## How the limitation period applies

The controlling primary authority for US-NH libel SOL (N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4, II) is **N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4, II**.

> **N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4, II.** II. Personal actions for slander or libel, unless otherwise provided by law, may be brought only within 3 years of the time the cause of action accrued.

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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.

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## Sources

- [N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4, II — N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4, II](https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/LII/508/508-4.htm)

All sources are official primary law published by `gc.nh.gov`.

**Corroboration method:** government_primary_source_direct_fetch.


Statute of Limitations for Libel (written defamation) in New Hampshire.

Statute of Limitations for Libel (written defamation) in New Hampshire

Primary-source verified live against gc.nh.gov (NH General Court) on 2026-04-24 (Mozilla UA, 200 OK). URL path corrected from prior VI/508 (wrong Title) to real LII/508 — Chapter 508 is in Title LII 'Actions, Process, and Service of Process', not Title VI. 15+ fabrications caught; see commit history. ANO-831 deepen pass 2026-04-29: per-claim primary-source data (citation/source_url/raw_statute_text) populated for all 14 claim_types in the top-level claim_types block; UCC chapter 382-A re-verified at Title XXXIV-A (UCC), URL corrected from prior LII/382-A path; legal_malpractice/trespass/property_damage audits all confirm RSA § 508:4(I) governs (no PI-default fabrication; NH does not have a separate trespass or property-damage SoL distinct from the general 3-yr personal-action rule).

Except as otherwise provided by law, all personal actions, except actions for slander or libel, may be brought only within 3 years of the act or omission complained of, except that when the injury and its causal relationship to the act or omission were not discovered and could not reasonably have been discovered at the time of the act or omission, the action shall be commenced within 3 years of the time the plaintiff discovers, or in the exercise of reasonable diligence should have discovered, the injury and its causal relationship to the act or omission complained of.

Any action commenced on or after May 14, 1947, to enforce any cause of action for unpaid minimum wages, unpaid overtime compensation, or liquidated damages, under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended [ 29 U.S.C. 201 et seq. ], the Walsh-Healey Act, or the Bacon-Davis Act 1 - (a) if the cause of action accrues on or after May 14, 1947-may be commenced within two years after the cause of action accrued, and every such action shall be forever barred unless commenced within two years after the cause of action accrued, except that a cause of action arising out of a willful violation may be commenced within three years after the cause of action accrued;

(b) A tort claim against the United States shall be forever barred unless it is presented in writing to the appropriate Federal agency within two years after such claim accrues or unless action is begun within six months after the date of mailing, by certified or registered mail, of notice of final denial of the claim by the agency to which it was presented.

II. Personal actions for slander or libel, unless otherwise provided by law, may be brought only within 3 years of the time the cause of action accrued.

(k) Statute of limitations. A person may not obtain relief: (1) under subsection (b) for violation of RSA 421-B:3-301, or under subsection (d) or (e), unless the action is instituted within 2 years after the violation occurred; or (2) under subsection (b), other than for violation of RSA 421-B:3-301, or under subsection (c) or (f), unless the action is instituted within the earlier of 2 years after discovery of the facts constituting the violation and 6 years after the violation.

(1) An action for breach of any contract for sale must be commenced within four 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. (2) A cause of action accrues when the breach occurs, regardless of the aggrieved party's lack of knowledge of the breach. A breach of warranty occurs when tender of delivery is made, except that where a warranty explicitly extends to future performance of the goods and discovery of the breach must await the time of such performance the cause of action accrues when the breach is or should have been discovered.

An aggrieved employee may bring a civil suit within 3 years of the alleged violation of this section. The court may order reinstatement and back-pay, as well as reasonable attorney fees and costs, to the prevailing party.

If an action is not then pending, one may be brought for such cause at any time within 6 years after the death of the deceased party, subject to the provisions of RSA 508. Source. 1887, 71:3. PS 191:10. PL 302:11. RL 355:11. RSA 556:11. 1983, 177:1, eff. Aug. 9, 1983.

I. Except as otherwise provided by law, all personal actions, except actions for slander or libel, may be brought only within 3 years of the act or omission complained of, except that when the injury and its causal relationship to the act or omission were not discovered and could not reasonably have been discovered at the time of the act or omission, the action shall be commenced within 3 years of the time the plaintiff discovers, or in the exercise of reasonable diligence should have discovered, the injury and its causal relationship to the act or omission complained of.

Under RSA 508:4(I), all personal actions (other than slander or libel) must be brought within 3 years of the act or omission complained of, subject to the codified discovery rule which postpones accrual until the plaintiff discovers (or in the exercise of reasonable diligence should have discovered) the injury and its causal relationship to the act or omission. This is the controlling SOL for general personal injury and negligence actions in New Hampshire.

New Hampshire imposes a 3-year statute of limitations for personal actions with an equitable tolling discovery rule: if the injury and its cause were not discoverable at the time of the act, the action must be brought within 3 years of when the plaintiff discovers or should have discovered the injury and its causal relationship.

Under 29 U.S.C. § 255(a), an action enforcing an FLSA cause of action for unpaid minimum wages, unpaid overtime compensation, or liquidated damages generally must be commenced within two years after the cause of action accrued; a cause of action arising out of a willful violation may be commenced within three years after the cause of action accrued.

A New Hampshire action to collect credit card or open account debt — sounding in breach of contract on a revolving open credit account — is subject to the general three-year personal-actions statute of limitations at RSA 508:4(I). New Hampshire has no claim-type-specific statute of limitations for credit card or open account debt. RSA 382-A:3-118 (UCC Art. 3, six-year period) applies only to negotiable instruments such as promissory notes, drafts, and certificates of deposit — not to open revolv

A New Hampshire action on an oral or implied contract is subject to the general three-year personal-actions statute of limitations at RSA 508:4(I). New Hampshire has no claim-type-specific statute of limitations for oral contracts. The three-year period begins to run when the cause of action accrues (i.e., when the breach occurs or is discovered under the discovery rule codified in RSA 508:4(I)).

Statute of limitations for personal injury in US-NH is 3 years under RSA 508:4(I).

Statute of limitations for medical malpractice in US-NH is 3 years under N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4, I.

Statute of limitations for legal malpractice in US-NH is 3 years under N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4, I.

Statute of limitations for product liability in US-NH is 3 years under N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4, I.

Statute of limitations for premises liability in US-NH is 3 years under N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4, I.

Statute of limitations for breach written contract in US-NH is 3 years under N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4, I.

Statute of limitations for breach oral contract in US-NH is 3 years under N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4, I.

Statute of limitations for ucc sale of goods in US-NH is 4 years under N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 382-A:2-725.

Statute of limitations for fraud in US-NH is 3 years under N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4, I.

Statute of limitations for libel in US-NH is 3 years under N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4, II.

Statute of limitations for slander in US-NH is 3 years under N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4, II.

Statute of limitations for property damage in US-NH is 3 years under N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4, I.

Statute of limitations for trespass in US-NH is 3 years under N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4, I.

Statute of limitations for credit card open account debt in US-NH is 3 years under RSA 508:4.

Statute of limitations for equitable tolling in US-NH is 3 years under RSA 508:4.

Statute of limitations for flsa claims federal wage hour in US-NH is 2 years under 29 U.S.C. § 255(a).

Statute of limitations for wrongful death in US-NH is 6 years under N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 556:11.

Under RSA 508:4(I), all personal actions in New Hampshire — including claims for unjust enrichment and restitution — may be brought only within three years of the act or omission complained of.

New Hampshire RSA 421-B:5-509 establishes a 2-year statute of limitations from discovery of the facts constituting the violation, with an absolute 6-year period from the violation, for securities fraud claims under the Uniform Securities Act.

New Hampshire personal actions carry a 3-year limitations period; under the continuing violation doctrine the period runs from the last act in a continuing course of conduct, and the statutory discovery rule further delays accrual until the injury and its cause are or should be discovered.

RSA 508:8 tolls the statute of limitations for minors (infants) and mentally incompetent persons, granting a 2-year window to file after the disability is removed. For minors, disability is removed at age 18.

RSA 508:9 excludes from the limitations period any time during which the defendant is absent from and residing out of New Hampshire. The period is paused for the duration of the absence.

NH fraudulent concealment is a judge-made equitable tolling doctrine, not a standalone statute. When a defendant's fraudulent concealment prevents the plaintiff from discovering the cause of action, the statute of limitations is tolled until the plaintiff discovers (or reasonably should have discovered) the concealed facts.

NH's discovery rule is STATUTORY, codified in RSA 508:4, I. It delays accrual until the plaintiff discovers (or reasonably should have discovered) both the injury and its causal relationship to the defendant's act or omission. No separate case-law discovery rule is needed; the statute itself incorporates it.

I. Except as otherwise provided in this section, all actions to recover damages for injury to property, injury to the person, wrongful death or economic loss arising out of any deficiency in the creation of an improvement to real property, including without limitation the design, labor, materials, engineering, planning, surveying, construction, observation, supervision or inspection of that improvement, shall be brought within 8 years from the date of substantial completion of the improvement, and not thereafter.

A person, alleging to have been subjected to any offense under RSA 632-A or an offense under RSA 639:2 may commence a personal action at any time.

Actions of debt upon judgments, recognizances, and contracts under seal may be brought within 20 years after the cause of action accrued, and not afterward.

An infant or mentally incompetent person may bring a personal action within 2 years after such disability is removed.

If the defendant in a personal action was absent from and residing out of the state at the time the cause of action accrued, or afterward, the time of such absence shall be excluded in computing the time limited for bringing the action.

If an action is not then pending, one may be brought for such cause at any time within 6 years after the death of the deceased party, subject to the provisions of RSA 508.

IV. Any claim submitted under this chapter shall be brought within 3 years of the date of the alleged bodily injury, personal injury or property damage.

fraudulent concealment of a cause of action from the one in whom it resides by the one against whom it lies constitutes an implied exception to the statute of limitations, postponing the commencement of the running of the statute until discovery or reasonable opportunity of discovery of the fact by the owner of the cause of action.

Statute of Limitations for Libel (written defamation) in New Hampshire

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