## How the limitation period applies

There is no federal statute of limitations specific to claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Federal courts borrow the forum state's law to fill that gap, and longstanding Supreme Court doctrine directs them to use the state's general personal-injury statute of limitations. For US-ME section 1983 civil rights claims SOL (14 M.R.S. § 752), that means the controlling period comes from the state PI statute below, not from any federal source.

## Federal authority for the borrow

Under **42 U.S.C. § 1988(a)**, federal courts apply state law where federal civil-rights statutes are silent or deficient:

> **42 U.S.C. § 1988(a).** The jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters conferred on the district courts by the provisions of titles 13, 24, and 70 of the Revised Statutes for the protection of all persons in the United States in their civil rights, and for their vindication, shall be exercised and enforced in conformity with the laws of the United States, so far as such laws are suitable to carry the same into effect;

## Borrowed state limitation period

The forum state's general personal-injury statute of limitations is **14 M.R.S. § 752**:

> **14 M.R.S. § 752.** All civil actions shall be commenced within 6 years after the cause of action accrues and not afterwards, except actions on a judgment or decree of any court of record of the United States, or of any state, or of a justice of the peace in this State, and except as otherwise specially provided.

## 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

- [14 M.R.S. § 752 — §752. Six years](https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/statutes/14/title14sec752.html)
- [42 U.S.C. § 1988(a) — Proceedings in vindication of civil rights](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section1988&num=0&edition=prelim)

All sources are official primary law published by `legislature.maine.gov`, `uscode.house.gov`.

**Corroboration method:** government_primary_source_direct_fetch.


If you plan to bring a civil rights lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 in Maine (US-ME), you need to track the case deadline carefully. Federal law supplies...

Statute of Limitations for Section 1983 Civil Rights Claims in Maine

Primary-source verified live against legislature.maine.gov on 2026-04-24 (Mozilla UA, 200 OK): §§ 751, 752, 753, 853, 859, 8107, 8110; 18-C § 2-807; 24 § 2902; 11 § 2-725. 10 fabrications + 3 omissions caught; see commit history. ANO-831 deepen pass (2026-04-29): main claim_types block populated with per-claim citation+source_url+raw_statute_text (verbatim). Three audits — (A) legal_malpractice: ADDED 14 M.R.S. § 753-B as dedicated cite for accrual rule (prior research only had § 752 — § 753-B was overlooked); (B) trespass: § 752 6-yr CONFIRMED; (C) property_damage: § 752 6-yr CONFIRMED.

All civil actions shall be commenced within 6 years after the cause of action accrues and not afterwards, except actions on a judgment or decree of any court of record of the United States, or of any state, or of a justice of the peace in this State, and except as otherwise specially provided.

An action for breach of any contract for sale must be commenced within 4 years after the cause of action has accrued.

Every judgment and decree of any court of record of the United States or of any state or justice of the peace in this State is presumed to be paid and satisfied at the end of 20 years after any duty or obligations accrued by virtue of such judgment or decree, except for a child support order. For the purposes of this section, 'child support order' means a judgment, decree or order, whether temporary, final or subject to modification, issued by a court or an administrative agency of competent jurisdiction for the support and maintenance of a child, including a child who has attained the age of majority under the law of the issuing state, that provides for monetary support, health care, arrearages or reimbursement and may include related costs and fees, interest and penalties, income withholding, attorney's fees and other relief.

(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;

If a person, liable to any action mentioned, fraudulently conceals the cause thereof from the person entitled thereto, or if a fraud is committed which entitles any person to an action, the action may be commenced at any time within 6 years after the person entitled thereto discovers that he has just cause of action, except as provided in section 3580.

In actions alleging professional negligence, malpractice or breach of contract for legal service by a licensed attorney, the statute of limitations starts to run from the date of the act or omission giving rise to the injury, not from the discovery of the malpractice, negligence or breach of contract, except as provided in this section or as the statute of limitations may be suspended by other laws.

Actions for slander and libel must be commenced within 2 years after the cause of action accrues.

Actions for professional negligence must be commenced within 3 years after the cause of action accrues. For the purposes of this section, a cause of action accrues on the date of the act or omission giving rise to the injury. Notwithstanding the provisions of Title 14, section 853, relating to minority, actions for professional negligence by a minor must be commenced within 6 years after the cause of action accrues or within 3 years after the minor reaches the age of majority, whichever first occurs. This section does not apply when the cause of action is based upon the leaving of a foreign object in the body, in which case the cause of action accrues when the plaintiff discovers or reasonably should have discovered the harm.

An action for breach of any contract for sale must be commenced within 4 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.

All civil actions shall be commenced within 6 years after the cause of action accrues and not afterwards

An action under this section must be commenced within 3 years after the decedent's death, except that if the decedent's death is caused by a homicide, the action may be commenced within 6 years of the date the personal representative or special administrator of the decedent discovers that there is a just cause of action against the person who caused the homicide.

Per 14 M.R.S. § 752, civil actions in Maine must be commenced within 6 years after the cause of action accrues, except for actions on a judgment or decree of a court of record of the United States, of any state, or of a justice of the peace in Maine, and except as otherwise specially provided by statute.

Under Maine's general judgment-staleness statute, every judgment or decree of a court of record is presumed paid and satisfied 20 years after the obligation accrued, but child support orders are explicitly carved out of that presumption, meaning enforcement of a Maine child support judgment (including arrears, interest, penalties, and related fees) is not extinguished by the passage of 20 years.

Under 14 M.R.S. § 752, all civil actions must be commenced within 6 years after the cause of action accrues, except actions on a judgment or where otherwise specially provided. This 6-year general rule controls general PI, negligence, premises liability, product liability, slip-and-fall, dog bite in Maine. Slander/libel are separately subject to 2yr under § 753.

Under 14 M.R.S. § 753, actions for slander and libel must be commenced within 2 years after accrual.

Under 14 M.R.S. § 864, every Maine judgment or decree is presumed paid and satisfied 20 years after the obligation accrued, but child support orders are explicitly carved out of that presumption. Maine therefore imposes no time limit on enforcement of child support orders, including arrears, interest, penalties, and related fees, regardless of how long after accrual enforcement is sought.

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 Maine civil action for intentional infliction of emotional distress (IIED) or negligent infliction of emotional distress (NIED) is governed by the general six-year civil statute of limitations at 14 M.R.S. § 752. Maine has no separate, claim-type-specific limitations period for IIED or NIED claims. The six-year period commences when the cause of action accrues (ordinarily on the date of the wrongful conduct, subject to applicable tolling and discovery rules). The Maine Supreme Judicial Court a

A Maine civil action for invasion of privacy — specifically claims of (1) intrusion upon physical or mental seclusion, (2) public disclosure of private facts, or (3) appropriation of name or likeness — is governed by the general six-year civil statute of limitations at 14 M.R.S. § 752. Maine has no claim-type-specific limitations period for these three categories of invasion-of-privacy claims. IMPORTANT SCOPING NOTE: 'False light' invasion of privacy (the fourth Prosser category) is subject to a

Statute of limitations for personal injury in US-ME is 6 years under 14 M.R.S. § 752.

Statute of limitations for wrongful death in US-ME is 3 years under 18-C M.R.S. § 2-807(2).

Statute of limitations for medical malpractice in US-ME is 3 years under 24 M.R.S. § 2902.

Statute of limitations for product liability in US-ME is 6 years under 14 M.R.S. § 752.

Statute of limitations for premises liability in US-ME is 6 years under 14 M.R.S. § 752.

Statute of limitations for breach written contract in US-ME is 6 years under 14 M.R.S. § 752.

Statute of limitations for breach oral contract in US-ME is 6 years under 14 M.R.S. § 752.

Statute of limitations for ucc sale of goods in US-ME is 4 years under 11 M.R.S. § 2-725(1).

Under 14 M.R.S. § 752, a civil fraud action must be commenced within 6 years after the cause of action accrues. Section 859 is a fraudulent-concealment discovery/tolling extension, not the limitations period itself.

Statute of limitations for libel in US-ME is 2 years under 14 M.R.S. § 753.

Statute of limitations for slander in US-ME is 2 years under 14 M.R.S. § 753.

Statute of limitations for property damage in US-ME is 6 years under 14 M.R.S. § 752.

Statute of limitations for trespass in US-ME is 6 years under 14 M.R.S. § 752.

Statute of limitations for general in US-ME is 6 years under 14 M.R.S. § 752.

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

Statute of limitations for intentional negligent infliction of emotional distress in US-ME is 6 years under 14 M.R.S. § 752.

Statute of limitations for invasion of privacy in US-ME is 6 years under 14 M.R.S. § 752.

11 M.R.S. § 2-725 (Maine UCC) provides a 4-year statute of limitations for breach of warranty on a sale of goods; the cause of action accrues on tender of delivery, or when the breach is or should have been discovered for warranties extending to future performance.

14 M.R.S. § 752 establishes Maine's general 6-year civil statute of limitations, which covers breach of oral contract actions; the period begins when the cause of action accrues.

Maine Revised Statutes Title 14, § 752 establishes a general 6-year statute of limitations for all civil actions unless otherwise specifically provided. Unjust enrichment and restitution claims in Maine, which have no specific limitations period, fall under this 6-year general civil actions rule. The clock begins when the cause of action accrues.

Section 1983 borrows the forum state's general personal-injury limitations period; Maine has no specific personal-injury statute, so the 6-year general civil-action period under 14 M.R.S. § 752 controls.

Maine actions on a written contract must be commenced within 6 years after the cause of action accrues under 14 M.R.S. § 752.

Except as provided in Title 11, sections 2-725 and 3-1118, subsection (1), personal actions on contracts or liabilities under seal, promissory notes signed in the presence of an attesting witness, or on the bills, notes or other evidences of debt issued by a bank must be commenced within 20 years after the cause of action accrues.

If a person entitled to bring any of the actions under sections 752 to 754, including section 752-C, and under sections 851 and 852 and Title 24, section 2902 and, until July 1, 2017, section 2902-B is a minor, mentally ill, imprisoned or without the limits of the United States when the cause of action accrues, the action may be brought within the times limited herein after the disability is removed.

Within 365 days after any claim or cause of action permitted by this chapter accrues, or at a later time within the limits of section 8110, when a claimant shows good cause why notice could not have reasonably been filed within the 365-day limit, a claimant or a claimant's personal representative or attorney shall file a written notice...

Every claim against a governmental entity or its employees permitted under this chapter is forever barred from the courts of this State, unless an action therein is begun within 2 years after the cause of action accrues, except that, if the claimant is a minor when the cause of action accrues, the action may be brought within 2 years of the minor's attaining 18 years of age.