Statute of Limitations for Tolling for Absence from State in Arizona

6 min read

Published April 8, 2026 • By DocketMath Team

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws change frequently — verify all citations with current official sources.

Overview

Arizona’s general criminal statute of limitations is 2 years, and the default statute is A.R.S. § 13-107(A). That period is the baseline for charging offenses in Arizona when no more specific rule applies, and no claim-type-specific sub-rule was identified for this reference page.

For anyone tracking deadlines, the core question is simple: when did the clock start, and did anything pause it? A conviction can depend on whether the state filed charges before the limitations period expired, so date accuracy matters.

A quick way to work through the timing is to compare:

the date of the alleged offense,
the applicable limitations period,
and any tolling event, including absence from the state.

If you need a fast calculation, use DocketMath’s statute of limitations tool to map the start date against the deadline.

Note: This page covers Arizona’s general/default criminal limitations period only. If a different offense has its own statute, that specific rule controls over the general 2-year period.

Limitation period

Arizona’s default criminal limitations period is 2 years under A.R.S. § 13-107(A). In practice, that means prosecutors generally must commence a prosecution within two years of the date the offense was committed unless a statutory exception applies.

Here’s the practical effect:

Input	What it means	How it affects the deadline
Offense date	The date the conduct occurred	Starts the clock
Default period	2 years	Sets the initial deadline
Tolling event	A period that stops or extends the clock	Pushes the deadline later
Filing/charging date	When the case is commenced	Must fall on or before the final deadline

A straightforward example helps:

Alleged offense date: March 1, 2022
Default limitations period: 2 years
Initial deadline: March 1, 2024

If no tolling applies, a prosecution commenced after that date is outside the general limitations period.

The biggest practical issue is identifying the correct “start” date. In some matters, the date of completion, discovery, or continuing conduct can matter more than the date a report was made. For this reference page, the governing point is that Arizona’s general rule is 2 years under A.R.S. § 13-107(A).

Key exceptions

The main exception discussed for this topic is tolling for absence from the state. When a person is absent from Arizona, that absence can stop the limitations clock from running, which can extend the time to file charges.

In a tolling analysis, the calculator needs these inputs:

the alleged offense date,
the default 2-year period,
the date the person left Arizona,
the date the person returned,
and any other time periods that may affect the running of the statute.

A few practical consequences follow:

If there was no absence, there is no tolling from this rule.
If the person was absent only part of the time, only that period may extend the deadline.
If multiple absences occurred, each period may need to be counted separately.

For example:

Offense date: January 10, 2021
Default deadline: January 10, 2023
Absence from Arizona: April 1, 2022 to July 1, 2022

That 3-month absence may extend the end date by 3 months, moving the practical deadline to around April 10, 2023, depending on how the charging period is measured and whether any additional statutory rules apply.

A useful checklist for evaluating tolling:

Pitfall: Don’t assume a defendant’s travel automatically tolls the statute in every situation. The analysis turns on the statute, the dates, and whether the absence fits the tolling rule being applied.

Statute citation

Arizona’s general criminal statute of limitations is found in A.R.S. § 13-107(A), which provides the 2-year default period.

For reference pages and calculator use, the key citation data is:

Item	Citation / value
General limitations period	2 years
General statute	A.R.S. § 13-107(A)
Jurisdiction	Arizona
Jurisdiction code	US-AZ

That citation is the anchor for the default timing rule. When you are building a deadline, the statute citation matters because it tells you which rule controls before you account for tolling or any offense-specific exception.

When using the citation in a deadline workflow, verify:

the charge type,
whether a different statute creates a separate deadline,
and whether absence from the state changed the running of time.

Use the calculator

DocketMath’s statute of limitations tool helps you turn Arizona dates into a deadline you can actually use. Start with the offense date, then add any tolling periods, including time spent outside Arizona, to see how the final filing deadline changes.

To get the best result, enter:

Offense date — starts the calculation
Jurisdiction — Arizona
Limitations period — 2 years
Tolling dates — absence from the state, if any
Filing date — to compare against the deadline

The output changes based on the inputs:

Input change	Output change
Earlier offense date	Earlier deadline
Later offense date	Later deadline
Longer absence from Arizona	Longer tolling period
No tolling entries	Straight 2-year deadline
Additional tolling dates	Final deadline moves later

Use the tool here: **statute of limitations calculator

If you are reviewing a timeline, the calculator can also help you test edge cases, such as partial-year absences or multiple periods outside the state. That makes it easier to compare the raw 2-year deadline with the deadline after tolling.