Statute of Limitations for Rape / Sexual Assault (adult victim) in Arizona

Overview

In Arizona, the statute of limitations (SOL) sets a deadline for when the state can file criminal charges for certain offenses, including rape / sexual assault involving an adult victim. Under Arizona’s general rule, the SOL is measured from the date the offense occurred—with a few notable exceptions that can extend or reset the deadline.

For this topic, DocketMath focuses on the general/default limitations period because no claim-type-specific sub-rule for rape/sexual assault (adult victim) was found in the provided jurisdiction data. That means this page reflects Arizona’s baseline SOL framework rather than a specialized clock that applies only to one particular rape/sexual assault subtype.

Limitation period

General SOL period (adult victim, default rule): 2 years

Arizona’s general limitations period for many criminal offenses is two (2) years, governed by:

• A.R.S. § 13-107(A) — general statute of limitations period

Because this is the general/default period (not a subtype-specific special rule), your starting point for many practical calculations is:

• Start date: the date of the alleged offense conduct (as used by the charging authority)
• End date: 2 years later

How the deadline is typically modeled

When you use DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations calculator, the output depends on what you enter for the relevant dates. Here’s the practical way to think about it:

• If the offense date is earlier: the SOL is closer to expiring (or may already have expired).
• If the offense date is later: the SOL moves out accordingly.
• If you change only the offense date: the calculated expiration date changes, but the baseline rule stays the same (2 years under the general statute).

Practical checklist (for timeline inputs)

Before calculating, gather the basic dates you’ll need:

• Date the alleged offense occurred (or the best-supported date range)
• Date charges were filed (if you’re checking timeliness after the fact)
• Whether you’re looking at “by when must charges be filed” or “has the SOL already run”

If you’re unsure about the exact offense date, model a range. Even under a general SOL rule, small date differences can change whether the deadline falls before or after a filing date.

Key exceptions

The general rule is two years under A.R.S. § 13-107(A), but exceptions can matter in real-world cases. This section focuses on the kinds of issues that commonly affect limitations timing, even when the baseline SOL is clear.

1) Exceptions can extend the SOL beyond 2 years

Some legal circumstances can alter the calculation from the standard “2 years from the offense date” approach. Practically, those exceptions usually require specific factual predicates, such as:

• why the offense date used for calculation isn’t straightforward, or
• whether a statutory extension applies due to how/when the offense came to legal attention.

Because the provided jurisdiction data does not list a rape/sexual-assault-specific exception set, treat this as a flag to double-check statutory applicability, not a guarantee that an exception applies.

2) Offense date and charge date are not always aligned

A common timing pitfall is assuming the SOL clock always uses the same “date” the parties remember. In practice:

• charges may be tied to a particular event date,
• the evidence may establish multiple acts on different dates,
• the filing date may not be the date you first heard about the allegation.

For SOL modeling, you usually need the date the prosecution uses as the operative offense date.

3) Multiple acts can create multiple SOL issues

When conduct involves more than one incident (for example, multiple acts on different dates), the general rule may effectively apply separately to each act’s event date—again, depending on how the charging theory is framed.

DocketMath can help you visualize this quickly by running calculations for each relevant event date you identify.

Statute citation

Arizona’s general statute of limitations for criminal actions is:

• A.R.S. § 13-107(A) — general limitations period of 2 years

This page uses A.R.S. § 13-107(A) as the baseline because no claim-type-specific sub-rule was found in the provided jurisdiction data for rape/sexual assault (adult victim). The result is a general/default 2-year SOL framework.

For most basic timeline questions, that means your starting estimate is:

• Two years from the offense date, subject to any exceptions the case may involve.

Use the calculator

Use DocketMath to compute the SOL deadline using the general 2-year rule tied to A.R.S. § 13-107(A).

Primary CTA: DocketMath Statute of Limitations Calculator

Inputs to enter

In the calculator, you’ll typically work with these inputs:

• Offense date (the event date you’re calculating from)
• Jurisdiction: Arizona (US-AZ)
• Optional: Filing date (if you want a “filed by the deadline?” check)

What the output means

After you run the calculation, the tool will produce a deadline based on:

• baseline period: 2 years
• statute basis: A.R.S. § 13-107(A)

Then you can compare:

• If charges were filed on/before the calculated deadline: your modeled result is “within the general SOL window.”
• If charges were filed after the calculated deadline: your modeled result is “outside the general SOL window.”

Quick workflow

You can use a simple pattern to reduce mistakes:

1. Compute the deadline for the alleged earliest relevant offense date.
2. Compute again for the latest relevant offense date (if multiple incidents are alleged).
3. If there’s a known filing date, compare it to each deadline.

To browse other DocketMath resources (including tools and workflow guides), you may find it helpful to start from tools.

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