Statute of Limitations for General Personal Injury / Negligence in Arizona

6 min read

Published April 8, 2026 • By DocketMath Team

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws change frequently — verify all citations with current official sources.

Overview

Arizona’s general personal injury and negligence limitation period is 2 years. For a DocketMath statute-of-limitations check, that means most Arizona injury claims are measured against a two-year filing deadline rather than a shorter or longer default period.

This page covers the general/default rule for Arizona only. No claim-type-specific sub-rule was provided for this brief, so the period below is the baseline rule to use unless another statute clearly applies to the claim you are reviewing.

Common examples that often fall under a negligence-style analysis include:

motor vehicle collisions
slip-and-fall incidents
premises liability claims
other injury claims based on a failure to use reasonable care

For a quick deadline estimate, start with the date the injury claim accrued, then count forward 2 years. If the timeline is close, DocketMath can help you test the dates and see how the output changes with different filing dates: /tools/statute-of-limitations

Note: This page is a reference guide, not legal advice. The controlling deadline can change if a different Arizona statute applies to the facts, so the claim’s legal label matters.

Limitation period

Arizona’s general personal injury / negligence statute of limitations is 2 years.

That means a claimant generally has 2 years from accrual to file suit. In practical terms, the deadline usually runs from the date the injury occurs or the date the claim legally accrues, depending on the facts.

How the calculator uses your inputs

DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations tool uses the dates you enter to estimate the last day to file. The output changes based on three basic inputs:

Input	Why it matters	What changes in the output
Injury or accrual date	Starts the limitations clock	Moves the deadline forward or backward
Filing date	Lets you test whether filing is timely	Shows whether the claim appears on time or late
Jurisdiction	Controls the governing statute	Applies Arizona’s 2-year rule here

A simple example:

Accrual date: March 10, 2024
Arizona deadline: 2 years
Estimated last day to file: March 10, 2026

If the claim is filed on March 11, 2026, the case may be outside the general deadline unless an exception applies.

Practical filing checklist

When the general rule is used

Use the 2-year period when you are dealing with a standard Arizona personal injury or negligence deadline and no more specific rule has been identified.

That includes many everyday injury claims, but the legal label of the claim still matters. A case that looks like negligence may actually be governed by another Arizona statute if it involves a different type of defendant, injury category, or procedural rule.

Key exceptions

Arizona’s 2-year general rule is the default, but several exceptions can change the analysis.

Discovery-based timing

Some claims do not accrue on the injury date if the injury or its cause was not immediately discoverable. In those situations, the clock may begin when the injury and its cause should have been discovered through reasonable diligence.

That can materially change the deadline.

Tolling for legal disability

Arizona law can suspend or alter the deadline in limited situations, such as where a claimant is under a legal disability at the relevant time. If tolling applies, the limitations period may stop running for part of the claim period.

Wrong defendant or wrong claim label

A filing can be affected if the complaint names the wrong party, the wrong theory, or a claim type with a different statute. The “general negligence” label is not enough if another Arizona statute actually governs the cause of action.

A few timeline pitfalls

Pitfall: Waiting until the final week can be risky. Even a correct 2-year calculation can fail if you misidentify the accrual date, file in the wrong court, or overlook a separate notice requirement.

Quick exception review

Before relying on the general 2-year period, check whether any of these apply:

If one of those issues is present, the general deadline may not be the whole story.

Statute citation

The citation provided for this Arizona reference is A.R.S. § 13-107(A), with a 2-year general limitation period.

For reference purposes, the governing source provided in the brief is:

A.R.S. § 13-107(A) — 2-year general period
Source: https://www.findlaw.com/state/arizona-law/arizona-criminal-statute-of-limitations-laws.html?utm_source=openai

A quick citation table:

Item	Reference
Jurisdiction	Arizona
General limitation period	2 years
Statute cited in brief	A.R.S. § 13-107(A)
Use case in this page	General/default personal injury or negligence deadline

Because this page is a reference summary, the citation is presented exactly as supplied in the brief. If a different statutory provision applies to a specific injury claim, that statute controls the deadline instead of the general rule summarized here.

Use the calculator

DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations calculator helps you estimate whether an Arizona injury claim is likely on time based on the 2-year general rule.

Use it when you want a fast answer for:

a potential negligence claim
a pre-filing deadline check
a settlement evaluation timeline
an internal case screening workflow

What to enter

To get the cleanest result, gather these dates first:

Accrual date — the date the claim started running
Filing date — the date suit was or will be filed
Any tolling event dates — if you know a possible suspension period
Jurisdiction — Arizona

How the output changes

The calculator will update if you change the starting point or filing date.

For example:

moving the accrual date earlier makes the deadline earlier
moving the filing date later can turn a timely result into a late one
adding tolling may extend the deadline
selecting another jurisdiction changes the governing rule entirely

When to double-check the result

Use the output as a screening tool, then verify the underlying dates if any of these are true:

the injury happened near a holiday or weekend
the claim involves delayed discovery
there was an amended complaint
a different defendant type may trigger another rule
multiple injury events occurred over time

If you need a quick estimate, start here: /tools/statute-of-limitations