Missouri Statute of Limitations Reference Chart 2026

This page is a plain-language reference to Missouri's main limitation periods as of 2026. The periods below are long-standing statutory figures, but they are general rules — many claims have their own special deadlines, discovery rules, or tolling provisions that change the actual cutoff. Treat the numbers here as a starting point, not a final answer, and confirm the exact deadline for your specific claim with a Missouri attorney before you rely on it. Because a late filing usually bars the case forever, it is always safer to assume the shortest plausible deadline applies.

How statutes of limitations work in Missouri

A statute of limitations sets the maximum time after a claim "accrues" within which you can file a lawsuit. In Missouri, a claim generally accrues when the wrong occurs and the resulting damage is sustained and capable of ascertainment (the accrual standard reflected in RSMo § 516.100) — not necessarily when you sign a contract, and not always when you first notice the harm.

Two ideas matter throughout. First, the deadline is set by the type of claim, not by how serious the harm was — a small written debt can carry a longer clock than a serious personal injury. Second, the periods below are general rules. Specific claims often have their own statutes that override the general figure, and the same set of facts can sometimes support more than one type of claim with more than one deadline. That is why the exact period almost always needs to be confirmed for your particular situation.

Common Missouri limitation periods (by claim type)

Here are the principal Missouri limitation periods, stated as general rules as of 2026. These are presented as a quick reference only — your actual deadline may differ:

• Ten years — written promises to pay money or property (RSMo § 516.110). Actions on a written contract or instrument for the payment of money or property — promissory notes, written loan agreements, and similar obligations — generally carry a ten-year period. This is the longest of the common contract clocks.
• Five years — most other civil actions (RSMo § 516.120). This is the broad catch-all. It generally covers oral contracts and many other contract actions, personal injury, damage to property, fraud (which typically runs from discovery), and most general tort claims. If a claim is not specifically assigned a different period, the five-year rule is often where it lands.
• Four years — sale of goods under the UCC (RSMo § 400.2-725). Contracts for the sale of goods are governed by Missouri's Uniform Commercial Code, which sets a separate four-year period that generally runs from when the breach occurs, regardless of whether the buyer knew of it.
• Two years — libel, slander, assault, and certain others (RSMo § 516.140). Defamation (libel and slander), assault, false imprisonment, and several other specified claims generally carry a shorter two-year period. Some claims that sound like everyday "injury" cases actually fall here, which is one reason the catch-all five-year figure should never be assumed.

Because several different clocks can apply, correctly classifying a claim is frequently the single most important step in figuring out whether it is still alive.

Special cases: medical malpractice, repose, government claims

Some of the most important deadlines are not in the general list above:

• Medical malpractice has its own period (RSMo § 516.105). Claims against health care providers are governed by a separate statute rather than the general personal-injury rule, and they come with their own accrual and outer-limit provisions. Do not assume the general five-year tort clock applies to a medical claim — confirm the malpractice-specific deadline.
• Real-property improvements: statute of repose (RSMo § 516.097). For certain claims arising out of defective or unsafe conditions of improvements to real property, Missouri has a statute of repose that can cut off liability after a fixed number of years from completion — sometimes before the injured person even discovers a problem. A statute of repose is different from a statute of limitations: it can bar a claim regardless of when the harm appears.
• Claims against the government or under special statutes. Lawsuits against governmental entities, and claims created by specific statutes, often carry their own shorter deadlines and notice requirements that must be met well before the general period would expire. Missing an early notice step can end a claim even when the ordinary limitations clock has not run.

The discovery rule and tolling

The general periods can be shifted by rules about when the clock starts and whether it pauses:

• The discovery rule. For some claims, the period does not begin until the injury is — or reasonably should have been — discovered. Fraud, for example, generally runs from discovery. But Missouri does not apply a broad discovery rule to every claim, so you cannot assume the clock waited until you actually noticed the harm.
• Tolling for minors and incapacity. When the person entitled to sue is under a recognized legal disability — such as being a minor or being adjudged incapacitated — Missouri law generally pauses the clock until the disability is removed (the disability-tolling rules appear in RSMo § 516.170 and related sections).
• Defendant's absence. If the party you need to sue is absent from or concealing themselves within the state, that time may not count against the period in some circumstances.

Each of these can make the real deadline later — or, in the case of repose and notice statutes, effectively earlier — than the general figure suggests.

Why confirming the exact deadline matters

The periods on this page are reliable as general rules, but they are not a substitute for checking your specific claim. The same facts can support several claim types with several deadlines; accrual can turn on a "capable of ascertainment" question that lawyers and courts genuinely dispute; and special statutes, discovery rules, tolling, and statutes of repose can all move the line. A claim that looks safely within a five-year window might actually fall under a two-year defamation rule, a malpractice statute, or a repose cutoff.

The stakes are high because the consequence is usually absolute. A limitations defense, once raised on a clearly late claim, is generally a complete bar — the court will dismiss an otherwise-winning case simply because it was filed too late. When a deadline might be near, the conservative approach is to calendar the earliest plausible date and act before it, rather than litigate later over exactly when the clock started.

When to talk to a lawyer

If you think you may have a claim, it is worth confirming the deadline early — well before you believe it expires. A Missouri attorney can identify which statute applies to your specific facts, determine when the clock started, and flag any special notice requirements, discovery rules, or tolling that change the date. Because some deadlines are shorter than people expect and a missed deadline usually cannot be undone, the time to get advice is when the dispute first arises, not as the deadline approaches.