Statute of limitations for sexual assault in California

4 min read

Published May 8, 2025 • Updated April 23, 2026 • By DocketMath Team

Article claim inventory in progress

Trust release 4

This page has legal or numeric text that still needs claim-level inventory before we can treat it as verified.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws change frequently — verify all citations with current official sources.

Rule or statute summary

In California, the general statute of limitations (SOL) for many sexual assault-related civil claims is typically 2 years, using the personal-injury limitations framework in California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1.

DocketMath uses this as a default/general period because no claim-type-specific sub-rule was found in the provided materials. In other words: this page is meant to help you understand and calculate the baseline 2-year deadline tied to CCP § 335.1, not every possible variation that could apply to a specific cause of action.

Important (not legal advice): A “2-year SOL” is not automatically the answer for every sexual assault case. Different legal theories (for example, assault/battery, personal injury, wrongful death, or other related claims) and different procedural/tolling facts can change the applicable limitation period and/or when the clock starts. Use the calculator as a starting point, and verify the correct claim type, accrual, and any tolling issues for your situation.

Citations

Use these sources to confirm the authoritative text before finalizing the calculation.

Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335

When rules change, rerun the calculation with updated inputs and store the revision in the matter record.

If an assumption is uncertain, document it alongside the calculation so the result can be re-run later.

California general civil SOL (2 years)

California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1 — provides a 2-year limitation period for certain actions involving injuries to the person (including actions such as those for assault, battery, or other injuries to the person, among other specified categories) when governed by this section.

Jurisdiction data used as the default in DocketMath

General SOL Period: 2 years
General Statute: CCP § 335.1
Source (jurisdiction data summary): https://www.alllaw.com/articles/nolo/personal-injury/laws-california.html

Sources and references (citation support)

CCP § 335.1 (general civil SOL framework referenced by the provided jurisdiction data)
https://www.alllaw.com/articles/nolo/personal-injury/laws-california.html

Use the calculator

DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations calculator converts an important date (like the date the claim accrued) into a likely deadline based on the selected SOL period.

Run the Statute Of Limitations calculation in DocketMath, then save the output so it can be audited later: Open the calculator.

Direct link

Use the calculator here: **/tools/statute-of-limitations

Inputs to use (default/general workflow)

To calculate the general 2-year deadline for California under CCP § 335.1, you’ll typically enter:

Jurisdiction: **US-CA (California)
SOL basis: General/default 2-year rule (the one tied to CCP § 335.1)
Accrual/event date: the date your claim is considered to have started for limitations purposes (often the date of the alleged conduct, unless your claim theory uses a different accrual trigger)

How output changes when inputs change

The calculator’s deadline is sensitive to your chosen inputs:

Earlier accrual/event date → earlier deadline
Later accrual/event date → later deadline
Changing the SOL basis (moving away from the general/default 2-year rule to a different theory) can change the deadline, because the governing statute and/or tolling/accrual rules may differ

Practical checklist before relying on the computed deadline

Confirm California is the correct jurisdiction (US-CA).
Confirm your analysis is really the general/default category governed by CCP § 335.1.
Make sure your accrual/event date matches how the clock starts under your theory (this is often the most common source of error).
Consider whether any tolling or special accrual concepts may apply; if so, the default 2-year calculation may not reflect your true deadline.

Pitfall to avoid: Many people accidentally input a reporting date (to police, campus, employer, etc.) or a discovery/realization date as the “accrual” date. If your legal theory treats the limitations clock differently, the deadline produced by the calculator could be inaccurate.