EVERY DEADLINE
63 periods Indiana law measures, gathered out of the guide and put in order, shortest first. Each one says what starts it, whose period it is, and what the law attaches to it. The shortest here is 24 hours. The longest is 10 years.
Every period on this page is stated by a section of the guide and carries that section's own authority. None of it is a calculation: a period that turns on facts, on service, or on a court's discretion is described the way the section describes it and no further.
63 deadlines
Traffic stops1
2 years
Bringing an infraction case
- From
- The alleged conduct or violation
- Whose
- The prosecuting attorney
An action to enforce an infraction or an ordinance is brought within two years after the conduct, or it cannot be brought.
Being stopped5
10 days
Executing a search warrant
- From
- The date the warrant was issued
- Whose
- The officers
A search warrant is executed not more than ten days after it is issued, and returned to the court without unnecessary delay.
10 days
Hiring a lawyer on misdemeanor charges only
- From
- The initial hearing
- Whose
- The person charged
Where the only charges are misdemeanors, the period for retaining counsel that the person is told of at the initial hearing is ten days.
10 calendar days
Initial hearing after bail on an impaired driving arrest
- From
- The arrest for impaired driving
- Whose
- The court
Where a person arrested for impaired driving makes bail first, the initial hearing is held within ten calendar days of the arrest.
20 days
Hiring a lawyer on a felony charge
- From
- The initial hearing
- Whose
- The person charged
The person is told at the initial hearing that counsel is retained within this time on a felony, because motions and defenses have deadlines and are waived if missed.
20 calendar days
Initial hearing after making bail
- From
- The arrest without a warrant
- Whose
- The court
Where the person arrested makes bail before the initial hearing, the hearing is held at any time within this period after the arrest.
Impaired driving5
3 hours
Giving the chemical test
- From
- When the officer had probable cause
- Whose
- The officer
A chemical test under the implied consent chapter is administered within three hours after the officer had probable cause to believe the person drove impaired.
3 hours
Testing after a serious or fatal crash
- From
- The fatal accident or the accident involving serious bodily injury
- Whose
- The officer
Every chemical test offered to a driver after a crash with a death or serious bodily injury is administered within three hours of it.
7 days
When the suspension after a test or refusal starts
- From
- The date of the bureau's notice
- Whose
- The bureau of motor vehicles
The bureau's notice says the suspension starts seven days after the notice, or on the date of the court's order recommending it if that comes first.
10 days
Petitioning for specialized driving privileges
- From
- The initial hearing
- Whose
- The person whose license is suspended
A person who said at the initial hearing that a petition was coming has the suspension stayed; without a petition within ten days the stay is lifted and the affidavit goes to the bureau.
30 days
The specialized driving privileges hearing
- From
- The initial hearing
- Whose
- The court
Where the person states an intent to petition at the initial hearing, the court sets the specialized driving privileges hearing not later than thirty days after it.
Court and money31
24 hours
An in person records request treated as denied
- From
- An employee refusing the request
- Whose
- The public agency
A request made in person or by telephone is denied when the responsible person refuses, or this long after any employee refuses, whichever is first.
5 days
Transferring a vehicle title after a death
- From
- The death
- Whose
- The distributees
A vehicle or watercraft title may be transferred on the distributees' affidavit once this long has passed and no personal representative is contemplated.
7 days
A mailed or emailed records request treated as denied
- From
- The agency receiving the request
- Whose
- The public agency
A request by mail, fax or an electronic portal is not denied until this long has passed since the agency received it, and from then the person may treat it as denied.
7 days
Disagreeing with an end to disability benefits
- From
- Receiving the notice of intent to stop benefits
- Whose
- The injured employee
Without a written notice of disagreement to the board and the employer within this time, temporary total disability benefits end.
10 days
Demanding a jury in small claims
- From
- Service of the complaint
- Whose
- The defendant
A small claims defendant demands a jury trial by affidavit within this time, and the case moves to the plenary docket on a deposit of $70.
10 business days
How far behind a paycheck may run
- From
- The date the wages were earned, counted to payday
- Whose
- The employer
Each payday covers all wages earned up to a date not more than ten business days before it.
14 days
The first temporary disability payment
- From
- The start of the disability
- Whose
- The employer or its insurer
The first weekly installment of compensation for temporary disability is due this long after the disability begins.
15 days
Appealing an unemployment decision
- From
- Notification or mailing of the administrative law judge's decision
- Whose
- A party adversely affected
The decision becomes the final decision of the review board unless an appeal to the review board is taken within this time.
29 days before
Registering to vote before an election
- From
- The election, counted back
- Whose
- The voter
An eligible applicant whose application is accepted by the bureau or a voter registration agency not later than this long before the election is registered for it.
30 days
Saying whether a work injury claim is accepted
- From
- The employer learning of the claimed injury
- Whose
- The employer or its insurer
An employer that denies or cannot decide liability notifies the board and the employee in writing within this time, which the board may extend on request.
30 days
Telling the employer of a work injury
- From
- The injury or death
- Whose
- The injured employee
Without written notice or the employer's knowledge within this time, no compensation is paid for the period before notice, and a late notice bars it only as far as it prejudiced the employer.
30 days before
The last newspaper notice of a name change
- From
- The day of the hearing, counted back
- Whose
- The person petitioning
The last of three weekly published notices of the petition appears at least this long before the hearing.
30 days
The refund or replacement for a lemon
- From
- The manufacturer accepting the vehicle's return
- Whose
- The manufacturer
After a reasonable number of failed repair attempts, the manufacturer takes the vehicle back and, at the buyer's option, refunds what was paid or provides a comparable replacement within this time.
45 days
Collecting a small estate by affidavit
- From
- The death
- Whose
- The distributee
Once this long has passed, someone holding the decedent's money or property pays or delivers it on an affidavit where the estate is within the limit.
45 days
Notice of a data breach
- From
- The discovery of the breach
- Whose
- The data base owner
Notice of a breach goes to each affected Indiana resident without unreasonable delay and not more than this long after discovery, outside the delays the section allows.
60 days
A licensing board's answer on a conviction
- From
- The board receiving the petition and the information it asked for
- Whose
- The licensing board
A board tells a person who asked whether a conviction will disqualify them from a license of its determination within this time.
60 days
The earliest final hearing in a divorce
- From
- The filing of the petition
- Whose
- The court
The final hearing in a dissolution of marriage is conducted not earlier than this long after the petition is filed, outside the chapter's exceptions.
180 days
Filing a discrimination complaint
- From
- The alleged discriminatory practice
- Whose
- The person discriminated against
A complaint to the civil rights commission is not valid unless filed within this time of the occurrence of the discriminatory practice.
180 days
Notice of a claim against a city, town, county or school
- From
- The loss
- Whose
- The person with the claim
A claim against a political subdivision is barred unless notice is filed with its governing body, and the risk management commission where it applies, within this time.
270 days
Notice of a claim against the state
- From
- The loss
- Whose
- The person with the claim
A claim against the state is barred unless notice is filed with the attorney general or the state agency involved within this time.
1 year
Petitioning to expunge an arrest without a charge
- From
- The arrest
- Whose
- The person arrested
For an arrest after June 30, 2022 with no charge pending once this long has passed, the person may petition and the judge orders the records expunged immediately.
2 years
Filing a worker's compensation claim
- From
- The accident, or the death it caused
- Whose
- The injured employee or dependents
The right to compensation is forever barred unless a claim is filed with the worker's compensation board within this time.
2 years
Suing for an injury to a person or personal property
- From
- The cause of action accruing
- Whose
- The person injured
An action for injury to a person or character, or to personal property, must be commenced within this time.
2 years
Suing over a deceptive consumer sale
- From
- The deceptive act
- Whose
- The consumer
A consumer's action under the deceptive consumer sales chapter may not be brought more than this long after the deceptive act.
2 years
Suing under the lemon law
- From
- The buyer first reporting the defect
- Whose
- The buyer
An action under the lemon law is commenced within this time, which does not run while a manufacturer's informal dispute procedure is underway.
3 years
Suing for unpaid minimum wages
- From
- The cause of action arising
- Whose
- The employee
An action for unpaid minimum wages and the equal amount of liquidated damages may be brought within this time in the county where the work was done.
5 years
Petitioning to expunge a misdemeanor conviction
- From
- The date of conviction
- Whose
- The person convicted
A petition to expunge a misdemeanor conviction may be filed not earlier than this, unless the prosecutor consents in writing to an earlier one.
6 years
Suing on a note or a written contract for money
- From
- The cause of action accruing
- Whose
- The person with the claim
An action on a promissory note or another written contract for the payment of money made after August 31, 1982 must be commenced within this time.
6 years
Suing on an unwritten contract or for fraud
- From
- The cause of action accruing
- Whose
- The person with the claim
Actions on accounts and contracts not in writing, for relief against fraud, and for damage to real property must be commenced within this time.
8 years
Petitioning to expunge a Level 6 felony conviction
- From
- The date of conviction
- Whose
- The person convicted
A petition to expunge a Level 6 felony conviction may be filed not earlier than this, unless the prosecutor consents in writing to an earlier one.
10 years
Suing on a written contract not for money
- From
- The cause of action accruing
- Whose
- The person with the claim
An action on a written contract other than one for the payment of money must be commenced within this time.
Your home11
24 hours
The hold before bail on a domestic arrest
- From
- The arrest
- Whose
- The court or the jail
A person arrested for one of the listed crimes against a family or household member may not be released on bail for at least this long, and not before a bail hearing in open court.
48 hours
Changing the locks for a protected tenant
- From
- The tenant's written request with a copy of the order
- Whose
- The landlord
Where the person restrained is not a tenant of the same unit, the landlord changes the locks within this time of the request and gives the tenant a key.
48 hours
Removing a squatter
- From
- The agency receiving the owner's affidavit
- Whose
- The law enforcement agency
Officers are sent to remove the squatter within this time, or as soon as practicable where public safety calls for a delay.
3 business days
Canceling a sale made at home
- From
- The later of the seller's notice of the right to cancel or the final agreement
- Whose
- The consumer
A home sale of at least $25 may be canceled by written notice delivered or mailed before midnight of the third business day.
10 days
Paying rent after a notice for nonpayment
- From
- The landlord's notice
- Whose
- The tenant
A landlord may end the lease for unpaid rent on not less than this much notice, unless the parties agreed otherwise or the tenant pays in full before it runs out.
30 days before
Ending a lease as a protected tenant
- From
- The termination date in the notice, counted back
- Whose
- The protected tenant
A tenant protected by a protection or no contact order gives written notice at least this long before the termination date, with a copy of the order and, where required, a safety plan.
1 month before
Ending a tenancy at will
- From
- The end of the tenancy, counted back
- Whose
- Either side
A tenancy at will, such as a month to month rental, may be ended by a one month notice in writing delivered to the tenant.
30 days before
Notice before the lease is changed
- From
- The change to the rental agreement, counted back
- Whose
- The landlord
Unless a written agreement says otherwise, a landlord gives at least this much written notice before modifying the rental agreement, a rent increase included.
30 days
The hearing on a protective order for harassment
- From
- The filing of the petition
- Whose
- The court
Where a petition alleges harassment, no order issues without notice and a hearing, and the court holds the hearing within this time of the petition.
45 days
Returning the deposit with an itemized list
- From
- The end of the rental agreement and the return of possession
- Whose
- The landlord
The deposit less itemized deductions goes to the tenant by written notice within this time; a landlord who sends no list owes it all, though not until the tenant gives a mailing address in writing.
7 years
Sealing an eviction judgment with no money judgment
- From
- The entry of the judgment
- Whose
- The tenant
Where a judgment against a tenant carried no money judgment, the court seals the records on the tenant's motion once at least this long has passed.
Carrying a firearm5
48 hours
The affidavit after a seizure without a warrant
- From
- The seizure of the firearm
- Whose
- The officer
An officer who takes a firearm from someone believed dangerous without a warrant submits an affidavit to the court explaining why within this time.
5 days
Returning a firearm where the state did not prove danger
- From
- The court's order
- Whose
- The law enforcement agency
Where the state fails to prove dangerousness by clear and convincing evidence, the agency returns the firearm as quickly as practicable and not later than five days after the order.
30 days
Reporting an arrest or conviction as a license holder
- From
- The change bearing on eligibility
- Whose
- The handgun license holder
A holder of a license to carry a handgun notifies the superintendent in writing of an arrest, conviction or other change that may affect eligibility within this time.
60 days
Reporting a new name or address as a license holder
- From
- The change of name or address
- Whose
- The handgun license holder
A holder of a license to carry a handgun notifies the superintendent in writing of a new name or address within this time.
180 days
Petitioning to be found no longer dangerous
- From
- The order to retain the firearm
- Whose
- The person found dangerous
The person may petition for a finding of no longer dangerous once at least this long has passed since the order, and again this long after a denial.
Charges and penalties5
30 days
Returning what is left of a bail deposit
- From
- The disposition of the charges
- Whose
- The court
The court orders the clerk to return the remaining ten percent deposit to whoever made it within this time after the case is dismissed or ends in acquittal or conviction.
45 days
Filing to revoke probation
- From
- The state receiving notice of the violation
- Whose
- The state
A petition to revoke for a violation may be filed before the earlier of this time after the state learns of it or one year after probation ends, as the written statement of conditions says.
90 days
Refiling a charge dismissed for a defect
- From
- The dismissal
- Whose
- The state
A complaint, indictment or information dismissed for an error or defect may be brought again within this time even where the limitation period has run.
2 years
Charging a misdemeanor
- From
- The commission of the offense
- Whose
- The state
A prosecution for a misdemeanor is barred unless it is begun within two years, the time not counting while the accused is out of the state or hiding.
5 years
Charging a Level 3 to 6 felony
- From
- The commission of the offense
- Whose
- The state
A prosecution for a Level 3, 4, 5 or 6 felony is barred unless begun within five years, subject to the extensions for DNA evidence and concealment.
MyRightz is legal education, not legal advice. Nothing here creates an attorney client relationship. Applying the law to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Indiana attorney.