46 U.S.C. § 30106
Section 30106 · Time limit on bringing maritime action for personal injury or death
Amended 1 time on record
Applied in 79 court decisions — leading case 983 So. 2d 84 - Denoux v. Vessel Management Services, Inc. (2008)
Most recently applied in Sherri Deem v. the William Powell Company (April 2022)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
Except as otherwise provided by law, a civil action for damages for personal injury or death arising out of a maritime tort must be brought within 3 years after the cause of action arose.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 30106 46 App.:763a. Pub. L. 96–382, §1, Oct. 6, 1980, 94 Stat. 1525. The words “civil action” are substituted for “suit” for consistency with rule 2 of the Federal Rules or Civil Procedure (28 App. U.S.C.). The words “or both” are omitted as unnecessary. The words “must be brought” are substituted for “shall not be maintained unless commenced” for clarity and consistency. The word “arose” is substituted for “accrued” for consistency in the revised title.