Ohio car accident laws
Is Ohio a no-fault state? No. Ohio is an at-fault state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the injuries and damage.
Ohio gives you two years to file a personal injury lawsuit (Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.10(A)).
The legal minimum liability coverage in Ohio is $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 per crash and $25,000 for property (25/50/25).
You can recover if your fault is not greater than the combined fault of everyone else (50% or less), with your award reduced by your share; at 51% or more you recover nothing.
Quoted from Ohio statutes and official pages, checked October 2, 2026 · not legal advice
The rules in one table
| Rule | Ohio | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Deadline to sue for an injury | Two years after the cause of action accrues, which is when the injury or loss occurs | Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.10(A) |
| Deadline for vehicle damage | Two years for injuring personal property, accruing when the loss occurs | Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.10(A) |
| Deadline for a wrongful death claim | Two years after the decedent's death | Ohio Rev. Code § 2125.02(F)(1) |
| Claims against a government body | Ohio sets no notice-of-claim period for political subdivisions; an action against a political subdivision must be brought within two years after the cause of action accrues. | Ohio Rev. Code § 2744.04(A) |
| Insurance system | at-fault | Ohio Rev. Code § 4509.101(A)(1) |
| If you were partly at fault | modified comparative (51% bar). You can recover if your fault is not greater than the combined fault of everyone else (50% or less), with your award reduced by your share; at 51% or more you recover nothing. | Ohio Rev. Code § 2315.33 |
| Minimum liability coverage | $25,000 per person / $50,000 per crash / $25,000 property | Ohio Rev. Code § 4509.51(A) |
| Dog bites | strict liability. A dog's owner, keeper or harborer is liable for any injury to a person caused by the dog, unless the victim was committing a crime on the property, committing a crime against any person, or teasing, tormenting or abusing the dog. | Ohio Rev. Code § 955.28(B) |
| Cap on pain-and-suffering damages | Noneconomic damages are capped at the greater of $250,000 or three times economic loss, up to $350,000 per plaintiff or $500,000 per occurrence; no cap for permanent and substantial physical deformity, loss of use of a limb or bodily organ system, or permanent injury that prevents self-care. | Ohio Rev. Code § 2315.18(B)(2)-(3) |
Deadlines can be shorter or longer for minors, for injuries found later, and for claims against a government. A lawyer licensed in Ohio can tell you the date that applies to you.
Next steps after an Ohio crash
How to get an Ohio crash report ($4.00 per Ohio State Highway Patrol crash report (plus a 1.95% card fee, $1.75 minimum); the ODPS search for unofficial copies lists no fee).
Check your deadline and a rough claim range
A filing date and a rough value range for Ohio. Both take under a minute.
Questions
How long do you have to sue after a car accident in Ohio?
Two years for an injury claim (Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.10(A)) and two years for vehicle damage. Shorter notice rules can apply to claims against a government.
Is Ohio a no-fault state?
No. Ohio is an at-fault state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the injuries and damage.
Can I recover if I was partly at fault in Ohio?
Ohio follows modified comparative (51% bar). You can recover if your fault is not greater than the combined fault of everyone else (50% or less), with your award reduced by your share; at 51% or more you recover nothing.
What is the minimum car insurance in Ohio?
The legal minimum liability coverage in Ohio is $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 per crash and $25,000 for property (25/50/25).
Sources
- Deadline to sue for an injury (Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.10(A)): codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2305.10
(A) Except as provided in division (C) or (E) of this section, an action based on a product liability claim and an action for bodily injury or injuring personal property shall be brought within two years after the cause of action accrues. Except as provided in divisions (B)(1), (2), (3), (4), and (5) of this section, a cause of action accrues under this division when the injury or loss to person or property occurs.
- Deadline for vehicle damage (Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.10(A)): codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2305.10
(A) Except as provided in division (C) or (E) of this section, an action based on a product liability claim and an action for bodily injury or injuring personal property shall be brought within two years after the cause of action accrues.
- Deadline for a wrongful death claim (Ohio Rev. Code § 2125.02(F)(1)): codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2125.02
(F)(1) Except as provided in division (D)(2) of this section, a civil action for wrongful death shall be commenced within two years after the decedent's death.
- Claims against a government body (Ohio Rev. Code § 2744.04(A)): codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2744.04
(A) An action against a political subdivision to recover damages for injury, death, or loss to person or property allegedly caused by any act or omission in connection with a governmental or proprietary function, whether brought as an original action, cross-claim, counterclaim, third-party claim, or claim for subrogation, shall be brought within two years after the cause of action accrues
- Insurance system (Ohio Rev. Code § 4509.101(A)(1)): codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-4509.101
(A)(1) No person shall operate, or permit the operation of, a motor vehicle in this state, unless proof of financial responsibility is maintained continuously throughout the registration period with respect to that vehicle, or, in the case of a driver who is not the owner, with respect to that driver's operation of that vehicle.
- If you were partly at fault (Ohio Rev. Code § 2315.33): codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2315.33
The contributory fault of a person does not bar the person as plaintiff from recovering damages that have directly and proximately resulted from the tortious conduct of one or more other persons, if the contributory fault of the plaintiff was not greater than the combined tortious conduct of all other persons from whom the plaintiff seeks recovery in this action and of all other persons from whom the plaintiff does not seek recovery in this action.
- Minimum liability coverage (Ohio Rev. Code § 4509.51(A)): codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-4509.51
subject to monetary limits exclusive of interest and costs, with respect to each such motor vehicle, as follows: (1) Twenty-five thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident; (2) Fifty thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident; (3) Twenty-five thousand dollars because of injury to property of others in any one accident.
- Dog bites (Ohio Rev. Code § 955.28(B)): codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-955.28
(B) The owner, keeper, or harborer of a dog is liable in damages for any injury, death, or loss to person or property that is caused by the dog, unless the injury, death, or loss was caused to the person or property of an individual who, at the time, was committing or attempting to commit criminal trespass or another criminal offense other than a minor misdemeanor on the property of the owner, keeper, or harborer, or was committing or attempting to commit a criminal offense other than a minor misdemeanor against any person, or was teasing, tormenting, or abusing the dog on the owner's, keeper'…
- Cap on pain-and-suffering damages (Ohio Rev. Code § 2315.18(B)(2)-(3)): codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2315.18
(2) Except as otherwise provided in division (B)(3) of this section, the amount of compensatory damages that represents damages for noneconomic loss that is recoverable in a tort action under this section to recover damages for injury or loss to person or property shall not exceed the greater of two hundred fifty thousand dollars or an amount that is equal to three times the economic loss, as determined by the trier of fact, of the plaintiff in that tort action to a maximum of three hundred fifty thousand dollars for each plaintiff in that tort action or a maximum of five hundred thousand doll…
Read October 2, 2026. Laws and fees change; the linked page is the authority.