The Texas Personal Injury Deadline: How the 2-Year Statute of Limitations Works

Miss the deadline, lose the claim — and some deadlines are much shorter than two years.

Texas law gives most injury victims two years from the date of injury to file a lawsuit (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003). Miss it, and even a rock-solid case is worth nothing. But the two-year rule is only the headline — the exceptions are where people get hurt.

Deadlines that are shorter than you think

• Claims against Texas governmental units (city bus, police vehicle, road defect): formal notice can be required within six months — and some city charters, including Houston's, require notice in as little as 90 days.
• Cruise ship injuries: many tickets contractually shorten the deadline to one year, with written notice required even sooner.
• Wrongful death: generally two years from the date of death, which may differ from the date of injury.

Rules that can extend the deadline

• Minors: the clock generally doesn't start until a child turns 18.
• The discovery rule: for some injuries that couldn't reasonably be known right away, the clock may start when the injury was or should have been discovered.
• Defendant leaves Texas: time out of state may not count.

Why waiting is expensive even before the deadline

Statutes of limitation are the legal cliff — but evidence erodes much faster. Surveillance footage is overwritten in days or weeks, vehicles are repaired or scrapped, and witnesses forget. The strongest cases are the ones investigated early.

Not sure which deadline applies to you? Ask us — it's free, and it might be the most important 15 minutes of your case. (713) 609-1898.