Tennessee 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 Tennessee source on July 21, 2026. Note how many claims sit at just one year — Tennessee is unusually short, so when two periods could apply, confirm the shorter one and act on it.

Tennessee gives injury claims just one year from the date the cause of action accrues, under Tenn. Code § 28-3-104(a)(1) — one of the shortest personal-injury deadlines in the country, and the reason Tennessee cases are lost to the clock more often than most. The period can extend to two years where the person who injured you is criminally charged for the same conduct (§ 28-3-104(a)(2)) — common in DUI and assault cases. Tennessee applies the discovery rule, so the year can start when you knew or should have known of the injury; but do not count on it — treat one year from the incident as your deadline.

One year from discovery, capped at three years. A health care liability action runs one year under Tenn. Code § 29-26-116(a), generally from when you discovered or should have discovered the injury — but a three-year statute of repose bars most claims after three years regardless of discovery, with narrow exceptions for fraudulent concealment or a foreign object. Tennessee also requires pre-suit written notice to each provider at least 60 days before filing, which extends the deadline by 120 days (§ 29-26-121). The notice and certificate-of-good-faith requirements are strict, and missing them can end the case.

Six years on a contract — written or oral. Tennessee draws no distinction between written and oral contracts: both run six years under Tenn. Code § 28-3-109(a)(3), measured from the breach or your last payment. Credit-card debt is generally treated as a contract and follows the same six-year period. A partial payment or a written acknowledgment can restart the clock, so check the dates before paying on an old debt. Time-barred debt can still be reported and pursued informally — the statute bars the lawsuit, not the debt.

Twelve months against a local government — and no extra grace for injury claims. Under the Governmental Tort Liability Act, a claim against a county, city, or other local governmental entity must be filed within twelve months of when the cause of action arises (Tenn. Code § 29-20-305(b)). Claims against the State go to the Tennessee Claims Commission and follow the applicable one-year injury limitation, with written notice required (Tenn. Code § 9-8-402). Because Tennessee's ordinary injury deadline is already one year, a government defendant generally does not buy you any more time — and can add strict notice steps.

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. With Tennessee's one-year injury deadline, that line comes fast. Narrow exceptions can pause the clock — the plaintiff was a minor or of unsound mind (Tenn. Code § 28-1-106), fraudulent concealment, or the discovery rule delayed accrual — but none are safe to rely on without legal advice, and a statute of repose can bar a claim even where a tolling rule would otherwise help.

Each period above is cited to the controlling statute and was verified against the Tennessee Code Annotated on July 21, 2026. Personal-injury periods are additionally cross-checked and stamped Exact in the calculator.