Key facts: Maryland
- When the clock starts
- Generally the date of injury for personal injury claims; the date of death for wrongful death. Maryland follows the discovery rule for most negligence claims, which delays accrual when the injury was not, or could not reasonably have been, discovered at the time.
- Last verified
- 2026-05-22
- Source type
- Primary (state code or court opinion)
Details and exceptions for Maryland
Three years for both PI and wrongful death. Maryland follows the discovery rule for PI. Wrongful death is treated as an independent cause of action, so the three-year clock can run even if the decedent’s own claim would have been time-barred.
Related: Maryland comparative negligence rule
Maryland follows a contributory (pure bar) rule. Maryland retains common-law pure contributory negligence; the Court of Appeals reaffirmed the rule in Coleman, declining to adopt comparative fault in light of the General Assembly’s repeated refusal to do so.
Read the full Maryland comparative negligence rule →Related: car accident settlements by state
Filing deadlines and fault rules change what the same crash pays from state to state. Compare average car accident settlements, fault rules, and deadlines side by side.
Car accident settlements by state →This page is informational and does not constitute legal advice. Notice deadlines for claims against governmental units, medical malpractice, intentional torts, and other special categories run on separate tracks and can be much shorter. Confirm the controlling rule with a licensed Maryland attorney before relying on it.