Texas Legal Deadlines
Texas law runs on strict clocks. Miss one—a 2-year personal injury deadline, a 3-year felony limitations period, a 60-day divorce wait, a 2-year child-support contempt window—and the right you're trying to protect may be permanently gone. Use our three free calculators to see where your situation stands under current Texas law, then speak with an experienced San Antonio attorney to confirm.
Each tool is tailored to the statutes and procedural rules that govern its practice area. Select the one that matches your situation to get a precise, case-specific countdown.
From car wrecks and slip-and-falls to medical malpractice and wrongful death, most Texas injury claims are governed by a 2-year statute under CPRC § 16.003. Government claims and defamation can be far shorter.
Under Tex. Code Crim. Proc. arts. 12.01 & 12.02, Texas has a limited window to indict or file charges—but the window varies dramatically by offense. Some crimes have no statute of limitations at all.
Texas family law runs on a different kind of clock: waiting periods, modification restrictions, enforcement windows, and paternity deadlines—each with its own rule under the Texas Family Code.
A quick-reference table of the most common Texas filing deadlines across personal injury, criminal defense, and family law. Deadlines shown are general rules; exceptions and tolling provisions may apply.
| Situation | Deadline | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Injury | ||
| Car, truck, or motorcycle accident | 2 years | Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003 |
| Slip, trip & fall / premises liability | 2 years | Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003 |
| Wrongful death (from date of death) | 2 years | Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003(b) |
| Medical malpractice | 2 years* | Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 74.251 |
| Product liability (statute of repose) | 15 years | Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.012 |
| Government entity claim (notice) | 6 months | Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.101 |
| Defamation (libel or slander) | 1 year | Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.002 |
| Criminal Defense | ||
| All misdemeanors (Class A, B, C) | 2 years | Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 12.02 |
| Felonies (default / unlisted) | 3 years | Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 12.01(7) |
| Theft, robbery, burglary, kidnapping | 5 years | Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 12.01(4) |
| Money laundering, credit card abuse, Medicaid fraud | 7 years | Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 12.01(3) |
| Arson, forgery, adult sexual assault | 10 years | Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 12.01(2) |
| Certain child-victim offenses (from 18th birthday) | 20 years | Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 12.01(5) |
| Murder, manslaughter, continuous sex abuse of a child | No limit | Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 12.01(1) |
| Family Law | ||
| Divorce waiting period (minimum) | 60 days | Tex. Fam. Code § 6.702 |
| Appeal or motion for new trial | 30 days | Tex. R. Civ. P. 329b · TRAP 26.1 |
| Change of primary conservatorship (1-year rule) | 1 year | Tex. Fam. Code § 156.102 |
| Paternity challenge (presumed father) | 4 years | Tex. Fam. Code § 160.607 |
| Child-support contempt window | 2 years | Tex. Fam. Code § 157.005(a) |
| Child-support cumulative money judgment | 10 years | Tex. Fam. Code § 157.005(b) |
| Retroactive support after child turns 18 | 4 years | Tex. Fam. Code § 154.131 |
| Annulment for fraud, duress, or force | 4 years | Tex. Fam. Code § 6.107 |
Every Texas deadline has an accrual rule — the event that starts the countdown. Miss-identify that date and you can misjudge your entire case.
For most personal injury cases and criminal offenses, the clock starts the day the accident occurred or the crime was committed. Two years after a car wreck on August 1, 2025 means a filing deadline of August 1, 2027 — and Texas courts are strict about that boundary.
In a narrow set of cases—certain medical malpractice, toxic exposure, and latent-injury claims—Texas recognizes the "discovery rule." The clock starts when the injury was or reasonably should have been discovered, not when it first occurred. Courts apply this exception narrowly.
Some deadlines don't begin until a specific legal event. Wrongful death claims accrue on the date of death. Retroactive child support runs from the child's 18th birthday. Certain child-victim criminal offenses start on the victim's 18th birthday — not the date of the offense.
Texas law recognizes several circumstances that can toll (pause), extend, or sometimes completely remove a statute of limitations. These apply across practice areas and are the reason you should never assume a deadline without an attorney's review.
For injury claims, the 2-year clock generally doesn't run until a minor turns 18. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.001 also tolls deadlines for persons of unsound mind.
Any time the defendant is out of state generally doesn't count toward the limitations period in both civil and criminal cases (CPRC § 16.063; Code Crim. Proc. art. 12.05).
When a defendant conceals the wrongful conduct, the clock may not run until the plaintiff discovers—or reasonably should have discovered—the fraud.
In criminal cases, an indictment or information filed before the limitations expiration tolls the clock even if trial occurs years later.
Claims against Texas governmental units have a 6-month notice rule under the Texas Tort Claims Act—and some cities require notice in as few as 45 or 90 days.
When wrongful conduct is ongoing — harassment, certain environmental exposures, continuing trespass — the clock may not begin until the conduct ends.
Federal law tolls many civil deadlines for active-duty military personnel. Relevant for our San Antonio clients with Fort Sam Houston, Lackland, and Randolph ties.
Unlike a statute of limitations, a statute of repose is a hard outer limit that cannot be tolled. Texas has a 15-year repose for product liability and a 10-year repose for medical malpractice.
Most Texas legal deadlines have exceptions, tolling rules, and fact-specific wrinkles that a calculator alone can't capture. Speak with a Barton & Associates attorney for a confidential, no-obligation review of your situation. We're available evenings, weekends, and holidays — the clock doesn't wait, and neither do we.
316 W 12th St Suite 400, Austin, TX 78701
5110 Wilkinson Dr Suite 210, Corpus Christi, TX 78415
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