# Recovery of real property · District of Columbia — Civil statute of limitations by state and type of claim

For Recovery of real property · District of Columbia, limitation period is 15 years; when the clock starts is from the time the right to maintain the action accrues; section is 12–301; how the statute describes it is for the recovery of lands, tenements, or hereditaments, verified against its source on 2026-08-25.

- **Type of claim:** Recovery of real property _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **State:** District of Columbia _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Limitation period:** 15 years _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **How the statute describes it:** for the recovery of lands, tenements, or hereditaments _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **When the clock starts:** from the time the right to maintain the action accrues _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Section:** 12–301 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> § 12–301. Limitation of time for bringing actions. [(a)] Except as otherwise specifically provided by law, actions for the following purposes may not be brought after the expiration of the period specified below from the time the right to maintain the action accrues: (1) for the recovery of lands, tenements, or hereditaments— 15 years;

## Source

- https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/12-301

Last verified: 2026-08-25. Review by: 2027-08-25.
Part of [Civil statute of limitations by state and type of claim](https://referencesource.org/state-civil-statute-of-limitations/).