Statute of limitations for slip and fall in Pennsylvania

Rule or statute summary

Run this scenario in DocketMath using the Statute Of Limitations calculator.

In Pennsylvania, most slip-and-fall (premises) injury claims are handled under the state’s general personal injury statute of limitations. For a typical case where someone is hurt after slipping on a surface (for example, a store walkway, apartment hallway, or parking lot), the default time limit is:

• 2 years from the date the injury occurred

DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations calculator uses this general rule—there isn’t a separate slip-and-fall-specific limitations period (at least none was identified as a distinct carve-out in the statutes most people start with). Instead, Pennsylvania generally routes personal injury timing questions to the framework in 42 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5552.

What starts the clock?

Under the general statute of limitations, the baseline assumption is that the clock runs from the incident/injury date (commonly described as the date of injury). Pennsylvania also has concepts sometimes discussed as “accrual” and may apply discovery-related principles in certain contexts, but those issues can be fact- and claim-specific.

For quick planning, DocketMath’s calculator uses the statutory baseline and shows how your deadline changes if you use a different date (e.g., if you believe an accrual-related date is controlling rather than the incident date).

Practical takeaway

If the incident happened on March 1, 2024, your initial deadline estimate under the general 2-year rule is:

• March 1, 2026

Keep in mind that your actual deadline can still be affected by how accrual is determined and whether any tolling or other procedural rules apply to your specific claim.

Citations

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

• 42 Pa. C.S. § 5524

Capture the source for each input so another team member can verify the same result quickly.

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

General personal injury statute of limitations (Pennsylvania)

Pennsylvania’s general statute of limitations for personal injury actions provides:

• “The period for an action to recover damages for injuries to the person… shall be two years.”
  42 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5552 (General rule—default personal injury limitations period)

Source (statutory text):
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/PDF/2000/0/0136..PDF

No slip-and-fall-specific carve-out found

For purposes of this overview, the statute does not provide a claim-type-specific “slip and fall” limitations sub-rule. Instead, the general/default two-year period is the starting point for most personal injury timing questions in Pennsylvania.

Use the calculator

Use DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations calculator to estimate your timing using Pennsylvania’s general 2-year SOL in 42 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5552.

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

Calculator input (what you provide)

Enter the date that best matches your situation:

Calculator output (what you get)

After you enter the date, the calculator estimates:

• Estimated deadline = your selected injury/accrual date + 2 years
• A second line (if enabled) may provide a final filing day estimate, depending on the calculator’s calendar-day conventions

How changing inputs changes outputs

Changing only the date you enter will typically shift the estimated deadline by the same number of days.

Run the tool

Primary CTA: /tools/statute-of-limitations

Gentle reminder: a calculated deadline is an estimate for planning. Your final filing deadline can vary based on accrual and tolling rules that may apply to your particular claim.

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