How long does the state have to press charges for a criminal offense? 54 Answers as of August 24, 2011

It depends. They usually have 1 year for misdemeanors, 3 years for less violent felonies, and indefinite time for more serious felonies (i.e. rapes, murders, etc).

The general rule is that the "Statute of Limitations" on misdemeanors is 18 months, and on felonies 36 months from the date of the offense. However, many offenses have extended limitations (some sex offenses for example) or no limitations (such as murder, forgery). It's best to contact a criminal defense attorney with the specifics of your situation to give you an opinion.

It depends on the type of alleged crime. The police may have years to conduct an investigation.

Kansas statute of limitations for criminal charges is 5 years.

Depends upon the crime. If simply arrested and released without charges being brought yet, then for a misdemeanor it varies between 6-12 months for them to file charges in court. For a felony, from one to as many as seven years.

Each crime has a different period of time for various purposes. You can be held on a felony for three days until the prosecutor has to indict you in front of a Grand Jury or run a preliminary hearing before a City Court judge. That is 180.80 of the Criminal Procedure Law. Otherwise you must be released from jail ROR (without bail). Then on a felony the prosecutor has 6 months to be "ready for trail", minus any time needed for motions, plea negotiations, or adjournments required by the defendant or that benefit the defendant.. If you are charged with a misdemeanor the prosecutor has 90 days to be ready for trial. He does not have to actually try the case, he just has to send a letter or announce that he is "actually ready for trial" on that occasion on the record in court. That is CPL 30.30 and it is the timeliness stature. There is also a statute of limitations for all crimes, (excluding traffic offenses which are not criminal offenses),The only crime without a statute of limitations is murder. The statute is usually 5 or 7 years which insures that the evidence is not "stale" and that the witnesses can recall the facts and circumstances of the case. It also ensures that a defendant is able to defend a case and present alibi and eye-witness evidence to prove his innocence.

Depends upon the nature of the offense. Example: murder has no statute of limitations. A DUI, the state has 2 years to file the charges; a shoplift, the court has 2 years. It just depends upon the case.

The answer will depend on what type of offense was committed. For example, simple misdemeanors must be filed by the State within 1 year of the date of the offense. Gross misdemeanors are 2 years. Felonies can be 3 years, 4 years, 5 years, never...depending on what the felony is.

Statute of limitations vary depending on the criminal offense. Generally speaking, the more serious the offense, the longer the statute of limitations. Murder has no statute of limitations.

It depends on the type of crime. Misdemeanors have a relatively short Statute of Limitations. Felonies have a longer one and Murder charges can always be brought.

Up to the statute of limitations for that crime. For most crimes, that is 24 months in Oregon.

You can be held for 72 hours before chrages are filed. If you're not in custody, they can take (pretty much) as long as they want before filing charges. The statuite of limitations for most criminzl charges is 3 years, although some serious crimes (murder) have no statute of limitations.

The timing restrictions for charging someone with a crime are determined by the applicable statute of limitations. The statute of limitations are different depending on the specific crime charged. In Oregon, most misdemeanor statutes of limitations are two years and many felonies are three years from the date of the alleged incident. This is an oversimplification because there are other factors but, basically, every crime has a statute of limitations during which the state must charge someone.

Up to a year and a day on misdemeanors.

It varies depending upon the class of crime (petty offense is different from a misdemeanor (18 months) is different from a felony, and some felonies differ from each other).

Once arrested and charged the State is then bound by "speedy trial" timelines. These vary by the nature of the charge. The State may be permitted a delay if for a legitimate purpose and not to gain a strategic advantage.

That depends on the crime(s) charged as each offense has a different statute of limitations in which the prosecutor can file the case.

Normally they have 48 hours to bring you before a judge to advise you of what you are being accused of. They have anywhere from 18 months on a misdemeanor to 4 yrs on most felonies to arrest you for a crime. Sex crimes and major offense carry additional periods or statues of limitations.

The statute of limitations is measured from the date of the alleged offense. It is two years for a misdemeanor and 5 years for a felony. There is no limitation for the filing of murder charges.

There are two different issues here. The Statute of Limitations and Speedy Trial. On a case where the individual was arrested, the State must, at a very minimum, file charges within speedy trial time. In Florida that means 90 days for a misdemeanor and 175 days for a Felony. In non-arrest cases, the State must file only within the Statute of Limitations which depends on what level of felony or misdemeanor you were charged with.

2 years on a misdemeanor.
4 years on most felonies.
7 years for most crimes that carry the possibility of life imprisonment.
15 years for forcible rape No statute of limitation on murder - can be commenced at any time There are a few other specialized exceptions that can extend the time period.

Generally speaking, there is a two year statute of limitations for misdemeanors, and a four year statute of limitations. Sex crimes, crimes against minors and other serious offenses have longer statutes of limitations. Murder has none. There are also a lot of exceptions to the above rules. It really depends on the facts of your case.

The statute of limitations for a misdemeanor is commonly 18 months, 3 years for most felonies, except those involving fraud or sexual assault can be more. Federal felonies have a time limit of 5 years.

It depends on what crime is alleged to have been committed because different crimes have different time limits within which the state must file charges against you. Generally speaking, many are two years from the date of the offense.

If you have been arrested, the State has likely already pressed charges. More often than not the formal charges will be filed within 72 hours of your arrest. Once you are charged, the State has six months to bring you to trial on the matter for risk of violating your constitutional right to a speedy trial.

For a misdemeanor offense they have up to 1 year. For a felony offense, it varies depending on the offense - usually up to 3 years.

Usually after 1 year prejudice is presumed for misdemeanors. In other words, after 1 year, it becomes increasingly unlikely that charges will be filed. Felony, different. Take murder, you could be charged half a century later.

One year from the date of the alleged offense for misdemeanors and two years for felonies.

There is no set time limit. If the person is on bond, then it could take forever except that the accused could assert his / her right to a speedy trial (not usually a good idea at least early on.) It depends on the court's docket, the investigation that must be done, etc. The statute of limitations is tolled once the charges are filed.

You are talking about the statute of limitations and it varies - it starts once they know or have reason to know about the offense - for misdemeanors and other non-felonies it is 18 months - for many felonies it is 3 years - but for some felonies it is much longer even infinite the statute of limitations is satisfied once the charges are filed, even if you are not arrested yet.

It depends upon the nature of the criminal charge. For felony matters the statute of limitations is a minimum of 3 years to a much longer period. For misdemeanors the statute of limitations is normally one year. You should confer with a criminal defense law firm with much experience with more specific facts of your case. You can go to wklaw.com for more information.

The statute of limitations is determined by the specific criminal charge.

There are too many variables to answer this question. It depends on the the crime ( e.g. There is no time limit on murder) if you have ever been charged (once charged the crime never goes away unless you die), whether you move your location or whether you notify authorities if you do move. You should speak with an attorney and provide your specific facts.

The statute of limitations for a misdemeanor is 18 months from the date of the offense. For most felonies, it is 3 years. However some offenses can be filed at any time, such as murder.

It depends on the charge. O ne year for misdemeanors. Two years for gross misdemeanors. At lea st thr ee years for felonies. Some feloniescan always be prosecuted (Murder for example).

The statute of limitations is different for every charge. Misdemeanors are typically 12 months, and most felonies are 4 years.

The State must prosecute within certain time limits that are set forth by statute and depend upon the severity of the alleged offense. But, if the defense asks for the adjournments then all that time does not count.

That depends entirely on the offensethe statute of limitation for all misdemeanors is two years, for felonies, anywhere from three years to life. BUT...actually the law is about to change in another two weeks in a way that potentially might affect your situation. It's a little complicated, but basically, if no case is filed after arrest for a period of time typically shorter than the statute of limitations (180 days-3 years, depending on the grade of offense), you may be able to go ahead and get the case expunged, so that it will not only not be filed, the arrest won't show up on your record at all. If you think think this might help you, you're welcome to email me with the details of your situation, and I'll try to explain your options.

The Statute of Limitations for filing charges depends on the offense. At least one year or more.

Different crimes have different statutes of limitation. Simply put, it really depends on the type of crime you are likely to get charged with and whether it is a misdemeanor violation or a felony violation. Most misdemeanors are charged within 1 year from the date of the alleged incident. In some cases, prosecutors will file misdemeanor charges beyond the 1 year timeframe. Under these circumstances, an experienced and well qualified criminal defense lawyer can file a motion to have the case dismissed for untimeliness.

They have 1 year for misdemeanors and 3 years for felonies except murder which has no statute of limitations.

Different crimes carry different statute of limitations.

While there are exceptions (mainly in the case of sex crimes) the state generally has three years from the incident date to charge a person with a felony and two years for a misdemeanor. This time period is known as the "statute of limitations."