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 from death | Ala. Code § 6-2-38 |
| Maryland | 3 years | 3 years from death | Md. Code Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101 |
| Massachusetts | 3 years | 3 years from death | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2A |
| Mississippi | 3 years | 3 years from death | Miss. Code Ann. § 15-1-49 |
| Virginia | 2 years | 2 years from death | Va. Code § 8.01-249 |
| Indiana | 2 years | 2 years from death | Ind. Code § 34-11-2-4 |
| Minnesota | 4 years | 3 years from death | Minn. Stat. § 541.22 — asbestos-specific |
| Connecticut | 3 years | 3 years from death | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-577a |
| South Carolina | 3 years | 3 years from death | S.C. Code § 15-3-530 |
| Missouri | 5 years | 3 years from death | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.120 — longest in the nation |
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
300+ documented sites — Newport News Shipbuilding, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth
SOL: 2 years from diagnosis
200+ documented sites — Bethlehem Steel Sparrows Point, Baltimore shipyards, W.R. Grace
SOL: 3 years — longer than most states
250+ documented sites — Fore River Shipyard Quincy, Boston Navy Yard, GE Lynn
SOL: 3 years — longer than most states
150+ documented sites — ADDSCO Mobile (75,000 WWII workers), US Steel Fairfield
SOL: 2 years from diagnosis
100+ documented sites — Ingalls Shipbuilding Pascagoula, Chevron refinery
SOL: 3 years — longer than most states
250+ documented sites — US Steel Gary Works, Inland Steel Indiana Harbor
SOL: 2 years from diagnosis
120+ documented sites — Iron Range mining (Hibbing), Duluth-Superior Harbor
SOL: 4 years — asbestos-specific statute
180+ documented sites — Electric Boat Groton submarine shipyard, Bridgeport Brass
SOL: 3 years — longer than most states
200+ documented sites — Charleston Naval Shipyard, Spartanburg textile mills
SOL: 3 years — longer than most states
220+ documented sites — McDonnell Douglas St. Louis, Monsanto Chemical, GM Fairfax KC
SOL: 5 years — longest in the nation