Statute of Limitations for Class C / 3rd Degree Felony in Pennsylvania

Overview

In Pennsylvania, the statute of limitations (SOL) sets a deadline for the Commonwealth to file criminal charges (or, in some contexts, commence prosecution) for an alleged offense. For a Class C / 3rd degree felony, the relevant SOL is governed by Pennsylvania’s general limitations framework in 42 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5552.

Per the jurisdiction data provided for this calculator page, no claim-type-specific sub-rule was found for a Class C/3rd-degree felony. That means this page uses the general/default limitations period stated in § 5552 for the offense category covered by that general rule.

If you’re working through a potential or existing case in US-PA, the best way to turn the statute into a usable timeline is to run it through DocketMath via the primary CTA: /tools/statute-of-limitations.

Limitation period

Default SOL period for Class C / 3rd degree felony (Pennsylvania)

For the purposes of this calculator page, the general SOL period is 2 years.

• General SOL period: 2 years
• Default rule used: 42 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5552
• Sub-rule found for Class C/3rd degree specifically: None identified in the provided jurisdiction notes

How to think about the timeline

While the statute establishes the duration, the practical question is: when does the clock start and what event stops it?

Most SOL workflows in Pennsylvania track:

• Start point: commonly the date of the alleged offense (subject to any applicable tolling doctrines), and
• Stop point: typically when prosecution is commenced by filing charges/issuing process (the exact procedural milestone can matter).

Because your calculator inputs can change the result, DocketMath is built to make those timeline choices explicit.

Practical “what changes the output” checklist

When you use DocketMath, the computed “latest filing date” or “time remaining” can change based on:

Key exceptions

The default SOL is 2 years under the general rule referenced here. However, Pennsylvania SOL practice includes exceptions and tolling concepts that can extend deadlines beyond the baseline period.

On this page, the baseline is intentionally straightforward because the provided jurisdiction data did not identify a Class C/3rd-degree-specific carveout. That said, keep these categories in mind when reviewing your timeline:

• Tolling events: certain procedural or situational circumstances can pause the limitations clock.
• Later-discovered facts: some statutory schemes use a discovery concept or special accrual language (though the provided data here points to the general/default rule rather than a discovery-based accrual for Class C/3rd-degree felonies).
• Inapplicability of the default period: if the charged conduct falls under a different limitations framework than the one represented by § 5552, the outcome may differ.

How to prepare for an exception review (without derailing the calculation)

Before you rely on any SOL result, gather these facts:

• Date(s) of the alleged conduct (sometimes multiple dates exist)
• Date charges were filed (or when prosecution was commenced)
• Any intervening events that could affect timing (e.g., missing defendant issues, concealment allegations, or procedural developments—depending on the statutory tolling theory asserted)

With those, you can run both:

• a baseline 2-year calculation, and
• an adjusted calculation (if an exception/tolling option applies in your fact pattern and in the calculator’s inputs).

Statute citation

The general/default limitations period used for this calculator page is:

• 42 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5552 (General statute of limitations; general SOL period 2 years per the provided jurisdiction data)

Source document (as provided):

• https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/PDF/2000/0/0136..PDF

For this specific blog page, the key takeaway is direct: use the general/default 2-year SOL under § 5552 for the Class C / 3rd degree felony baseline, because no Class C/3rd-degree-specific sub-rule was found in the jurisdiction notes.

Use the calculator

You can calculate the limitations timeline with DocketMath here: /tools/statute-of-limitations.

Suggested inputs to enter

To model the SOL for a Class C / 3rd degree felony in Pennsylvania using the default 2-year rule:

• Jurisdiction: Pennsylvania (US-PA)
• Offense type: Class C / 3rd degree felony (as supported by the tool’s categories)
• Offense date: the date of the alleged conduct
• Evaluation date: the date you want to test (commonly “today” or the date charges were filed)

How the output should be interpreted

After you run the calculation, you should expect results such as:

• a calculated expiration date based on 2 years from the offense date (unless you add exception/tolling inputs), and
• a determination of whether the evaluation date falls before or after the SOL window.

Quick example (baseline-only)

If the alleged offense occurred on January 15, 2024, and you apply only the default 2-year period under § 5552:

• Baseline expiration would fall around January 15, 2026 (subject to how the tool handles exact day-count rules and procedural milestones).

Then, compare:

• If charges were filed on December 1, 2025, the baseline suggests they are within the 2-year window.
• If charges were filed on February 1, 2026, the baseline suggests they are outside the 2-year window.

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