# Written contract · District of Columbia — Civil statute of limitations by state and type of claim

For Written contract · District of Columbia, limitation period is 12 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 on any other bond or single bill, covenant, or other instrument under seal, recorded from its source on 2026-08-25.

- **Type of claim:** Written contract _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **State:** District of Columbia _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Limitation period:** 12 years _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **How the statute describes it:** on any other bond or single bill, covenant, or other instrument under seal _(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; (2) for the recovery of personal property or damages for its unlawful detention— 3 years; (3) for the recovery of damages for an injury to real or personal property— 3 years; (4) for libel, slander, assault, battery, mayhem, wounding, malicious prosecution, false arrest or false imprisonment— 1 year; (5) for a statutory penalty or forfeiture— 1 year; (6) on an executor’s or administrator’s bond— 5 years; on any other bond or single bill, covenant, or other instrument under seal— 12 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/).