Arizona injury rights, deadlines, and help

This page covers Arizona injury deadlines and what to do right now.

Are you in an emergency right now?

• Check yourself and others for injuries, breathing, and bleeding.
• Call 911 if anyone is hurt or the road is not safe.
• Move away from traffic if you can do it safely.
• Get medical care even if you feel fine. Some injuries hide for days.
• This page is for after you are safe.

We are the injured person's advocate. We connect you with a lawyer who handles cases like yours, so you get the full settlement your recovery deserves. Always free. Talk to an advocate. We usually reply within minutes, at most one business day.

The deadline box: Arizona's key time limits

Arizona's general clock is average, but its government claim rule is one of the shorter ones in the country. Here are the main deadlines.

• Personal injury lawsuit: 2 years. Under Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-542, most injury lawsuits must be filed within 2 years. This is the statute of limitations (the legal deadline to file a lawsuit). (Source)
• Work injury, report to your employer: right away. Under Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 23-908(E), you must report a work injury "forthwith," which means immediately. There is no fixed day count, so the safe move is a written report the same day. (Source)
• Work injury, file the claim: 1 year. Under Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 23-1061(A), a workers compensation claim (the state system that pays for work injuries) must be filed within 1 year after the injury or after the right to compensation accrued. One year is short compared to many states. (Source)
• Injury involving the government: 180 days for the notice, 1 year for the lawsuit. Under Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-821.01(A), a notice of claim must be filed with the public entity within 180 days. The lawsuit itself must then be filed within 1 year. Two clocks, both shorter than the normal 2 years. (Source)

Warning: don't wait! Arizona's 2-year injury clock is a trap, especially with the 180-day government notice and the 1-year workers comp deadline hiding underneath it, so people wait, and waiting kills cases. The longer you wait, the fuzzier memories get and documents get lost. Collect and save what you can, then talk to an advocate immediately. And important: medical claims against doctors or hospitals can have different, often shorter deadlines. Do not assume the standard rule covers a hospital or doctor case.

Protect your case

1. Talk to an advocate at WeHelpInjured. It is free.
2. If it happened at work, report it to your employer today, in writing. Arizona expects the report immediately. Keep a copy.
3. Write down what happened while it is fresh: date, time, place, people, and conditions.
4. Take photos of the scene, your injuries, and anything involved (a vehicle, a floor, a machine, a dog).
5. Get names and contact information for witnesses.
6. Note who owns the place where you were hurt. If a city, county, or state agency is involved, the 180-day clock is already running.

Never do these

• Never give a recorded statement to an insurance company, even your own. Talk to an advocate first.
• Never sign a release or accept a first settlement offer before you talk to an advocate. Once you sign, you may not be able to undo it.
• Never admit fault at the scene. Stick to facts only.
• Never post about your injury or recovery on social media. Insurers use these posts against you.

Common situations in Arizona

Hurt at work. Arizona's workers compensation system pays medical costs and part of your wages, but the 1-year claim deadline catches people who wait to see if they heal.

Report immediately, then file the claim with the Industrial Commission well inside the year. Do not let an employer talk you into "keeping it off the books."

Hurt on the road. Arizona uses pure comparative negligence (a rule that reduces your recovery by your share of fault instead of blocking it). Under Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-2505, your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, but some fault does not erase your claim. (Source)

The other side's insurer still profits from every point of fault it can shift onto you, so early photos and witness names protect your recovery.

Hurt on someone's property. Falls and unsafe conditions follow the 2-year lawsuit clock. Dog bites work differently. Under Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 11-1025(A), a dog owner is liable for a bite even if the dog never bit anyone before. (Source)

But there is a trap: a claim brought under that statute can run on a shorter 1-year clock, because Arizona gives claims created by statute only 1 year. A regular negligence claim for the same bite gets the normal 2 years. Which path fits your case is exactly the kind of question to ask early, not at month thirteen.

A true story: two days late, case over

Courts count deadline days exactly, and self-represented filers face the same hard line as anyone else. A complaint filed even two days late can be thrown out entirely, and pointing to a receipt is not enough if it was never actually attached to the filing. That kind of paperwork mistake is why the lesson lands hard in Arizona, where a statutory dog bite claim can have only 1 year. Talk to an advocate before a deadline like this passes.

Talk to an advocate. You do not have to sort out deadlines and lawyers alone.

What we can help with

We are on your side, and our help is free to injured people. We can help you:

• Understand which Arizona deadlines apply to your situation
• Understand why a written work-injury report, filed today, matters
• Spot the short clocks, like the 180-day government notice
• Know what records, photos, and timeline details to keep
• Connect with a lawyer who handles cases like yours, so you get the full settlement your recovery deserves

We do not give legal advice, and we never take money from injured people. We explain your rights in plain language and help you connect with a lawyer who handles cases like yours.

Talk to an advocate

If you or someone you love was hurt in Arizona, you do not have to sort this out alone. Start the form or open the chat. Talk to an advocate. It is free and private.

Sources

• Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-542 (personal injury time limit)
• Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 23-908 (workers comp report)
• Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 23-1061 (workers comp claim deadline)
• Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-821.01 (government claim notice)
• Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 11-1025 (dog bite statute)
• Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-2505 (comparative fault)

Last reviewed: 2026-08-17

This is general information, not legal advice. Deadlines can change or vary with the facts. A licensed attorney can confirm the rule for your situation.