OKLAHOMA STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS CHEAT SHEET

Based on Oklahoma Statutes Citationized
Title 12. Civil Procedure, Chapter 3
Section 95 – Limitation of Other Actions
Cite as: 12 O.S. § 95

DIRECT LINK: HERE or SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM.

MOST COMMON DEADLINES BROKEN DOWN:

🚨 2 YEARS (MOST CLAIMS)

  • Personal Injury

  • Wrongful Death (starts at date of death)

  • Property Damage

  • Civil Rights Violations (§1983)

  • Fraud (starts at discovery)

👉 Based on:
“Injury to the rights of another, not arising on contract” = 2 years

CONTRACT CLAIMS

  • Written Contract: 5 Years

  • Oral Contract: 3 Years

1 YEAR CLAIMS (FAST DEADLINES)

  • Libel / Slander

  • Assault / Battery

  • False Imprisonment

  • Malicious Prosecution

👉 Strict 1-year limit🏛️ SPECIAL RULES & EXCEPTIONS

GOVERNMENT CLAIMS (OK TORT CLAIMS ACT)

  • 1 year to give notice

  • Then limited time to file suit after denial

👉 Miss notice = case dismissed

MINORS

  • Time may pause until age 18

  • BUT exceptions apply (especially medical malpractice)

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE

  • Generally 2 years

  • May involve:

    • Discovery rule

    • Statute of repose (hard cutoff)

CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE

  • Can file until age 45

  • Claims vs institutions often = 2 years

  • Tolling until age 18 applies

CLAIMS AGAINST INCARCERATED PERSONS

  • During incarceration OR

  • Within 5 years after release

FAMILY LAW

  • Paternity: before age 18

  • Child support: no statute of limitations

INMATE CLAIMS

  • Must file within 1 year

⚠️ WHERE PEOPLE GET CONFUSED

❌ “Everything is 2 years”

No. Some are 1 year, some 3–5 years, and some require notice first.“The clock starts when it happened”

Not always.

  • Fraud → when discovered

  • Some injuries → when you should’ve known

👉 Discovery rule applies

“I can sue the government within 2 years”

🚨 Wrong. You must give notice within 1 year first or lose the case

“Wrongful death timing is obvious”

It starts at death, not the injury

“Minors always have unlimited time”

No. Some claims still expire early

“Med mal is simple”

It’s not. Timing depends on discovery + statutory cutoffs.

“Defamation gets 2 years”

🚨 No — it’s 1 year only

“Insurance claims pause the deadline”

No. Negotiating ≠ filing a lawsuit.

“Courts give grace if I’m close”

No. 1 day late = case gone forever

“Civil rights cases get more time”

No. In Oklahoma = 2 years

Oklahoma State Court Network:

https://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=439150
Title 12. Civil Procedure

Oklahoma Statutes Citationized
  Title 12. Civil Procedure
    Chapter 3 – Limitations of Actions
Section 95 – Limitation of Other Actions
Cite as: O.S. §, __ __

A. Civil actions other than for the recovery of real property can only be brought within the following periods, after the cause of action shall have accrued, and not afterwards:

1. Within five (5) years: An action upon any contract, agreement, or promise in writing;

2. Within three (3) years: An action upon a contract express or implied not in writing; an action upon a liability created by statute other than a forfeiture or penalty; and an action on a foreign judgment;

3. Within two (2) years: An action for trespass upon real property; an action for taking, detaining, or injuring personal property, including actions for the specific recovery of personal property; an action for injury to the rights of another, not arising on contract, and not hereinafter enumerated; an action for relief on the ground of fraud – the cause of action in such case shall not be deemed to have accrued until the discovery of the fraud;

4. Within one (1) year: An action for libel, slander, assault, battery, malicious prosecution, or false imprisonment; an action upon a statute for penalty or forfeiture, except where the statute imposing it prescribes a different limitation;

5. An action upon the official bond or undertaking of an executor, administrator, guardian, sheriff, or any other officer, or upon the bond or undertaking given in attachment, injunction, arrest, or in any case whatever required by the statute, can only be brought within five (5) years after the cause of action shall have accrued;

6. An action based on intentional conduct brought by any person for recovery of damages for injury suffered as a result of childhood sexual abuse incidents or exploitation as defined by Section 1-1-105 of Title 10A of the Oklahoma Statutes or incest against the actual perpetrator shall be commenced by the forty-fifth birthday of the alleged victim. If the person committing the act of sexual abuse against a child was employed by an institution, agency, firm, business, corporation or other public or private legal entity that owed a duty of care to the victim, or the accused and the child were engaged in some activity over which the legal entity had some degree of responsibility or control, the action must be brought against such employer or legal entity within two (2) years; provided, that the time limit for commencement of an action pursuant to this paragraph is tolled for a child until the child reaches the age of eighteen (18) years. No action may be brought against the alleged perpetrator or the estate of the alleged perpetrator after the death of such alleged perpetrator, unless the perpetrator was convicted of a crime of sexual abuse involving the claimant. An action pursuant to this paragraph must be based upon objective verifiable evidence in order for the victim to recover damages for injuries suffered by reason of such sexual abuse, exploitation, or incest. The victim need not establish which act in a series of continuing sexual abuse incidents, exploitation incidents, or incest caused the injury complained of;

7. An action based on intentional conduct brought by any person for recovery of damages for injury suffered as a result of criminal actions, as defined by the Oklahoma Statutes, may be brought against any person incarcerated or under the supervision of a state, federal or local correctional facility on or after November 1, 2003:

a. at any time during the incarceration of the offender for the offense on which the action is based, or

b. within five (5) years after the perpetrator is released from the custody of a state, federal or local correctional facility, if the defendant was serving time for the offense on which the action is based;

8. An action to establish paternity and to enforce support obligations can be brought any time before the child reaches the age of eighteen (18);

9. An action to establish paternity can be brought by a child in accordance with Section 7700-606 of Title 10 of the Oklahoma Statutes;

10. Court-ordered child support is owed until it is paid in full and it is not subject to a statute of limitations;

11. All actions filed by an inmate or by a person based upon facts that occurred while the person was an inmate in the custody of one of the following:

a. the State of Oklahoma,

b. a contractor of the State of Oklahoma, or

c. a political subdivision of the State of Oklahoma,

to include, but not be limited to, the revocation of earned credits and claims for injury to the rights of another, shall be commenced within one (1) year after the cause of action shall have accrued; and

12. An action for relief, not hereinbefore provided for, can only be brought within five (5) years after the cause of action shall have accrued.

B. Collection of debts owed by inmates who have received damage awards pursuant to Section 566.1 of Title 57 of the Oklahoma Statutes shall be governed by the time limitations imposed by that section.

Historical Data

 

 


 

 

R.L. 1910, § 4657; Amended by Laws 1953, HB 974, c. 3, § 1, emerg. eff. June 1, 1953; Amended by Laws 1961, HB 558, c.3a, § 1; Amended by Laws 1971, SB 156, c. 316, § 3, emerg. eff. June 24, 1971; Amended by Laws 1992, SB 1914, c. 344, § 1, eff. September 1, 1992; Amended by Laws 1994, HB 1492, c. 356, § 11, eff. September 1, 1994; Amended by Laws 1996, SB 1175, c. 233, § 1, eff. November 1, 1996; Amended by Laws 2002, HB 2416, c. 402, § 1, emerg. eff. July 1, 2002 (superseded document available); Amended by Laws 2004, SB 1397, c. 168, § 1, eff. November 1, 2004 (effective date changed to April 27, 2004, by Laws 2004, HB 2205 (2d), c. 382, § 4, eff. June 3, 2004) (superseded document available); Amended by Laws 2005, HB 1623, c. 159, § 1, emerg. eff. May 10, 2005 (superseded document available); Amended by Laws 2008, SB 1923, c. 99, § 4, eff. November 1, 2008 (superseded document available); Amended by Laws 2009, HB 2029, c. 234, § 111, emerg. eff. May 21, 2009 (superseded document available); Amended by Laws 2017, HB 1470, c. 221, § 1, eff. November 1, 2017; Amended by Laws 2017, HB 1570, c. 378, § 1, eff. November 1, 2017 (superseded document available).

Citationizer© Summary of Documents Citing This Document

Smolen Law's mission is to provide exceptional legal services with integrity, professionalism, and respect.

Choose the Oklahoma law firm that gets results: Smolen Law.

The numbers don't lie...

$1,774,000 Bad Faith
$1,900,000 Birth Trauma
$6,011,855 Car Wreck
$250,000 Church Abuse
$8,757,500 Civil Rights
$1,008,000 Defective Product
$8,414,190 Insurance Bad Faith
$8,055,991 Medical Malpractice
$549,000 Medical Neglect
$746,250 Nursing Home Neglect
$1,739,632 Personal Injury
$175,000 Police Pursuit
$675,000 Premises Liability
$3,300,600 Products' Liability
$16,733,096 Semi-truck Accident
$130,000 Slip and Fall
$163,991 Sports Negligence
$5,730,048 Tractor roll-over
$241,854 Trust Dispute