Personal injury filing deadline in Virginia.
The general time limit to file an injury lawsuit in Virginia is 2 years.
2 years
General time limit for most injury lawsuits in Virginia.
Work out your date
Uses the general 2 years limit, counted from the injury date as a simple estimate.
How the deadline usually works
The clock usually starts on the date you were hurt. If you file after it runs out, the other side can ask the court to throw the case out, and in most cases the court will.
Situations with a different deadline
- Government bodies. If a city, county, state agency, school, or public transit was involved, the deadline to give written notice is often much shorter, sometimes 30 to 180 days. Ask an attorney right away.
- Workplace injuries. Most go through workers’ compensation, which has its own short reporting deadlines, often measured in days or weeks.
- Medical claims. These often have shorter or stricter limits, and the clock can start when the problem was found.
- Children. Many states pause the clock until the child turns 18, but rules differ.
- Insurance policies. Your own policy can require notice of a claim within a short time.
What to do now
Do not wait for the deadline. Evidence fades and witnesses move. Start a file, see a doctor, and talk to a lawyer early if you want one.
Other states
Alabama2 yrAlaska2 yrArizona2 yrArkansas3 yrCalifornia2 yrColorado2 yrConnecticut2 yrDelaware2 yrDistrict of Columbia3 yrFlorida2 yrGeorgia2 yrHawaii2 yrIdaho2 yrIllinois2 yrIndiana2 yrIowa2 yrKansas2 yrKentucky1 yrLouisiana2 yrMaine6 yrMaryland3 yrMassachusetts3 yrMichigan3 yrMinnesota6 yrMississippi3 yrMissouri5 yrMontana3 yrNebraska4 yrNevada2 yrNew Hampshire3 yrNew Jersey2 yrNew Mexico3 yrNew York3 yrNorth Carolina3 yrNorth Dakota6 yrOhio2 yrOklahoma2 yrOregon2 yrPennsylvania2 yrRhode Island3 yrSouth Carolina3 yrSouth Dakota3 yrTennessee1 yrTexas2 yrUtah4 yrVermont3 yrWashington3 yrWest Virginia2 yrWisconsin3 yrWyoming4 yr
General information, last reviewed November 2026, not legal advice. Laws change and exceptions are many. Confirm the deadline for your situation with a licensed Virginia attorney.