United States · Texas statutory limitations
How does Texas’s design-professional construction period work?
Section 16.008(a) ordinarily requires its covered damages suit within ten years after substantial completion of the improvement or beginning operation of attached equipment. It covers the specified licensed or registered design professionals and defective or unsafe conditions. The government branch and timely written-claim provision must be checked before treating that endpoint as final.
- Period
- Ordinarily ten years, with the separate government branch and timely written-claim relief
- Trigger
- Substantial completion of the improvement or beginning operation of the attached equipment, as applicable
- Rule
- Texas CPRC 16.008(a)
Current official consolidated Chapter 16 text retrieved October 5, 2026
Source guide · No automated date
Establish the complete statutory procedure
A single completion-date preset cannot select improvement versus equipment, government project exceptions or a timely written-claim endpoint. The full procedure is published as a source guide.
Texas CPRC 16.008(a)What lawyers say
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Which events matter for this statutory condition?
Verify the defendant’s covered Texas registration or license and design, planning or inspection role.
Identify substantial completion of the improvement or beginning operation of attached equipment. Discovery and first damage are different events.
Classify the claimant and project, then preserve any written claim and presentation evidence.
Texas CPRC 16.008(a)How must the complete timing condition be assessed?
- Verify the defendant’s covered Texas registration or license and design, planning or inspection role.
- Government Code 311.005(12) defines a year as twelve consecutive months. Section 311.014 supplies statutory computation. Select the actual statutory branch and establish every required event before applying a year count. Select subsection (a) or (a-1), then assess subsection (c). A timely written claim uses its presentation date and the applicable two-year or one-year branch.
- A single completion-date preset cannot select improvement versus equipment, government project exceptions or a timely written-claim endpoint. The full procedure is published as a source guide.
Section 16.072 extends its statutory suit-filing period when the last day is a Saturday, Sunday or holiday to the next day county offices are open for business. Establish the actual county calendar. This guide does not determine a court filing hour or automatically apply that treatment to another act.
Texas CPRC 16.008(a)Why does this guide publish no calculated date?
A single completion-date preset cannot select improvement versus equipment, government project exceptions or a timely written-claim endpoint. The full procedure is published as a source guide.
Which conditions or exclusions change the assessment?
- Covered claims
- Subsection (b) lists property injury, damage or loss, personal injury, wrongful death, contribution and indemnity. The unsafe or defective condition and professional role remain necessary.
- Excluded government projects
- The eight-year government branch excludes a Texas Department of Transportation contract, a project receiving state highway or designated federal highway or mass-transit funds, and a civil works project as defined by Government Code 2269.351. This guide identifies the statutory cross-reference without deciding that separate definition.
- Written claim relief
- Subsection (c) requires presentation during the applicable period. It specifies two years from presentation for subsection (a), but one year for subsection (a-1).
- Edition
- The retained history identifies the government-branch amendment effective June 14, 2021. This current-text review does not determine which edition governs older work or claims.
- This statutory-text review does not decide disputed facts, accrual, title, retrospective application or a court holding.
What evidence should be checked before acting?
Common questions
This statutory procedure
Does discovery of the defect start this ten-year period?
Subsection (a) states substantial completion or beginning operation of equipment. Establish the applicable actual event.
Texas CPRC 16.008(a)Does every written claim grant two years?
No. Subsection (c) distinguishes two years for subsection (a) from one year for subsection (a-1), and requires timely presentation.
Texas CPRC 16.008(c)Can I import the construction last-year-injury rule here?
Section 16.009(d) belongs to the separate construction or repair provision. Section 16.008 has no equivalent text.
Texas CPRC 16.008Official sources and review
Provisions used (8)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Texas CPRC 16.008(a) | The specific actor, required act and timing conditions |
| Texas CPRC 16.008(b) | Covered claims |
| Texas CPRC 16.008(a-1) | Excluded government projects |
| Texas CPRC 16.008(c) | Written claim relief |
| Texas CPRC 16.008 | Edition |
| Texas Government Code 311.005(12) | The statutory year unit, where applicable |
| Texas Government Code 311.014 | Statutory computation, where applicable |
| Texas CPRC 16.072 | The separate statutory suit-filing closed-day provision |