Colorado's Personal Injury Statute of Limitations: Deadlines That Can End Your Case
Colorado gives injury victims a limited window to file a lawsuit. Miss it, and courts will almost always dismiss your case — no matter how strong it is. The deadline depends on how you were hurt, who hurt you, and when you discovered the injury.
The two main deadlines
Under Colorado law (C.R.S. § 13-80-102), most personal injury claims — slip and falls, dog bites, medical injuries, defective products — must be filed within two years of the injury. Claims arising from the use or operation of a motor vehicle get three years under C.R.S. § 13-80-101(1)(n). The clock generally starts on the date of the injury, not the date you talk to a lawyer.
- General negligence (falls, dog bites): 2 years
- Car, truck, and motorcycle accidents: 3 years
- Wrongful death: 2 years from the date of death
- Medical malpractice: 2 years from discovery, with outside limits
Government claims have a much shorter fuse
If a city, county, school district, or state agency caused your injury — a city bus crash, a fall on a broken public sidewalk — the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act requires written notice within 182 days of discovering the injury. Miss the notice deadline and you may lose the claim entirely, even if the lawsuit deadline has not passed.
The discovery rule and other exceptions
Some injuries are not obvious right away. Colorado's discovery rule can delay the start of the clock until you knew or reasonably should have known about the injury and its cause. The deadline can also be paused for minors and people who are legally incapacitated, and a defendant who leaves the state may not count that absence against your time.
Insurance claims are not lawsuits
Negotiating with an insurance adjuster does not stop the statute of limitations. Many people lose their rights while waiting on a slow settlement offer. If the deadline is approaching, the only reliable protection is filing the lawsuit before it expires.
Why acting early helps
Evidence disappears fast: surveillance video is overwritten, vehicles are repaired, witnesses move. A Denver personal injury attorney can preserve evidence, calculate the correct deadline for your specific facts, and file before time runs out. Most offer free consultations and work on contingency, so an early call costs nothing.
General information, not legal advice
This guide is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws, fees, deadlines, and dollar limits change — and every situation is different. Consult a licensed Colorado attorney for advice about your specific case.