Statute of limitations for slip and fall in Oregon

Rule or statute summary

In Oregon, a “slip and fall” case is usually treated as a claim for personal injury based on negligence or other premises-liability theories. In most scenarios, the statute of limitations starts to run when the claim “accrues,” which is commonly tied to when the injury is discovered (or reasonably should have been discovered) and you can connect it to the incident.

For many Oregon slip-and-fall personal injury claims, the baseline filing deadline is:

• Two years from the date the claim accrues (often aligned with discovery of the injury and its connection to the fall).

There are also important exceptions and edge cases, including:

• Claims against public bodies (government entities) can involve notice requirements and different timing rules.
• Minors and certain disability situations can involve tolling (pausing or extending the deadline).
• Wrongful death claims (if the fall resulted in death) generally have a different limitation period than ordinary personal injury claims.

This page uses DocketMath (the tool name) to model the Oregon personal injury timeline as the default calculation, while letting you adjust for common variables that can change the deadline.

Citations

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

• Or. Rev. Stat. § 12.010

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.

1) Standard premises liability / personal injury limitations period (Oregon)

Oregon’s personal injury statute of limitations is set by statute:

• ORS 12.110(1) — an action “for … injury to the person … shall be commenced within two years after the alleged loss or injury.”

2) Accrual / discovery mechanics (when the clock starts)

Oregon generally uses an accrual concept that can be influenced by when the plaintiff knew or reasonably should have known of the injury and its likely cause. A key statutory reference for limitations/timing concepts is:

• ORS 12.140 — addresses limitations and related circumstances that can affect when an action “shall be commenced,” including discovery-related concepts.

For disability-related tolling (often relevant for minors), Oregon provides:

• ORS 12.160 — provides tolling while a plaintiff is under certain disabilities (commonly including minority), subject to statutory conditions.

3) Wrongful death (different from “injury to the person”)

If the slip and fall resulted in death, the claim timing is typically governed by the wrongful death statutes rather than the ordinary two-year personal injury period:

• ORS 30.020 — wrongful death must generally be brought within a specified period after death (the statute contains the controlling deadline and elements).

4) Claims involving public bodies (special rules, including notice)

If the defendant is a state, county, city, or other public body, Oregon often requires a notice process and can apply a different framework that may change the effective window to file:

• ORS 30.275 — notice requirement and related timing rules for claims against public bodies.

Use the calculator

Use DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations calculator to generate a deadline date based on Oregon’s standard framework and common variables.

To match your facts, you’ll typically supply:

• Incident date (when you fell / when the event happened)
• Discovery date (when you knew or reasonably should have known about the injury and its likely connection to the incident)
• Claim type (personal injury vs. wrongful death vs. public body scenario, if applicable)
• Plaintiff status (e.g., whether the plaintiff was a minor, if tolling may be relevant)
• Public body involved? (Yes/No) to account for notice/timing logic

How the output changes (practical model)

Interpret the calculator result using these common “if/then” adjustments:

• If it’s a standard personal injury claim:

  • DocketMath applies ORS 12.110(1)’s two-year deadline, typically measured from the claim accrual date (often aligned with discovery).

• If wrongful death applies:

  • Switch the claim type so the calculator models the ORS 30.020 timeline rather than the two-year personal injury baseline.

• If a minor (or other qualifying disability) is involved:

  • The tool can model tolling based on ORS 12.160, which may extend the deadline.

• If a public body is involved:

  • The tool can route the calculation through public-body timing logic associated with ORS 30.275, where notice requirements can be outcome-determinative.

A quick example workflow (not legal advice)

• Fall/incident date: 2024-02-10
• Discovery date (when symptoms became clearly connected to the fall): 2024-03-20
• Claim type: personal injury
• No public body; no disability tolling

Conceptually: the deadline is discovery + 2 years under ORS 12.110(1).

For an exact deadline based on your inputs, run the tool here:
/tools/statute-of-limitations

Related reading

• Choosing the right statute of limitations tool for Vermont — How to choose the right calculator
• Statute of limitations in Singapore: how to estimate the deadline — Full how-to guide with jurisdiction-specific rules
• Choosing the right statute of limitations tool for Connecticut — How to choose the right calculator