The general rule: three years
Under MCA § 27-2-204(1), most personal injury and property damage claims must be filed within three years from the date of injury.
Wrongful death: a genuinely distinctive homicide carve-out
Wrongful death claims generally carry the same three-year deadline — but § 27-2-204(2) includes a real exception: when the wrongful death is the result of a homicide, the period extends to a genuinely longer 10 years.
Medical malpractice: three years, not two
Despite some sources citing a two-year deadline, the actual text of § 27-2-205 sets a three-year period from the date of injury or from discovery, whichever is later — capped at an absolute five years from the date of injury regardless of when the injury was discovered. See our full guide to Montana's discovery rule and tolling for the genuinely distinctive rule that applies to very young children in malpractice cases.
Government claims: no shortened deadline, but a real notice step
Unlike most states, Montana generally doesn't impose a shorter statute of limitations for suing the government — but it does require written notice first. See our full guide to Montana government claim deadlines.