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Minnesota car accident laws
Is Minnesota a no-fault state? Yes. Minnesota is a no-fault state: your own personal injury protection (PIP) pays first, with at least $40,000 total ($20,000 medical expense and $20,000 for income loss, replacement services and funeral expense) required, and you can sue the other driver only past the state's threshold.
Minnesota gives you six years to file a personal injury lawsuit (Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1(5)).
The legal minimum liability coverage in Minnesota is $30,000 per injured person, $60,000 per crash and $10,000 for property (30/60/10).
If you were partly at fault, your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, but you recover nothing if your fault is greater than the fault of the person you are suing (more than 50%).
Quoted from Minnesota statutes and official pages, checked October 2, 2026 · not legal advice
The rules in one table
| Rule | Minnesota | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Deadline to sue for an injury | Six years for negligence-based injury to the person (two years applies to intentional torts such as assault and battery under § 541.07(1)) | Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1(5) |
| Deadline for vehicle damage | Six years (injuring personal property) | Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1(4) |
| Deadline for a wrongful death claim | Three years after the date of death, but no more than six years after the act or omission | Minn. Stat. § 573.02, subd. 1 |
| Claims against a government body | A written notice must be presented to the governing body of a city, county or other municipality within 180 days after the loss or injury is discovered (actual notice of sufficient facts can satisfy the requirement). | Minn. Stat. § 466.05, subd. 1 (municipal tort claims); state claims: § 3.736, subd. 5 (not fetched) |
| Insurance system | no-fault; PIP required ($40,000 total ($20,000 medical expense and $20,000 for income loss, replacement services and funeral expense)). To sue: You can recover damages for pain and suffering (noneconomic detriment) only if reasonable medical expenses (excluding diagnostic x-rays and rehabilitation) exceed $4,000, or the injury causes permanent disfigurement, permanent injury, death, or disability for 60 days or more. | Minn. Stat. § 65B.51, subd. 3; § 65B.44, subd. 1 |
| If you were partly at fault | modified comparative (51% bar). If you were partly at fault, your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, but you recover nothing if your fault is greater than the fault of the person you are suing (more than 50%). | Minn. Stat. § 604.01, subd. 1 |
| Minimum liability coverage | $30,000 per person / $60,000 per crash / $10,000 property | Minn. Stat. § 65B.49, subd. 3(1) |
| Dog bites | strict liability. A dog's owner is liable for the full amount of the injury when the dog, without provocation, attacks or injures a person who is acting peaceably in a place where they may lawfully be. | Minn. Stat. § 347.22 |
Deadlines can be shorter or longer for minors, for injuries found later, and for claims against a government. A lawyer licensed in Minnesota can tell you the date that applies to you.
Next steps after a Minnesota crash
How to get a Minnesota crash report ($5 per crash report).
Check your deadline and a rough claim range
A filing date and a rough value range for Minnesota. Both take under a minute.
Questions
How long do you have to sue after a car accident in Minnesota?
Six years for an injury claim (Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1(5)) and six years for vehicle damage. Shorter notice rules can apply to claims against a government.
Is Minnesota a no-fault state?
Yes. Minnesota is a no-fault state: your own personal injury protection (PIP) pays first, with at least $40,000 total ($20,000 medical expense and $20,000 for income loss, replacement services and funeral expense) required, and you can sue the other driver only past the state's threshold.
Can I recover if I was partly at fault in Minnesota?
Minnesota follows modified comparative (51% bar). If you were partly at fault, your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, but you recover nothing if your fault is greater than the fault of the person you are suing (more than 50%).
What is the minimum car insurance in Minnesota?
The legal minimum liability coverage in Minnesota is $30,000 per injured person, $60,000 per crash and $10,000 for property (30/60/10).
Sources
- Deadline to sue for an injury (Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1(5)): www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/541.05
Subdivision 1. Six-year limitation. Except where the Uniform Commercial Code otherwise prescribes, the following actions shall be commenced within six years: [...] (5) for criminal conversation, or for any other injury to the person or rights of another, not arising on contract, and not hereinafter enumerated;
- Deadline for vehicle damage (Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1(4)): www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/541.05
Subdivision 1. Six-year limitation. Except where the Uniform Commercial Code otherwise prescribes, the following actions shall be commenced within six years: [...] (4) for taking, detaining, or injuring personal property, including actions for the specific recovery thereof;
- Deadline for a wrongful death claim (Minn. Stat. § 573.02, subd. 1): www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/573.02
Any other action under this section may be commenced within three years after the date of death provided that the action must be commenced within six years after the act or omission.
- Claims against a government body (Minn. Stat. § 466.05, subd. 1 (municipal tort claims); state claims: § 3.736, subd. 5 (not fetched)): www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/466.05
Subdivision 1. Notice required. Except as provided in subdivision 2, every person, whether plaintiff, defendant or third-party plaintiff or defendant, who claims damages from any municipality or municipal employee acting within the scope of employment for or on account of any loss or injury within the scope of section 466.02 shall cause to be presented to the governing body of the municipality within 180 days after the alleged loss or injury is discovered a notice stating the time, place and circumstances thereof
- Insurance system (Minn. Stat. § 65B.51, subd. 3; § 65B.44, subd. 1): www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/65B.51
Subd. 3. Limitation of damages for noneconomic detriment. In an action described in subdivision 1, no person shall recover damages for noneconomic detriment unless: (a) The sum of the following exceeds $4,000: (1) reasonable medical expense benefits paid, payable or payable but for any applicable deductible, plus (2) the value of free medical or surgical care or ordinary and necessary nursing services performed by a relative of the injured person or a member of the injured person's household, plus (3) the amount by which the value of reimbursable medical services or products exceeds the amount…
- If you were partly at fault (Minn. Stat. § 604.01, subd. 1): www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/604.01
Subdivision 1. Scope of application. Contributory fault does not bar recovery in an action by any person or the person's legal representative to recover damages for fault resulting in death, in injury to person or property, or in economic loss, if the contributory fault was not greater than the fault of the person against whom recovery is sought, but any damages allowed must be diminished in proportion to the amount of fault attributable to the person recovering.
- Minimum liability coverage (Minn. Stat. § 65B.49, subd. 3(1)): www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/65B.49
Subd. 3. Residual liability insurance. (1) Each plan of reparation security shall also contain stated limits of liability, exclusive of interest and costs, with respect to each vehicle for which coverage is thereby granted, of not less than $30,000 because of bodily injury to one person in any one accident and, subject to said limit for one person, of not less than $60,000 because of injury to two or more persons in any one accident, and, if the accident has resulted in injury to or destruction of property, of not less than $10,000 because of such injury to or destruction of property of others…
- Dog bites (Minn. Stat. § 347.22): www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/347.22
347.22 DAMAGES, OWNER LIABLE. If a dog, without provocation, attacks or injures any person who is acting peaceably in any place where the person may lawfully be, the owner of the dog is liable in damages to the person so attacked or injured to the full amount of the injury sustained.
Read October 2, 2026. Laws and fees change; the linked page is the authority.