Statute of Limitations for Class B / 2nd Degree Felony in Kentucky

Overview

In Kentucky, the statute of limitations (SOL) sets the outer time limit for the Commonwealth to file criminal charges in court. For many offenses, Kentucky uses a general/default SOL period rather than a separate timeline for every charge category.

For this topic, the key point is that a Class B / 2nd Degree felony does not automatically trigger a unique, charge-specific SOL rule in the information provided. Instead, Kentucky’s general SOL applies as the baseline:

• General SOL period: 5 years
• General statute: KRS 500.020

DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations calculator is designed to help you quickly apply that baseline timeline to key dates in a case workflow (for example: date of offense, date of alleged conduct, and relevant filing dates). You can also use it to see what happens when exceptions or tolling inputs are present—without guessing.

Limitation period

The default timeline (general rule)

Kentucky’s KRS 500.020 provides the general/default statute of limitations. With the data in your jurisdiction brief:

• Time limit: 5 years
• Applies when no specific, charge-type SOL sub-rule is identified

That means for a Class B / 2nd Degree felony under Kentucky terminology, you should start from the assumption that the SOL is 5 years from the relevant date unless an exception/tolling doctrine applies.

How to think about “relevant date”

Because SOL computations depend on what the legal system treats as the start of the clock, your practical workflow usually centers on:

• Date of the offense (or the last date of continuing conduct, where applicable)
• Date the charge is filed (or when process is initiated, depending on the procedural posture)

DocketMath can help you model this consistently. If your inputs change (for example, if you switch the offense date to a later “last act” date), your SOL result will change accordingly—often moving the expiration date forward or backward.

What the calculator will do with those inputs

When you use DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations calculator, you’ll generally be answering:

• “Is the filing date within the 5-year window?”
• “If an exception/tolling is selected, how does it alter the expiration date?”

A simple way to use the tool:

1. Enter the offense date you believe triggers the SOL clock.
2. Enter the charging date (or filing/indictment date relevant to your timeline).
3. Use any exception/tolling options the calculator provides (if available) to model pauses or excluded periods.

If the computed expiration date falls before the charging date, the timeline suggests the charge may be time-barred under the general rule—subject to exceptions and how Kentucky treats timing in that procedural context.

Key exceptions

Even when the general rule is clear (here: 5 years under KRS 500.020), SOL disputes in practice frequently turn on whether Kentucky’s rules pause or extend the clock.

Because your brief specifies “No claim-type-specific sub-rule was found,” the safest way to approach exceptions is to treat them as separate timing doctrines that can modify the general 5-year framework.

Common categories to look for in Kentucky timing problems

When building a timeline for a Class B / 2nd Degree felony scenario, these are the types of issues that often affect SOL calculations:

• Tolling / suspension of the SOL clock

  • Situations where the SOL period is legally “paused.”
• Defendants being absent or otherwise not reachable

  • Certain legal circumstances can affect whether time keeps running.
• Procedural timing mechanics

  • The difference between “offense date,” “last act,” and “charging date” can matter.
• Multiple acts or continuing conduct

  • In continuing or multi-event fact patterns, the relevant starting date can shift.

Practical steps to operationalize exceptions in DocketMath

To make your work efficient (and to avoid losing time to spreadsheet churn), use the calculator this way:

• Start with the default: apply the 5-year rule first.
• Then test exceptions:

  • Add tolling-related dates only if you can support them with the procedural record.
  • Re-run the calculator after each change so you can see the exact impact on the expiration date.
• Keep a checklist of the dates you changed:

  • offense/last act date
  • filing/charging date
  • any tolling start/end dates

If you’re collaborating with others (or preparing a case timeline), DocketMath outputs can serve as an auditable record of the timeline assumptions you used.

Statute citation

Kentucky’s general statute of limitations rule for criminal offenses is set out in:

• KRS 500.020 — General statute of limitations: 5 years

Based on the jurisdiction data provided, and consistent with the instruction that no claim-type-specific sub-rule was found, Kentucky’s 5-year general SOL period is the default framework for applying an SOL analysis to a Class B / 2nd Degree felony scenario in this context.

Use the calculator

Use DocketMath to apply the 5-year general SOL efficiently and to model how timing changes when you adjust dates or consider tolling options.

Primary CTA: **/tools/statute-of-limitations

You can follow this input flow:

• Offense / last act date

  • Drives the starting point of the clock.
• Charging / filing date

  • Determines whether the charge lands before or after expiration.
• **Exception/tolling settings (if available in the tool)

  • Adjusts the expiration date by the specified excluded time windows.

How outputs change when inputs change

Use these quick “what-if” rules of thumb while you run scenarios:

• If you move the offense date later, the SOL expiration date moves later too.
• If you move the charging date earlier, you increase the chance the filing falls within the SOL window.
• If you add a tolling/excluded period, the expiration date typically moves later by the amount of time excluded.

For tight timelines, it’s worth running 2–3 variants—for example:

• using the earliest plausible offense date vs.
• using the last act date alleged in the charging instruments.

This workflow can surface whether timing is close to the edge of the SOL period.

Sources and references

Start with the primary authority for Kentucky and confirm the effective date before relying on any output. If the rule has been amended, update the inputs and rerun the calculation.

• Ky. Rev. Stat. § 413.140

Related reading

• Choosing the right statute of limitations tool for Vermont — Tool comparison
• Statute of limitations in Singapore: how to estimate the deadline — How-to guide
• Choosing the right statute of limitations tool for Connecticut — Tool comparison