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Oregon car accident laws
Is Oregon a no-fault state? No. Oregon is an at-fault state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the injuries and damage.
Oregon gives you two years to file a personal injury lawsuit (Or. Rev. Stat. § 12.110(1)).
The legal minimum liability coverage in Oregon is $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 per crash and $20,000 for property (25/50/20).
You can recover if your fault is not greater than the combined fault of the others (50% or less), with your award reduced by your share; above 50% you recover nothing.
Quoted from Oregon statutes and official pages, checked October 2, 2026 · not legal advice
The rules in one table
| Rule | Oregon | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Deadline to sue for an injury | Two years for any injury to the person not arising on contract | Or. Rev. Stat. § 12.110(1) |
| Deadline for vehicle damage | Six years for taking, detaining or injuring personal property | Or. Rev. Stat. § 12.080(4) |
| Deadline for a wrongful death claim | Three years after the injury causing the death is discovered (or should have been); in no case later than three years after the death | Or. Rev. Stat. § 30.020(1) |
| Claims against a government body | Notice of claim to a public body must be given within 180 days after the loss or injury (one year for wrongful death), or the action is barred. | Or. Rev. Stat. § 30.275(1)-(2) |
| Insurance system | at-fault; PIP required ($15,000) | Or. Rev. Stat. § 742.520(1)(a) (PIP required); § 742.524(1)(a) ($15,000 medical) |
| If you were partly at fault | modified comparative (51% bar). You can recover if your fault is not greater than the combined fault of the others (50% or less), with your award reduced by your share; above 50% you recover nothing. | Or. Rev. Stat. § 31.600(1) |
| Minimum liability coverage | $25,000 per person / $50,000 per crash / $20,000 property | Or. Rev. Stat. § 806.070(2) |
| Dog bites | mixed. Oregon's statute makes a dog keeper strictly liable for economic damages only after a court has found the dog 'potentially dangerous'; otherwise a victim must show the owner knew or should have known the dog was dangerous, or negligence. | Or. Rev. Stat. § 609.115(2) |
| Cap on pain-and-suffering damages | No general cap for injury cases | Or. Rev. Stat. § 31.710(1); § 31.715(1) |
Deadlines can be shorter or longer for minors, for injuries found later, and for claims against a government. A lawyer licensed in Oregon can tell you the date that applies to you.
Next steps after an Oregon crash
How to get an Oregon crash report ($8.50 for a Police Traffic Crash Report (charged even if the record cannot be found); $12.50 for a certified letter with accident insurance information (a free Certificate of Filing goes to people who filed a DMV report)).
Check your deadline and a rough claim range
A filing date and a rough value range for Oregon. Both take under a minute.
Questions
How long do you have to sue after a car accident in Oregon?
Two years for an injury claim (Or. Rev. Stat. § 12.110(1)) and six years for vehicle damage. Shorter notice rules can apply to claims against a government.
Is Oregon a no-fault state?
No. Oregon 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 Oregon?
Oregon follows modified comparative (51% bar). You can recover if your fault is not greater than the combined fault of the others (50% or less), with your award reduced by your share; above 50% you recover nothing.
What is the minimum car insurance in Oregon?
The legal minimum liability coverage in Oregon is $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 per crash and $20,000 for property (25/50/20).
Sources
- Deadline to sue for an injury (Or. Rev. Stat. § 12.110(1)): www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors012.html
12.110 Actions for certain injuries to person not arising on contract; action for overtime or premium pay; action for professional malpractice; effect of fraud or deceit; action for injuries to person arising from nuclear incident. (1) An action for assault, battery, false imprisonment, or for any injury to the person or rights of another, not arising on contract, and not especially enumerated in this chapter, shall be commenced within two years;
- Deadline for vehicle damage (Or. Rev. Stat. § 12.080(4)): www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors012.html
(4) An action for taking, detaining or injuring personal property, including an action for the specific recovery thereof, excepting an action mentioned in ORS 12.137; shall be commenced within six years.
- Deadline for a wrongful death claim (Or. Rev. Stat. § 30.020(1)): www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors030.html
The action shall be commenced within three years after the injury causing the death of the decedent is discovered or reasonably should have been discovered by the decedent, by the personal representative or by a person for whose benefit the action may be brought under this section if that person is not the wrongdoer. In no case may an action be commenced later than the earliest of: (a) Three years after the death of the decedent;
- Claims against a government body (Or. Rev. Stat. § 30.275(1)-(2)): www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors030.html
(1) No action arising from any act or omission of a public body or an officer, employee or agent of a public body within the scope of ORS 30.260 to 30.300 shall be maintained unless notice of claim is given as required by this section. (2) Notice of claim shall be given within the following applicable period of time, not including the period, not exceeding 90 days, during which the person injured is unable to give the notice because of the injury or because of minority, incompetency or other incapacity: (a) For wrongful death, within one year after the alleged loss or injury. (b) For all other…
- Insurance system (Or. Rev. Stat. § 742.520(1)(a) (PIP required); § 742.524(1)(a) ($15,000 medical)): www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors742.html
742.520 Personal injury protection benefits for motor vehicle liability policies; applicability. (1)(a) Every motor vehicle liability policy issued for delivery in this state that covers any private passenger motor vehicle shall provide personal injury protection benefits to the person insured thereunder
- If you were partly at fault (Or. Rev. Stat. § 31.600(1)): www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors031.html
31.600 Contributory negligence not bar to recovery; comparative negligence standard; third party complaints. (1) Contributory negligence shall not bar recovery in an action by any person or the legal representative of the person to recover damages for death or injury to person or property if the fault attributable to the claimant was not greater than the combined fault of all persons specified in subsection (2) of this section, but any damages allowed shall be diminished in the proportion to the percentage of fault attributable to the claimant.
- Minimum liability coverage (Or. Rev. Stat. § 806.070(2)): www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors806.html
(2) The schedule of payments is as follows: (a) $25,000 because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident; (b) Subject to that limit for one person, $50,000 because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident; and (c) $20,000 because of injury to or destruction of the property of others in any one accident.
- Dog bites (Or. Rev. Stat. § 609.115(2)): www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors609.html
(2) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, if a court has determined under ORS 609.990 that a dog is a potentially dangerous dog, and subsequent to that determination the dog causes physical injury to a person or damage to real or personal property, the keeper of the dog is strictly liable to the injured person or property owner for any economic damages resulting from the injury or property damage.
- Cap on pain-and-suffering damages (Or. Rev. Stat. § 31.710(1); § 31.715(1)): www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors031.html
31.710 Limitation on award for noneconomic damages in claim for wrongful death. (1) Except for claims subject to ORS 30.260 to 30.300 and ORS chapter 656, in any civil action for the wrongful death of any one person including claims for loss of care, comfort, companionship and society and loss of consortium, the amount awarded for noneconomic damages, as defined in ORS 31.705, shall not exceed $500,000.
Read October 2, 2026. Laws and fees change; the linked page is the authority.