Illinois statute of limitations

This table is the fast answer. Each period is followed by the statute it comes from, and every one was verified against the primary Illinois source on July 21, 2026. Where two periods could apply, the shorter usually controls — and the government-claim notice deadline (see § 6) is the shortest of all.

Illinois injury claims run two years from the date the cause of action accrues, under 735 ILCS 5/13-202 — the same period for car crashes, falls, and most negligence. Illinois recognizes the common-law discovery rule: where an injury and its wrongful cause could not reasonably have been known at once, the two years can run from when you knew or should have known. Inquiry notice is enough to start the clock — you do not need a firm diagnosis.

Two years from discovery, but never more than four years from the act. Medical malpractice runs two years from when you knew or should have known of the injury (735 ILCS 5/13-212(a)), capped by a hard four-year statute of repose that discovery cannot extend. For a child, the period can reach up to eight years, but never past the 22nd birthday (§ 13-212(b)).

A written contract in Illinois carries an unusually long ten-year deadline. Written contracts and written evidences of debt run ten years under 735 ILCS 5/13-206 — one of the longest in the country. Oral contracts and open-account debt are five years (§ 13-205), and a debt for the sale of goods is four years under the UCC (810 ILCS 5/2-725). A partial payment or written acknowledgment can restart the clock.

You have just one year to sue an Illinois city, county, or other local body. Under the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Act (745 ILCS 10/8-101), most claims against a municipality, county, school or park district, or their employees must be filed within one year — half the ordinary injury period. Patient-care claims against a public entity get two years from discovery, capped at four (§ 8-101(b)). Claims against the State of Illinois go to the Court of Claims under its own periods.

A statute of limitations is an affirmative defense. If you file even one day late, the defendant raises the expired deadline and the court must dismiss the case — no matter how clear the liability or how serious the harm. Insurers and their lawyers track these dates precisely. Narrow exceptions can pause the clock — the plaintiff was a minor or legally incapacitated, the defendant left Illinois, or a statutory discovery rule applies — but none are safe to rely on without legal advice.

Each period above is cited to the controlling statute and was verified against the Illinois Compiled Statutes (ilga.gov) on July 21, 2026. Personal-injury periods are additionally cross-checked and stamped Exact in the calculator.