Every personal action accruing on or after July 1, 1995, for which no limitation is otherwise prescribed, shall be brought within two years after the right to bring such action has accrued.
§ 8.01-248.Personal actions for which no other limitation is specified.
Chapter 4. Limitations of Actions · Article 3. Personal Actions Generally · Last amended 1995 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceSection 8.01-248 is Virginia’s catch-all limitation period, giving every personal action accruing on or after July 1, 1995, a two-year deadline whenever no other statute prescribes a specific limitation period for that type of claim.
Full Text of § 8.01-248
Plain-English Summary
Not every kind of claim gets its own tailored limitation period spelled out somewhere in the Code. Section 8.01-248 exists for exactly that gap: it supplies a default two-year deadline for any personal action accruing on or after July 1, 1995, for which no other statute prescribes a limitation period.
Because this is a residual rule, it only comes into play after checking whether a more specific statute already governs the type of claim at hand — personal injury and property damage claims have their own periods under § 8.01-243, contract claims have their own under § 8.01-246, and so on through the rest of the chapter. Section 8.01-248 is the backstop that keeps a novel or unusual personal action from having no limitation period at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
What limitation period applies to a personal action if no other statute specifies one?
Two years after the right to bring the action accrues, under Section 8.01-248.
Does this two-year catch-all period apply to claims that accrued before July 1, 1995?
No. By its terms, the section applies to every personal action accruing on or after July 1, 1995.
When does this section apply, given how many specific limitation periods exist elsewhere in the Code?
It applies only when no other statute prescribes a limitation period for the particular type of personal action at issue, functioning as a residual rule rather than a first-choice one.
Is this the same two-year period that applies to personal injury claims under § 8.01-243?
The length happens to match, but Section 8.01-248 is a separate, catch-all provision that applies only when no other statute, including § 8.01-243, otherwise governs the claim.
Does Section 8.01-248 cover property claims or contract claims that already have their own limitation periods?
Amendment History
Code 1950, § 8-24; 1954, c. 589; 1973, c. 385; 1977, c. 617; 1995, c. 9.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Code of Virginia, published by the
Code of Virginia, Virginia Division of Legislative Automated Systems. Last verified July 16, 2026.
· Official source
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