Asbestos was used in industrial facilities across all 50 states. Below are the states with the most documented exposure sites and the highest mesothelioma incidence rates. Each state has its own statute of limitations — the deadline to file a claim after diagnosis. Missing this deadline forfeits your right to compensation.
Most states use a discovery rule — the clock starts at your mesothelioma diagnosis, not at the time of exposure (which may have been 20–50 years earlier).
| State | SOL (Personal Injury) | SOL (Wrongful Death) | Governing Law |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 1 year | 1 year from death | Prescription period — shortest nationally |
| California | 2 years | 2 years from death | CCP §340.2 — discovery rule |
| Florida | 2 years | 2 years from death | Fla. Stat. §95.11(3) |
| Georgia | 2 years | 2 years from death | O.C.G.A. §9-3-33 |
| Illinois | 2 years | 2 years from death | 735 ILCS 5/13-202 |
| New Jersey | 2 years | 2 years from death | N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2 / 2A:31-3 |
| Ohio | 2 years | 2 years from death | ORC §2305.10 / §2125.02 |
| Pennsylvania | 2 years | 2 years from death | 42 Pa. C.S. §5524 |
| Texas | 2 years | 2 years from death | Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §16.003 |
| West Virginia | 2 years | 2 years from death | W. Va. Code §55-2-12 |
| Michigan | 3 years | 3 years from death | MCL 600.5805 |
| New York | 3 years | 2 years from death | CPLR §214-c / EPTL §5-4.1 |
| Washington | 3 years | 3 years from death | RCW 4.16.080 |
| Alabama | 2 years | 2 years | Discovery rule |
| Mississippi | 3 years | 3 years | Discovery rule |
| Virginia | 2 years | 2 years | Discovery rule |
400+ documented sites — Houston Ship Channel, Beaumont, Port Arthur, Corpus Christi
SOL: 2 years from diagnosis
500+ documented sites — Bay Area shipyards, Los Angeles, Long Beach Navy
SOL: 2 years from diagnosis
Brooklyn Navy Yard, Bethlehem Steel Lackawanna, Con Edison, Todd Shipyards
SOL: 3 years — NYCAL specialized docket
US Steel South Works, Inland Steel, Crane Co., Caterpillar, Pullman Standard
SOL: 2 years from diagnosis
Republic Steel Cleveland, BF Goodrich & Goodyear Akron, Youngstown Sheet & Tube
SOL: 2 years from diagnosis
300+ documented sites — Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pittsburgh steel mills
SOL: 2 years from diagnosis
Ford River Rouge, Chrysler Jefferson, GM Fisher Body, Dow Chemical Midland
SOL: 3 years — longer than most states
Johns-Manville Manville, New York Shipbuilding Camden, GAF Corporation, PSEG
SOL: 2 years from diagnosis
200+ documented sites — Baton Rouge, New Orleans (Avondale), Lake Charles
SOL: 1 year — act immediately
NAS Jacksonville, MacDill AFB, Tampa Shipbuilding, Polk County phosphate mining
SOL: 2 years from diagnosis
Southeastern Shipbuilding Savannah, Robins AFB, Lockheed-Georgia Marietta
SOL: 2 years from diagnosis
150+ documented sites — Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Boeing, Seattle
SOL: 3 years — longest in region
100+ documented sites — Kanawha Valley chemical plants, coal fields
SOL: 2 years from diagnosis
These states have significant documented asbestos exposure. If you worked in one of these states, an attorney can evaluate your case — the state where you were exposed and the state where you file are often different.
| State | Primary Exposure Sites | SOL |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | Newport News Shipbuilding, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Radford Arsenal | 2 years |
| Alabama | Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding (Mobile), USS Alabama shipyard, steel mills | 2 years |
| Maryland | Bethlehem Steel Sparrows Point, Baltimore shipyards, US Coast Guard facilities | 3 years |
| Indiana | US Steel Gary Works, Inland Steel Indiana Harbor, Bethlehem Steel Burns Harbor | 2 years |
| Minnesota | Iron Range mining (Hibbing, Virginia MN), Great Lakes shipping, 3M manufacturing | 4 years |
| Mississippi | Ingalls Shipbuilding (Pascagoula), Gulf South chemical plants | 3 years |