Michigan 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 Michigan 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.

Michigan gives injury claims three years — longer than most states — from the date of injury, under MCL 600.5805(2). Crucially, Michigan has largely abolished the common-law discovery rule: in Trentadue v. Buckler (2007) the Supreme Court held that a claim accrues when the wrong is committed (MCL 600.5827), and courts may not graft a discovery rule onto a statute that lacks one. Assault and battery, by contrast, are only two years (§ 5805(3)).

Two years from the act, or six months from discovery, whichever is later — capped at six years. Medical malpractice runs two years from the act or omission, or six months from when you discovered or should have discovered it (MCL 600.5805(8), 600.5838a). A six-year statute of repose bars most claims after six years. Michigan’s restrictive discovery posture makes the six-month window narrow — do not count on it.

Contracts and debt in Michigan are six years — written or oral. Michigan draws no distinction between written and oral contracts: both run six years from breach under MCL 600.5807(9). Open and mutual accounts run from the last item in the account (MCL 600.5831). Fraud and breach of fiduciary duty fall under the six-year residual period (MCL 600.5813), accruing when the wrong was committed — not when it was discovered.

You have one year to put a Michigan government body on written notice. A claim against the State must be filed, or a verified written notice of intent filed, within one year in the Court of Claims (MCL 600.6431) — the former six-month personal-injury notice was eliminated in 2020. Separately, a highway or road-defect claim requires notice within 120 days (MCL 691.1404), enforced strictly. Government notice rules are technical and fatal if missed.

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 Michigan, 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 Michigan Compiled Laws (legislature.mi.gov) on July 21, 2026. Personal-injury periods are additionally cross-checked and stamped Exact in the calculator.