:14-1 |
| Debt Collection | 6 years | N.J.S.A. 2A:14-1 |
| Conversion of Property | 6 years | N.J.S.A. 2A:14-1 |
Other Civil Deadlines
Several civil claims fall outside the standard two-year and six-year categories.
| Case Type | Time Limit | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Collection of Rents | 6 years | N.J.S.A. 2A:14-1 |
| Judgments (Court of Record) | 20 years | N.J.S.A. 2A:14-5 |
| Construction Defect | 10 years (statute of repose) | N.J.S.A. 2A:14-1.1 |
| Professional Malpractice (Non-Medical) | 6 years | N.J.S.A. 2A:14-1 |
| Sexual Abuse (Civil, Adult Victims) | 7 years from reasonable discovery of the injury and its causal relationship to the act | N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2a(b)(1) |
| Sexual Abuse (Civil, Child Victims) | 37 years after the victim reaches 18 (age 55), or 7 years from reasonable discovery of the injury and its causal relationship to the act, whichever is later | N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2a(a)(1) |
| Workers' Compensation | 2 years | N.J.S.A. 34:15-51 |
New Jersey permanently expanded the civil statute of limitations for sexual assault claims in 2019 through P.L.2019, c.120. Adult victims have seven years, but the clock runs from the date of reasonable discovery of the injury and its causal relationship to the act, not from the date of the assault itself. Survivors of childhood sexual abuse have until 37 years after they reach the age of majority, which works out to age 55, or seven years from that same reasonable-discovery date, whichever is later.
New Jersey Criminal Statute of Limitations
New Jersey's criminal statute of limitations sets time limits on when prosecutors can bring charges. Unlike many states, New Jersey classifies crimes as "indictable offenses" (similar to felonies in other states), "disorderly persons offenses" (similar to misdemeanors), and "petty disorderly persons offenses." These categories carry different filing deadlines under N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6.
Crimes With No Time Limit
New Jersey law allows prosecutors to file charges at any time for the most serious offenses. These crimes have no statute of limitations:
- Murder (N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3)
- Manslaughter (N.J.S.A. 2C:11-4)
- Sexual assault (N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2)
- Terrorism-related offenses (P.L.2002, c.26, sections 1 through 5)
- The environmental offenses enumerated in N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6(a)(2), including causing or risking widespread injury or damage (N.J.S.A. 2C:17-2) and the listed hazardous waste, air pollution, right to know, and water pollution violations
Human trafficking (N.J.S.A. 2C:13-8) is a serious indictable offense, but it is not on New Jersey's no-limit list. It carries the standard 5-year statute of limitations for indictable crimes under N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6(b)(1).
This means a person can be charged with any of these crimes regardless of how many years have passed since the alleged act.
Indictable Offenses (Felonies)
Most indictable offenses carry a five-year statute of limitations. The clock starts when the crime is committed. Some categories have extended deadlines:
| Crime Type | Time Limit | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Most Indictable Offenses | 5 years | N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6(b)(1) |
| Official Misconduct | 7 years | N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6(b)(3) |
| Bribery and Related Offenses | 7 years | N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6(b)(3) |
| Environmental Crimes Enumerated in 2C:1-6(a)(2) | No time limit | N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6(a)(2) |
| Other Environmental Offenses | 5 years | N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6(b)(1) |
The environmental exception is broader than it first appears. N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6(a)(2) allows a prosecution to be commenced at any time for causing or risking widespread injury or damage (N.J.S.A. 2C:17-2) and for violations of the solid waste, hazardous waste, air pollution control, worker and community right to know, and water pollution control statutes it lists by name. An environmental offense outside that list falls back to the general five-year period for crimes.
Disorderly Persons and Petty Offenses
Less serious offenses have a shorter filing deadline:
| Crime Type | Time Limit | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Disorderly Persons Offense | 1 year | N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6(b)(2) |
| Petty Disorderly Persons Offense | 1 year | N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6(b)(2) |
Crimes Against Children
New Jersey provides extended deadlines for crimes committed against minors. If the victim of criminal sexual contact (N.J.S.A. 2C:14-3) or child endangerment (N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4) was under 18 at the time of the offense, prosecutors must bring charges within five years after the victim turns 18 or within two years of the victim's discovery of the offense, whichever is later.
Tolling Provisions: When the Clock Pauses
Certain circumstances can pause or "toll" the statute of limitations in New Jersey. Tolling effectively stops the clock, giving the plaintiff or prosecutor more time to act.
Minors
Under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-21, the statute of limitations does not begin running until a minor turns 18. For example, if a 10-year-old suffers a personal injury, the two-year statute of limitations does not start until that child's 18th birthday. The child would then have until age 20 to file a lawsuit.
An exception exists for medical malpractice involving birth injuries. In those cases, the lawsuit must be filed by the child's 13th birthday.
Mental Disability
If a person has a mental disability that prevents them from understanding their legal rights or filing a lawsuit, the statute of limitations is tolled until that disability is removed. This provision also falls under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-21.
Defendant Absent From the State
Under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-22, if the defendant leaves New Jersey after the incident and cannot be served with process, the time spent outside the state does not count toward the statute of limitations. The clock pauses for the duration of the defendant's absence.
Discovery Rule
New Jersey courts apply the "discovery rule" in cases where the plaintiff could not reasonably have known about the injury at the time it occurred. Under this rule, the statute of limitations does not start until the plaintiff knew or should have known about the injury through reasonable diligence.
The New Jersey Supreme Court adopted this rule in Lopez v. Swyer, and courts have since applied it to medical malpractice, toxic exposure, and other cases where injuries are not immediately apparent.
Criminal Tolling
For criminal cases, N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6(e) stops the clock while a prosecution against the accused for the same conduct is pending in New Jersey, and N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6(f) makes the limitations periods inapplicable to a person fleeing from justice.
Simply living outside New Jersey does not pause a criminal deadline. The non-residence rule described above is N.J.S.A. 2A:14-22, and it governs civil claims only. N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6 contains no absence-from-the-state tolling provision.
How the Statute of Limitations Starts (Accrual)
Understanding when the statute of limitations begins is just as important as knowing the deadline itself. In New Jersey, the general rule is that the clock starts on the date of the incident.
For contract disputes, the limitations period begins on the date of the breach. For personal injury cases, it begins on the date of the injury. For wrongful death, the clock starts on the date of death.
However, the discovery rule can shift the start date. If a person could not have discovered the injury despite exercising reasonable care, New Jersey courts may rule that the statute of limitations did not begin until the discovery date.
What Happens if You Miss the Deadline
If the statute of limitations expires before you file a lawsuit, the consequences are severe. The defendant can file a motion to dismiss based on the expired deadline, and New Jersey courts will almost always grant it.
There are very few exceptions to a missed deadline. Tolling provisions (for minors, mental disability, or absent defendants) may apply in some cases, but they must be raised and proven by the plaintiff.
For criminal cases, an expired statute of limitations means prosecutors cannot bring charges. If charges are filed after the deadline, the defendant can move to dismiss them.
The best way to protect your rights is to consult with a New Jersey attorney well before the deadline approaches. An attorney can evaluate whether any tolling provisions apply and help ensure your claim is filed on time.
More New Jersey Laws
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the statute of limitations for personal injury in New Jersey?
New Jersey gives you two years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2. This applies to car accidents, slip and fall cases, assault claims, and other personal injury matters. The discovery rule may extend this deadline if the injury was not immediately apparent.
Is there a statute of limitations on murder in New Jersey?
No. Murder, manslaughter, and sexual assault have no statute of limitations in New Jersey under N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6(a). Prosecutors can file charges for these crimes at any time, regardless of how many years have passed. Human trafficking (N.J.S.A. 2C:13-8) is not on that list; it carries the standard 5-year indictable-crime deadline under N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6(b)(1).
How long do I have to sue for breach of contract in New Jersey?
You have six years from the date of the breach to file a lawsuit for breach of contract in New Jersey under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-1, and that applies to both written and oral contracts. Contracts for the sale of goods are the exception: N.J.S.A. 2A:14-1(b) carves them out and N.J.S.A. 12A:2-725 allows four years, measured from the breach even if the buyer did not know about it.
Does the statute of limitations pause for minors in New Jersey?
Yes. Under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-21, the statute of limitations does not begin running until a minor turns 18. Once they reach 18, the standard limitations period applies. For example, a minor with a personal injury claim would have until age 20 to file suit.
What is the discovery rule in New Jersey?
The discovery rule delays the start of the statute of limitations until the plaintiff knew or should have known about the injury. New Jersey courts apply this rule in cases such as medical malpractice and toxic exposure, where the harm may not be immediately apparent. The rule was established by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Lopez v. Swyer.
Updates
Corrected New Jersey's criminal and civil filing deadlines against the official statute text: the enumerated environmental offenses under N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6(a)(2) have no time limit rather than five years, disorderly persons offenses are governed by 2C:1-6(b)(2), criminal deadlines are not tolled by mere absence from the state, wrongful death has no deadline where the death resulted from a murder or manslaughter conviction, contracts for the sale of goods run four years under N.J.S.A. 12A:2-725 rather than six, and the civil sexual abuse periods run from reasonable discovery of the injury and its causal relationship to the act.
Corrected two statutory citation errors: human trafficking is not among New Jersey crimes with no time limit (it carries the standard 5-year deadline), and the adult-victim civil sexual-abuse citation was fixed from N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2b to the correct 2A:14-2a.
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources; governing law re-checked for recent changes
Governing law re-checked for recent changes
Reviewed and approved by an editor
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on the statutory provisions below, held in our own legal record and retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
New Jersey Statutes (Unannotated)
§ 2A:14-16 yearsIn force
2A:14-1. a. Every action at law for trespass to real property, for any tortious injury to real or personal property, for taking, detaining, or converting personal property, for replevin of goods or chattels, for any tortious injury to the rights of another not stated in N.J.S.2A:14-2 and N.J.S.2A:14-3, or for recovery upon a contractual claim or liability, express or implied, not under seal, or upon an account other than one which concerns the trade or merchandise between merchant and merchant, their factors, agents and servants, shall be commenced within six years next after the cause of any such action shall have accrued. b. This section shall not apply to any action for breach of any contract for sale governed by N.J.S.12A:2-725. c. The period of time for the filing of a claim by a condominium association, cooperative corporation, or other planned real estate development association against a developer or any person acting through, on behalf of or at the behest of the developer under subsection a. of this section, shall be tolled until an election is held and the owners comprise a majority of the board pursuant to paragraph (3) of subsection a.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-08 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at lis.njleg.state.nj.us
§ 34:15-51Filing of petition; two year limitIn force
34:15-51. Every claimant for compensation under Article 2 of this chapter (R.S. 34:15-7 et seq.) shall, unless a settlement is effected or a petition filed under the provisions of R.S. 34:15-50, submit to the Division of Workers' Compensation a petition filed and verified in a manner prescribed by regulation, within two years after the date on which the accident occurred, or in case an agreement for compensation has been made between the employer and the claimant, then within two years after the failure of the employer to make payment pursuant to the terms of such agreement; or in case a part of the compensation has been paid by the employer, then within two years after the last payment of compensation except that repair or replacement of prosthetic devices shall not be construed to extend the time for filing of a claim petition. A payment, or agreement to pay by the insurance carrier, shall for the purpose of this section be deemed payment or agreement by the employer.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-08-01 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at lis.njleg.state.nj.us
Cited in 30 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2022
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Brunell v. Wildwood Crest Police Department (Supreme Court of New Jersey 2003, 176 N.J. 225)“…e of limitations, N.J.S.A. 34:15-41 and N.J.S.A. 34:15-51, or under the less onerous discovery-ru…”
- Sheffield v. Schering Plough Corp. (Supreme Court of New Jersey 1996, 146 N.J. 442)“…ction be deemed payment or agreement by the employer. [ N.J.S.A. 34:15-51 (emphases added).] "It is manifest th…”
- Townsend v. Great Adventure (New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division 1981, 178 N.J. Super. 508)“…would have rendered his claim petition timely since under N.J.S.A. 34:15-51 a petition may be brought within two ye…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
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Sources and References
- N.J.S.A. 2A:14-1 (6-Year Limitations Period)(law.justia.com)
- N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2 (2-Year Limitations Period for Personal Injury)(njcourts.gov).gov
- N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6 (Criminal Time Limitations)(law.justia.com)
- NJ Courts: Statute of Limitations FAQ(njcourts.gov).gov
- N.J.S.A. 2A:14-1.1 (Construction Defect Statute of Repose)(law.justia.com)
- N.J.S.A. 2A:14-22 (Tolling of Statute of Limitations)(law.justia.com)
- Governor Murphy Signs Sexual Abuse Statute of Limitations Expansion (2019)(nj.gov).gov
- P.L. 2019, c.120 (Sexual Assault Civil SOL Expansion)(pub.njleg.gov).gov
- New Jersey Legislature Statutes(lis.njleg.state.nj.us).gov
- N.J.S.A. 2A:31-3 (Wrongful Death Limitation; Murder/Manslaughter Exception)(lis.njleg.state.nj.us)
- N.J.S.A. 12A:2-725 (4-Year Limitation on Contracts for Sale)(lis.njleg.state.nj.us)
- N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2a (Civil Sexual Abuse Limitations; Reasonable Discovery)(lis.njleg.state.nj.us)
- N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6 (Criminal Time Limitations, Official Text)(lis.njleg.state.nj.us)