Statute of Limitations for Premises Liability / Slip and Fall in Massachusetts

Overview

In Massachusetts, the statute of limitations for most premises liability and slip-and-fall injury lawsuits is 6 years, under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 277, § 63.

Run this scenario in DocketMath using the Statute Of Limitations calculator.

If you were injured on someone else’s property—such as a grocery store, apartment building, office, or sidewalk adjacent to a premises—the timing of your lawsuit usually turns on when your claim “accrues.” In most cases, “accrues” means the date you knew (or reasonably should have known) you were injured and that the injury was caused by the condition at issue.

DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations calculator helps you work from key dates you provide and compute a deadline based on the general/default 6-year rule in ch. 277, § 63.

Limitation period

Massachusetts uses a 6-year limitations period for the general category that typically applies to premises liability and slip-and-fall claims: Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 277, § 63.

What “6 years” means in practice

Think of the deadline as having two main parts:

• Start point (accrual date): Usually tied to when the injury is discovered or reasonably should have been discovered, not simply the exact moment of the fall.
• End point (filing deadline): Generally, you must file the lawsuit by the final day of the limitations period measured from the accrual date.

No claim-type-specific sub-rule found

You may see other statutes discussed online that seem to vary by claim type. For purposes of this Massachusetts jurisdiction summary, no claim-type-specific sub-rule was found beyond the general/default period.

So, as a baseline for premises liability / slip-and-fall matters:

• Start with 6 years under ch. 277, § 63.
• Then adjust only if a recognized exception or tolling doctrine applies (covered below).

Inputs that typically change the output

DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations calculator is date-driven. Common inputs include:

• Date of fall / incident
• Date you discovered the injury (or its seriousness/relationship to the premises condition), if different
• Jurisdiction (Massachusetts)

How the output changes:

• A later accrual/discovery date usually produces a later deadline.
• Using only the date of the fall as the accrual date can produce an earlier deadline than what the facts support if discovery occurred later.

Key exceptions

Even with the general 6-year rule, a few concepts can affect the actual deadline. The most important are accrual timing and tolling.

1) Accrual vs. the calendar date of the fall

Many premises liability cases focus on when the limitations period started—not just the date the slip occurred. Plaintiffs often argue the clock began only when they knew (or should have known):

• they were injured, and
• the injury was caused by the premises condition (or related conduct).

Practical effect:

• If you use an accrual/discovery date later than the fall date, the deadline typically extends.
• If the injury was obvious immediately (for example, severe symptoms right after the fall), the accrual date may be treated as close to the fall date.

Pitfall to avoid: Entering only the “date of fall” without considering discovery can lead to an overly early deadline estimate.

2) Tolling based on legal disabilities (general concept)

Massachusetts recognizes tolling concepts in some situations where a plaintiff is under a legal disability (for example, certain incapacity situations and infancy/minors). In those circumstances, the limitations period may be paused and then resumes afterward.

Practical effect:

• The deadline may be later than a straight “6 years from accrual” calculation.

3) Government-related claims (possible additional hurdles)

Some premises injuries involve municipal or state property owners. Even if the general limitations period is 6 years, government defendants can raise defenses related to procedural requirements—such as notice obligations—that may affect timing and case posture.

Practical effect:

• Your ability to proceed may depend on more than the limitations period alone.

4) Wrong defendant / misidentification (procedural nuances)

If you file against the wrong party (for example, a property manager rather than the owner/operator), Massachusetts procedural rules may affect whether and how the case can proceed. These issues are fact-specific.

Practical effect:

• The filing date alone may not resolve the problem if the proper defendant is identified later.
• Consider verifying the correct party before filing.

This isn’t legal advice. If you’re close to a deadline or unsure about accrual or tolling, consider getting legal help.

Statute citation

• Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 277, § 63 — 6 years (general/default statute of limitations)

DocketMath uses this general rule as the baseline for the Massachusetts premises liability / slip-and-fall summary. If your matter involves tolling or a different accrual analysis, your deadline may differ from a straight “6 years from incident date” approach.

Use the calculator

Use DocketMath’s Statute of Limitations calculator to generate a deadline estimate:

• Start here: /tools/statute-of-limitations

Suggested workflow

1. Choose an accrual/discovery approach

   • If your injury was obvious right away, you may use the date of fall as the accrual date.
   • If symptoms emerged later or the seriousness wasn’t apparent immediately, use the date you discovered the injury (to the extent supported by your facts).
2. **Confirm Massachusetts (US-MA)

   • This page applies to Massachusetts.
3. Run the calculation

   • The calculator applies the 6-year general rule from Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 277, § 63.

How output changes as you update dates

Because the calculator is date-driven, changing your inputs generally changes the deadline accordingly:

• Later accrual date → later deadline
• Earlier accrual date → earlier deadline

If you’re uncertain between two possible dates (for example, first symptom date vs. diagnosis date), run multiple scenarios and compare the results.

Sources and references

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

• Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2

Related reading

• Choosing the right statute of limitations tool for Vermont — How to choose the right calculator
• Statute of limitations in Singapore: how to estimate the deadline — Full how-to guide with jurisdiction-specific rules
• Choosing the right statute of limitations tool for Connecticut — How to choose the right calculator