The general rule: two years
Under A.R.S. § 12-542, an action for injury to the person of another must generally be commenced within two years after the cause of action accrues. This same two-year window specifically covers medical malpractice claims, as defined in a separate section, and claims where the injury later results in death.
Product liability can stretch further in some cases
The same two-year period generally applies to product liability claims, but A.R.S. § 12-551 creates a separate framework that can extend a manufacturer's potential liability up to 12 years from when the product was first sold, depending on the specific circumstances of the case.
Suing the government: a much shorter, two-step process
This is the detail that catches the most people off guard. Under A.R.S. § 12-821 and related statute, a personal injury action against a public entity in Arizona must be filed within just one year after the cause of action accrues — half the ordinary window. But there's an even earlier step: a formal, written Notice of Claim must reach the public entity within just 180 days of the date of loss, well before the one-year lawsuit deadline would otherwise run out. Missing either step, even while the ordinary two-year period most people have heard of is still running, can end a claim against a government entity for good.
Minors and incapacity: the clock waits
Arizona specifically protects claimants who can't reasonably be expected to act on their own behalf. Under A.R.S. § 12-502, the two-year clock is tolled — paused — until a minor turns 18, giving them until their 20th birthday to file for an injury that happened, for example, at age 10. The same tolling applies to someone who was "of unsound mind" at the time of the injury, with the clock starting only once capacity is regained.
When the clock doesn't start on the injury date
Arizona also recognizes a discovery rule for cases where an injury or its cause isn't immediately apparent. See our guide to Arizona's discovery rule and tolling for exactly how that works.