United States · Texas statutory limitations
Which Texas civil claims use the thirty-year specified-offense limitation?
Section 16.0045(a) supplies thirty years after accrual for personal injury caused by conduct violating its six groups of Penal Code references. They cover specified child or disabled-individual sexual abuse, trafficking, compelling prostitution and indecency. The exact reference controls. Death, unknown-defendant tolling and the governing historical edition must also be assessed.
- Period
- Thirty years for the subsection (a) claim, subject to its actual accrual and applicable tolling
- Trigger
- The established civil claim accrual, with death and qualifying unknown-defendant proceedings assessed separately
- Rule
- Texas CPRC 16.0045(a)
Current official consolidated Chapter 16 text retrieved October 5, 2026
Source guide · No automated date
Establish the complete statutory procedure
The single-date preset does not select the offense and historical edition or track subsection (d)’s petition, identification, amendment and resumed clock. This complete source guide publishes no calculated date.
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Which events matter for this statutory condition?
Match the alleged conduct to the precise subsection (a) references, including its specified trafficking activities and child or disabled-individual conditions.
Establish civil accrual. For injury resulting in death from subsection (a) or (b) conduct, subsection (c) uses the injured person’s death.
Check whether a qualifying unknown-defendant petition was filed and preserve identification, due-diligence and amendment evidence.
Texas CPRC 16.0045(a)How must the complete timing condition be assessed?
- Match the alleged conduct to the precise subsection (a) references, including its specified trafficking activities and child or disabled-individual conditions.
- 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. Account for the actual running and suspended intervals. Do not add thirty years to an unverified incident, discovery or criminal-charge date.
- The single-date preset does not select the offense and historical edition or track subsection (d)’s petition, identification, amendment and resumed clock. This complete source guide publishes no calculated date.
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 16.0045(a)Why does this guide publish no calculated date?
The single-date preset does not select the offense and historical edition or track subsection (d)’s petition, identification, amendment and resumed clock. This complete source guide publishes no calculated date.
Which conditions or exclusions change the assessment?
- Exact offense references
- Read section 16.0045(a)(1)–(6), including Penal Code 22.011(a)(2), 22.021(a)(1)(B), 21.02, the specified 20A.02 conduct, 43.05(a)(2) or (3), and 21.11. The tool does not decide whether conduct violates them.
- Death accrual
- Subsection (c) uses death for injury resulting in death caused by subsection (a) or (b) conduct. Do not substitute the earlier injury date automatically.
- Unknown defendant
- Subsection (d) tolls the period on filing its appropriate-court petition alleging an unknown identity and naming John or Jane Doe. Due diligence and substitution within thirty days after identification are required. Running resumes on amendment.
- Disability and historical edition
- Section 16.001 has qualifying disability-at-accrual conditions. Section 16.0045’s retained history includes amendments in 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023. Current text alone does not establish retrospective application or revival.
- 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 every sexual-offense injury claim receive thirty years?
No. Match the exact subsection (a) references. Subsection (b) separately gives five years for its listed conduct.
Texas CPRC 16.0045(a)Does death necessarily leave the original injury date as accrual?
Subsection (c) uses death for its injury-resulting-in-death action.
Texas CPRC 16.0045(c)Does an unknown identity pause the period without a petition?
Subsection (d) specifies an appropriate-court petition, Doe designation, due diligence and timely amendment. Unknown identity alone is not its complete procedure.
Texas CPRC 16.0045(d)Official sources and review
Provisions used (8)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Texas CPRC 16.0045(a) | The specific actor, required act and timing conditions |
| Texas CPRC 16.0045(a) | Exact offense references |
| Texas CPRC 16.0045(c) | Death accrual |
| Texas CPRC 16.0045(d) | Unknown defendant |
| Texas CPRC 16.001 | Disability and historical 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 |