Tennessee Civil-Rights Filing Deadlines
Tennessee civil-rights deadlines: the federal Section 1983 statute of limitations borrows Tennessee's 1 year personal-injury deadline (Wilson v. Garcia) with no general statewide notice-of-claim deadline. Tennessee sits in the 6th Cir. (E.D./M.D./W.D. Tennessee). General reference only — confirm every deadline with a licensed attorney.
- Federal Section 1983 statute of limitations: 1 year (borrowed personal-injury SOL under Wilson v. Garcia).
- Tennessee has no general statewide notice-of-claim deadline, though individual agencies or counties may impose their own — verify locally.
- Body-camera and dashcam footage is often overwritten in about 30 days — send a written preservation request as early as possible.
- Federal district court: E.D./M.D./W.D. Tennessee.
- Federal circuit: 6th Cir..
- Tort Claims Act: Tenn. Code § 29-20-101 et seq. (GTLA).
- State-law damage cap: $300,000 per person / $700,000 per occurrence (GTLA) (Section 1983 claims are not subject to state caps).
- Tennessee's 1-year PI SOL is the harshest in the country — file FAST.
- Legal-aid hub: Tennessee Justice for All (https://www.justiceforalltn.com).
- ACLU affiliate: https://www.aclu-tn.org.
This page is general legal information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Use the interactive calculator at https://manalegalai.org/deadlines and find help at https://manalegalai.org/resources.