California statute of limitations calculator. The deadline, the statute, and how it was counted.

What it calculates

Pick the claim type and enter the date the claim accrued, usually the date of injury. The calculator shows the last day to file suit (or to present a government claim), the statute behind it, and each step of the counting.

This is general information, not legal advice. Tolling, the discovery rule and other exceptions vary with the facts, and they can move a deadline in either direction.

How it counts

California excludes the first day and includes the last (CCP 12), so a period of years ends on the anniversary of the accrual date. A period of months ends on the same day of the month, or on the month's last day when the month is shorter: six months from August 31 is February 28.

If the last day is a Saturday, Sunday or other holiday, CCP 12a extends it to the next day that isn't a holiday. The calculator moves a weekend deadline to Monday; it doesn't know court holidays.

Minors

Under CCP 352(a), the time a person is under 18 is not counted. For a minor's personal injury claim, the two years run from the 18th birthday, so the deadline is the 20th birthday; for property damage, the 21st.

Two exceptions are built in:

• Government claims. CCP 352(b) says minority tolling doesn't apply to claims that must be presented to a public entity. A late-claim application is the route instead (below).
• Medical malpractice. Section 340.5 has its own sentence for minors: three years from the wrongful act, and for a child under six, three years or until the eighth birthday, whichever is longer. The calculator uses that instead of CCP 352.

For wrongful death, the calculator doesn't apply minority tolling: whether a minor heir's age affects the deadline depends on the case.

Medical malpractice and the 90-day notice

Before suing a health care provider for professional negligence, the plaintiff must give at least 90 days' notice of intent to sue (CCP 364(a)). If the notice is served in the last 90 days of the limitations period, CCP 364(d) extends the time. The California Supreme Court read that as tolling the one-year period for 90 days (Woods v. Young (1991) 53 Cal.3d 315). Enter the date the notice was served and the calculator adds 90 days when it falls in that window.

The three-year limit can be exceeded only for fraud, intentional concealment, or a foreign body with no therapeutic or diagnostic purpose (340.5). See the California personal injury statute of limitations guide.

Government claims

A claim for death, personal injury or damage to personal property against a California public entity must be presented within six months of accrual; other claims within a year (Gov. Code 911.2(a)).

Miss the six months, and the claimant can apply to present a late claim within a reasonable time, never more than a year after accrual (911.4). Section 911.6 lists the grounds on which the board must grant it, such as excusable neglect that didn't prejudice the entity, or minority for the whole six months. After a written rejection, suit must be filed within six months of the notice; with no written notice, within two years of accrual (945.6). Our guide to the six-month government claim deadline walks through the steps. See also government claim.

Worked examples

• Car crash on June 14, 2025. Two years under CCP 335.1: Monday, June 14, 2027.
• A child born March 1, 2015, hurt on June 14, 2025. The clock starts at the 18th birthday, March 1, 2033, and runs two years: March 1, 2035.
• A fall on a city sidewalk on August 31, 2025. Six months is February 28, 2026, a Saturday, so the claim is due Monday, March 2, 2026. A late-claim application must be made by August 31, 2026.
• A surgical injury on January 10, 2024, discovered May 1, 2025. One year from discovery, May 1, 2026, comes before three years from injury, so it governs. A notice of intent served March 15, 2026 falls in the last 90 days, which moves the deadline to July 30, 2026.

What it leaves out

• Delayed discovery outside medical malpractice, where a claim accrues when the plaintiff suspects or should suspect the injury.
• Tolling agreements, equitable tolling, bankruptcy stays, and tolling for a person who lacks legal capacity.
• Claims with their own statutes, such as claims against the federal government.
• Court holidays.

Calendar the earliest date that could apply. See statute of limitations in the glossary.

In PlaintiffStack

The calendar keeps every deadline linked to its case. Court rules calculates the court deadlines an event starts, under California's statewide rules once your attorneys have adopted them, with the citation and counting shown. See the personal injury practice page.