Arizona injury deadlines, and when each clock starts
Every injury claim in Arizona runs on a clock, and some run out in months. Find your situation below to see how long the law gives you and when the clock starts.
This is general information about Arizona law, checked October 2026. Most deadlines have exceptions, so an attorney confirms the ones that apply to you when you call.
Injury and wrongful death lawsuits
Two years sounds like plenty until treatment runs for months. Records take weeks to arrive, and an insurer won't make a serious offer before it sees them.
An adjuster may call within days of a crash. Talk to us before you give a recorded statement or sign a release.
2 years
Lawsuits for an injury
Most injury lawsuits in Arizona must be filed within 2 years, whether the harm came from a car crash or a defective product. For a child, the clock waits until the 18th birthday, so the deadline usually falls on the 20th.
- The clock starts:
- When you knew, or reasonably should have known, about the injury and who caused it.
- The law:
- A.R.S. §§ 12-542, 12-502
2 years
Wrongful death
A family's wrongful death lawsuit has 2 years. One case is brought for the spouse, children and parents together, and when a public body is responsible, the 180-day notice and 1-year limit below apply instead.
- The clock starts:
- The date of death.
- The law:
- A.R.S. §§ 12-542, 12-612
1 year
Dog bites
Arizona's dog bite statute holds the owner responsible even if the dog never bit anyone before, and a claim under it has 1 year. A negligence claim for the same bite has the usual 2 years.
- The clock starts:
- The date of the bite.
- The law:
- A.R.S. §§ 11-1025, 12-541
2 years
Damage to your car or property
A lawsuit over a totaled car or other damaged property has 2 years. A claim on your own policy may face a shorter limit written into the policy.
- The clock starts:
- When the claim arises, usually the day of the crash.
- The law:
- A.R.S. § 12-542
Crashes involving a city, county or the state
A city bus, a county truck, a state highway with a missing sign: claims against a public body run on a much shorter clock, and the notice itself has rules.
The 180 days pass quickly while you're still in treatment. Call us as soon as you know a public vehicle or road was involved.
180 days
Notice of claim to a public body
A claim against a city, county, the state or one of their employees needs a written notice of claim within 180 days, and the notice must name a specific amount it can be settled for.
- The clock starts:
- When you knew you were harmed and what caused it.
- The law:
- A.R.S. § 12-821.01
1 year
The lawsuit against a public body
If the public body doesn't settle, the lawsuit itself must be filed within 1 year, half the time an injury lawsuit against a private driver gets.
- The clock starts:
- When the claim arises, usually the day of the injury.
- The law:
- A.R.S. § 12-821
Claims against your own insurance
When the other driver had no insurance or too little, the claim turns to your own policy. Your insurer then sits on the other side of the table, with its own deadlines.
Your policy's fine print can shorten these limits. Send us the declarations page and we'll check the dates that apply to you.
3 years
Uninsured and underinsured motorist claims
Your insurer needs written notice within 3 years, and arbitration or a lawsuit must follow within 3 years of that notice. An underinsured claim also needs a claim or lawsuit against the other driver inside the 2-year injury deadline.
- The clock starts:
- The accident, or when you learned the other driver had no insurance or too little.
- The law:
- A.R.S. § 12-555
1 to 6 years
Suing your own insurance company over the policy
A written policy is a contract, which gets 6 years under Arizona law. The policy itself can shorten that, to as little as 1 year from the loss for property insurance and 2 years for most other coverage, so read yours for its deadline.
- The clock starts:
- The breach of the policy, unless the policy counts from the loss.
- The law:
- A.R.S. §§ 12-548, 20-1115
Questions about injury deadlines
If your question isn't here, call 480-440-3331 and ask which deadline applies to you.
What is the statute of limitations for an injury in Arizona?
Most injury lawsuits must be filed within 2 years. A dog bite claim under the strict liability statute has 1 year, and a claim against a city, county or the state needs written notice within 180 days. Once a deadline passes, the court usually dismisses the case, however strong it is.
Does the clock ever stop running?
Sometimes. For a child, most deadlines wait until the 18th birthday, and under the discovery rule many clocks start only when you knew, or reasonably should have known, about the injury and who caused it. These exceptions are narrow, so don't count on one without asking a lawyer.
Which deadline applies to my crash?
One crash can run on several clocks: the 2-year injury deadline, the 180-day notice if a city vehicle was involved, and the 3-year notice to your own insurer if the other driver was uninsured. An attorney goes through your dates on the first call and tells you which ones apply.
What if I think a deadline already passed?
Call anyway. An exception may still apply, and we'll tell you plainly if it doesn't.
Is this page legal advice?
No. This page is general information about Arizona law, checked in October 2026, and laws and court rulings change. Each deadline has exceptions that depend on the facts of a case. For advice about your situation, send the form or call us at 480-440-3331.
Speak with an injury lawyer before you speak with the insurer.
The case review is free and confidential, and you decide afterward whether to retain us.
Call weekdays from 8:30am to 5pm, or send the form at any hour.