Statute of Limitations for Child Sexual Abuse / Assault in Tennessee

Overview

In Tennessee, time limits (statutes of limitations, or “SOLs”) govern how long a case can be filed after an alleged offense. For child sexual abuse or sexual assault allegations, these deadlines can be shorter than many people expect—so understanding the controlling criminal statute matters.

This guide focuses on the SOL period that applies in Tennessee criminal cases involving child sexual abuse/assault and highlights two commonly referenced one-year frameworks included in the Tennessee Code and reflected in DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations calculator for US-TN.

Limitation period

For the Tennessee one-year SOL framework used by DocketMath in this category, the baseline limitation period is:

• 1 year from the relevant start date used in the Tennessee limitations analysis (often tied to the date of the offense, subject to exceptions).

DocketMath’s goal is to make these deadlines legible by translating the statutory period into a concrete “last day” output, based on the date you enter and the exception path you select.

Here’s what to expect when using the DocketMath statute-of-limitations calculator:

Common inputs you’ll use

• Jurisdiction: Tennessee (US-TN)
• Date of offense (or another date you choose to represent the offense date relevant to the charge)
• Exception selection (because the statute may carve out specific circumstances)

Output behavior (how results change)

The calculator’s output will typically shift when you change the exception pathway:

• With the 1-year child sexual abuse/assault exception, the “run date” moves based on how Tennessee defines the start of the limitations clock for that exception.
• If you switch to a different exception path that still uses a 1-year limit, the displayed deadline may remain 1 year in length—but the calculated “expiration date” can still change depending on the clock-start definition tied to that exception.

Key exceptions

Two sub-rules are specifically tied to the one-year SOL period in Tennessee Code references used for this category in DocketMath:

1. Tennessee Code Annotated § 40-35-111(e)(2) — 1 years — exception V2
2. Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-2-102(a) — 1 years — exception V3

Even though both sub-rules reflect 1 year, the “exception” label matters because courts may apply different statutory provisions depending on the charge type and context. Practically, that means the calculator may treat the exception as a different pathway to compute the deadline.

How to think about exception selection (practical checklist)

Use this checklist to guide which pathway you consider in the calculator:

Statute citation

Below are the controlling Tennessee statutory references used in this calculator pathway for US-TN (child sexual abuse/assault SOL timing):

• **Tennessee Code Annotated § 40-35-111(e)(2)

  • Listed as: 1 years
  • DocketMath mapping: exception V2
  • Source: https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/title-40/chapter-35/part-1/section-40-35-111/

• **Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-2-102(a)

  • Listed as: 1 years
  • DocketMath mapping: exception V3

Because SOL questions are charge- and timing-specific, always align your calculator inputs with the date tied to the offense allegation and the statutory provision linked to the specific criminal charge type.

Use the calculator

Use DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations tool to convert the 1-year SOL period into a concrete deadline.

Steps

1. Open the calculator here: DocketMath—Statute of Limitations
2. Choose:

   • Jurisdiction: Tennessee (US-TN)
3. Enter:

   • Date of offense (the date tied to the alleged act for SOL purposes)
4. Select the relevant exception pathway if the tool provides it:

   • V2: Tennessee Code Annotated § 40-35-111(e)(2)
   • V3: Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-2-102(a)
5. Review:

   • The calculated expiration date (the last day under the modelled one-year SOL framework)
   • Any displayed assumptions or exception labels

Understanding the output

DocketMath will compute a “deadline date” based on:

• the SOL period length (here, 1 year), and
• the exception pathway you select (V2 vs. V3), which can influence how the clock is treated for the statutory rule mapped to that exception.

If your result looks surprising—especially if the deadline is very near or already passed—double-check:

• the date entered, and
• that you selected the exception corresponding to the statute you’re modeling.

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