District of Columbia statute of limitations for a personal-injury claim
The general limitation period the District of Columbia's statute sets for a civil action for personal injury caused by negligence, quoted from the official text with the section cited and the date we read it.
Verify with a lawyer before you rely on any of this. This page states the general limitation period written in each state's statute for a personal-injury claim, with the section it came from and the date we read it. It is not legal advice and it is not your deadline: when the clock starts, whether it pauses, shorter notice rules for claims against governments, and special rules for medical malpractice, motor-vehicle and product cases all change the answer, and the statute may have changed since we read it. States we could not verify against an official source are marked and show no period at all. Reading this page creates no attorney-client relationship.
The general period
3 years under D.C. Code § 12-301(a)(8)
§ 12-301(a): "Except as otherwise specifically provided by law, actions for the following purposes may not be brought after the expiration of the period specified below from the time the right to maintain the action accrues: ... (8) for which a limitation is not otherwise specially prescribed— 3 years;"
Verified 2026-09-12 against the official text. A row older than 180 days drops back to the citation alone until it is re-read.
Of the 45 jurisdictions we have verified, 14 set 3 years; the general periods run from 1 to 6 years. Compare every state.
Personal-injury law firms in the District of Columbia
Directory pages for the cities here with the most currently published personal-injury law firms, A to Z. A lawyer can tell you which rule applies to you.
Related: what a statute of limitations is, negligence, wrongful death, medical malpractice, free legal aid in the District of Columbia.
