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Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, the statute of limitations on a written contract is 4 years under 42 Pa.C.S. § 5525(a).

Written contract

4 yr

Oral contract

4 yr

Open account

—

Promissory note

—

When does the clock start?

42 Pa.C.S. § 5502(a) computes the period "from the time the cause of action accrued" — for contract claims, the date of breach. NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED: I did not fetch § 5502 in this pass.

What pauses it?

42 Pa.C.S. § 5532 tolls while the defendant is outside the Commonwealth when the claim accrues, departs and stays away four or more months, or resides under an assumed name — but § 5532(b) shuts the tolling off whenever jurisdiction can be obtained without personal in-state delivery of process, which is the ordinary case. § 5533 (infancy, insanity, imprisonment) and § 5535 (effect of other actions) also apply. NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED — I did not fetch §§ 5532, 5533 or 5535 in this pass.

Last reviewed 2026-07-26

This is an informational reference, not legal advice, and using it creates no attorney-client relationship. Limitations periods turn on facts this page cannot know — which state's law governs, the contract type, when the claim accrued, and whether anything tolled or revived it. Confirm against the primary source and your own counsel before acting.