## How the limitation period applies

The controlling primary authority for US-WI legal malpractice SOL (893.53) is **893.53**.

> **893.53.** An action to recover damages for an injury to the character or rights of another, not arising on contract, shall be commenced within 3 years after the cause of action accrues, except where a different period is expressly prescribed, or be barred.

## Use the calculator

DocketMath's statute-of-limitations tool can model these timelines once you identify the controlling claim type and accrual date. Use the source panel for the verified primary-source citations.

[Open the Statute of Limitations calculator](/tools/statute-of-limitations)

## Sources

- [893.53 — 893.53](https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/893/v/53)

All sources are official primary law published by `docs.legis.wisconsin.gov`.

**Corroboration method:** government_primary_source_direct_fetch.


In Wisconsin, the statute of limitations (SOL) for *legal malpractice* claims is generally analyzed under the state’s general limitation rules for actio...

Statute of Limitations for Legal Malpractice in Wisconsin

ANO-831 deepening pass 2026-04-29: every claim_type now carries primary verbatim raw_statute_text from docs.legis.wisconsin.gov. Major correction: legal_malpractice changed from 6yr (§ 893.43 contract-default fabrication) to 3yr (§ 893.53 injury-to-character/rights, the actual WI rule per Hennekens v. Hoerl). Trespass audit: confirmed 6yr under § 893.52(1) is correct for WI; the CT/IN PI-default pattern does not apply here.

The following actions shall be commenced within 6 years after the cause of action accrues or be barred: (c) An action upon a claim, whether arising on contract or otherwise, against a decedent or against a decedent's estate, unless probate of the estate in this state is commenced within 6 years after the decedent's death.

Except as provided in sub. (2), an action upon any contract, obligation, or liability, express or implied, ... shall be commenced within 6 years after the cause of action accrues or be barred. (Wisconsin does not bifurcate oral vs. written contracts; both fall under § 893.43.)

Except as provided in sub. (2), an action upon any contract, obligation, or liability, express or implied, including an action to recover fees for professional services, except those mentioned in s. 893.40, shall be commenced within 6 years after the cause of action accrues or be barred.

prosecution for a felony must be commenced within 6 years and prosecution for a misdemeanor or for adultery within 3 years after the commission thereof.

The following actions shall be commenced within 3 years after the cause of action accrues or be barred: (b) An action for relief on the ground of fraud. The cause of action in such case is not deemed to have accrued until the discovery, by the aggrieved party, of the facts constituting the fraud.

In this section, “exposure period” means the 7 years immediately following the date of substantial completion of the improvement to real property.

An action to recover damages for an injury to the character or rights of another, not arising on contract, shall be commenced within 3 years after the cause of action accrues, except where a different period is expressly prescribed, or be barred. (Per Hennekens v. Hoerl, 160 Wis. 2d 144, and the statute's annotations, legal malpractice actions sounding in tort are governed by § 893.53. Discovery rule applies: 3-year period begins when the injured party discovers, or reasonably should have discovered, the injury and the defendant's identity.)

An action to recover damages for libel, slander, assault, battery, invasion of privacy, false imprisonment or other intentional tort to the person shall be commenced within 3 years after the cause of action accrues or be barred.

893.55(1m) Except as provided in subs. (2) and (3), an action to recover damages for injury arising from any treatment or operation performed by, or from any omission by, a person who is a health care provider, regardless of the theory on which the action is based, shall be commenced within the later of: (a) Three years from the date of the injury, or (b) One year from the date the injury was discovered or, in the exercise of reasonable diligence should have been discovered, except that an action may not be commenced under this paragraph more than 5 years from the date of the act or omission.

893.54(1m) Except as provided in sub. (2m), the following actions shall be commenced within 3 years or be barred: (a) An action to recover damages for injuries to the person, including an action to recover damages for injuries to the person caused or sustained by or arising from an accident involving a motor vehicle. (b) An action brought to recover damages for death caused by the wrongful act, neglect or default of another. 893.54(2m) An action brought to recover damages for death caused by the wrongful act, neglect, or default of another and arising from an accident involving a motor vehicle shall be commenced within 2 years after the cause of action accrues or be barred.

An action to recover damages for injuries to the person ... shall be commenced within 3 years or be barred. (Slip-and-fall and other premises-liability personal-injury claims follow § 893.54.)

An action to recover damages for injuries to the person, including an action to recover damages for injuries to the person caused or sustained by or arising from an accident involving a motor vehicle [shall be commenced within 3 years]. (Personal-injury product liability follows § 893.54; product liability for property damage follows § 893.52.)

Except as provided in sub. (2) and in any other case where a different period is expressly prescribed, an action, not arising on contract, to recover damages for an injury to real or personal property shall be commenced within 6 years after the cause of action accrues or be barred.

An action, not arising on contract, to recover damages for an injury to real or personal property shall be commenced within 6 years after the cause of action accrues or be barred. (Trespass to land/chattels — injury to real or personal property — falls under § 893.52(1) with a 6-year period. Wisconsin's § 893.57 (3-yr) covers intentional torts 'to the person' — libel, slander, assault, battery, invasion of privacy, false imprisonment — and does not extend to trespass to property. Distinct from CT/IN PI-default fabrication pattern: WI primary text places property-trespass under § 893.52, not § 893.57.)

An action for breach of any contract for sale must be commenced within 6 years after the cause of action has accrued. By the original agreement the parties may reduce the period of limitation to not less than one year but may not extend it. (Wisconsin's non-uniform UCC amendment: 6 years, not the UCC-standard 4.)

Except as provided in sub. (2m), the following actions shall be commenced within 3 years or be barred: ... (b) An action brought to recover damages for death caused by the wrongful act, neglect or default of another. [Sub. (2m): wrongful death arising from a motor vehicle accident shall be commenced within 2 years.]

893.93(1m) The following actions shall be commenced within 3 years after the cause of action accrues or be barred: (a) An action upon a liability created by statute when a different limitation is not prescribed by law. (b) An action for relief on the ground of fraud. The cause of action in such case is not deemed to have accrued until the discovery, by the aggrieved party, of the facts constituting the fraud. (Per 2017 Wis. Act 235, the period was reduced from 6 years to 3 years; current text confirmed via primary fetch on 2026-04-29.)

Under Wis. Stat. § 893.54(1m)(a), an action to recover damages for injuries to the person — including injuries caused or sustained by or arising from an accident involving a motor vehicle — must be commenced within 3 years or be barred. (Wrongful-death actions under § 893.54(1m)(b) are also 3 years generally, except wrongful-death actions arising from a motor-vehicle accident, which are 2 years under § 893.54(2m). Those wrongful-death rules are outside this receipt's personal-injury claim_type.)

Under Wis. Stat. § 893.43(1), an action upon any contract, obligation, or liability — express or implied — must be commenced within six years after the cause of action accrues or be barred. Covers written contracts, oral contracts, professional fees, debt-on-promissory-note, account-stated in Wisconsin.

Under Wis. Stat. § 893.93(1m)(b), an action for relief on the ground of fraud must be commenced within 3 years after the cause of action accrues. The cause of action accrues at the discovery of the facts constituting the fraud (codified discovery rule). Per 2017 Wisconsin Act 235 (eff. Apr 5, 2018), § 893.93 was restructured and fraud was moved from a 6-year (1)(b) period to the current 3-year (1m)(b).

In Wisconsin, an action (not arising on contract) to recover damages for an injury to personal property must be commenced within 6 years after the cause of action accrues, under Wis. Stat. § 893.52(1). The 6-year clock applies to ordinary personal-property damage claims.

Statute of limitations for wrongful death in US-WI is 3 years under Wis. Stat. § 893.54(1m)(b).

Statute of limitations for product liability in US-WI is 3 years under Wis. Stat. § 893.54(1m)(a).

Statute of limitations for premises liability in US-WI is 3 years under Wis. Stat. § 893.54(1m)(a).

Statute of limitations for libel in US-WI is 3 years under Wis. Stat. § 893.57.

Statute of limitations for slander in US-WI is 3 years under Wis. Stat. § 893.57.

Statute of limitations for breach written contract in US-WI is 6 years under Wis. Stat. § 893.43(1).

Statute of limitations for breach oral contract in US-WI is 6 years under Wis. Stat. § 893.43(1).

Statute of limitations for property damage in US-WI is 6 years under Wis. Stat. § 893.52(1).

Statute of limitations for trespass in US-WI is 6 years under Wis. Stat. § 893.52(1).

Statute of limitations for personal injury in US-WI is 3 years under Wis. Stat. § 893.54.

Statute of limitations for fraud in US-WI is 3 years under Wis. Stat. § 893.93(1m)(b).

Statute of limitations for legal malpractice in US-WI is 3 years under Wis. Stat. § 893.53.

Statute of limitations for construction defects in US-WI is 7 years under Wis. Stat. § 893.89(1).

Statute of limitations for ucc sale of goods in US-WI is 6 years under Wis. Stat. § 402.725(1).

Wisconsin libel/written defamation claims must be brought within 3 years of accrual under Wis. Stat. § 893.57.

893.43 Action on contract. (1) Except as provided in sub. (2), an action upon any contract, obligation, or liability, express or implied, including an action to recover fees for professional services, except those mentioned in s. 893.40, shall be commenced within 6 years after the cause of action accrues or be barred. (2) An action upon a motor vehicle insurance policy described in s. 632.32 (1) shall be commenced within 3 years after the cause of action accrues or be barred.

893.54(1m) Except as provided in sub. (2m), the following actions shall be commenced within 3 years or be barred: (a) An action to recover damages for injuries to the person, including an action to recover damages for injuries to the person caused or sustained by or arising from an accident involving a motor vehicle. (b) An action brought to recover damages for death caused by the wrongful act, neglect or default of another. (2m) An action brought to recover damages for death caused by the wrongful act, neglect, or default of another and arising from an accident involving a motor vehicle shall be commenced within 2 years after the cause of action accrues or be barred.