Schedule C · Time limits in British Columbia
The clocks
Some legal rights expire quietly. Here are the time limits we see people miss most, what starts each clock, and a way to check your own dates.
1. Check your dates
Choose the situation closest to yours and enter the day it started. We count the way BC usually counts and set the closing date down in writing.
The date stays in this browser. Nothing is sent to us or anyone else.
Starting most lawsuits
2 years from the day you discovered the claim
By the usual count, this clock closes on the date shown here once you enter yours.
Discovery can come later than the event itself, and a separate 15-year limit runs from the event no matter what. The exact start date is a legal question worth a phone call.
Source: Limitation Act, SBC 2012 c 13, s 6 (opens in a new tab)
General information about how BC counts these periods, not advice on your facts. Treat the date as the last possible day and act well before it.
2. Every clock on this page
Each period, what starts it, and where the law says so. The sources are the statutes and rules themselves, or the government page that explains them.
| Situation | Period | Starts counting from | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property and spousal support, marriedFamily Law Act, SBC 2011 c 25, s 198 (opens in a new tab) | 2 years | from the date of the divorce order | Family Law Act, SBC 2011 c 25, s 198 (opens in a new tab) |
| Property and spousal support, unmarriedFamily Law Act, SBC 2011 c 25, s 198 (opens in a new tab) | 2 years | from the day you separated | Family Law Act, SBC 2011 c 25, s 198 (opens in a new tab) |
| Situation | Period | Starts counting from | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Changing your mind on a home purchaseHome Buyer Rescission Period Regulation, BC Reg 175/2022 (opens in a new tab) | 3 business days | from the day after your offer is accepted | Home Buyer Rescission Period Regulation, BC Reg 175/2022 (opens in a new tab) |
| Situation | Period | Starts counting from | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Challenging a will as unfairWills, Estates and Succession Act, SBC 2009 c 13, s 61 (opens in a new tab) | 180 days | from the day the grant of probate or administration issues | Wills, Estates and Succession Act, SBC 2009 c 13, s 61 (opens in a new tab) |
| Situation | Period | Starts counting from | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suing for wrongful dismissalLimitation Act, SBC 2012 c 13, s 6 (opens in a new tab) | 2 years | from the day your employment ended | Limitation Act, SBC 2012 c 13, s 6 (opens in a new tab) |
| Employment Standards complaintEmployment Standards Act, RSBC 1996 c 113, s 74 (opens in a new tab) | 6 months | from your last day of work | Employment Standards Act, RSBC 1996 c 113, s 74 (opens in a new tab) |
| Human rights complaintHuman Rights Code, RSBC 1996 c 210, s 22 (opens in a new tab) | 1 year | from the discrimination, or its last instance | Human Rights Code, RSBC 1996 c 210, s 22 (opens in a new tab) |
| Situation | Period | Starts counting from | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting most lawsuitsLimitation Act, SBC 2012 c 13, s 6 (opens in a new tab) | 2 years | from the day you discovered the claim | Limitation Act, SBC 2012 c 13, s 6 (opens in a new tab) |
| Situation | Period | Starts counting from | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Replying to a small claims noticeSmall Claims Rules, BC Reg 261/93, Rule 3 (opens in a new tab) | 14 days | from the day you were served in BC | Small Claims Rules, BC Reg 261/93, Rule 3 (opens in a new tab) |
| Responding to a Supreme Court civil claimSupreme Court Civil Rules, BC Reg 168/2009, Rule 3-3 (opens in a new tab) | 21 days | from the day you were served, anywhere in Canada | Supreme Court Civil Rules, BC Reg 168/2009, Rule 3-3 (opens in a new tab) |
| Responding to a family claim in Supreme CourtSupreme Court Family Rules, BC Reg 169/2009, Rule 4-3 (opens in a new tab) | 30 days | from the day you were served | Supreme Court Family Rules, BC Reg 169/2009, Rule 4-3 (opens in a new tab) |
3. If you have been served with court papers
These clocks are counted in days, and they start on the day the papers reach you. Four things to do today:
- 3.1
Keep the envelope and everything that came with it, exactly as it arrived.
- 3.2
Write down the date the papers reached you, and how: handed to you, left at your home, or sent by mail. The way they arrived can change the day the count begins.
- 3.3
Read the date printed on the papers. Some name a court date, and that date comes first, whatever the count says.
- 3.4
Call us on (250) 555-0184, or another lawyer, while there is still time to reply properly. A reply can be short. Missing one can let the other side ask for judgment without hearing from you.
Replying to a small claims notice
14 days
From the day you were served in BC. Served outside BC, the period is 30 days. Without a reply, the claimant can ask for judgment without hearing from you.
Responding to a Supreme Court civil claim
21 days
From the day you were served, anywhere in Canada. Served in the United States it is 35 days, elsewhere 49. Miss it and default judgment becomes possible.
Responding to a family claim in Supreme Court
30 days
From the day you were served. Provincial Court family applications also give 30 days to reply, but some go straight to a court date. Read the date printed on your papers first.
Check this date: Responding to a family claim in Supreme Court
4. What this page cannot do
- 4.1
It cannot see your facts. It counts from the date you give it, and the right date to count from is often the first thing a lawyer checks.
- 4.2
It cannot choose your start date for you. Many clocks run from DiscoveryIn limitation law, the day you knew, or reasonably should have known, that you had a claim. Most clocks start there.It can fall well after the event itself, which is why the start date is often the first thing a lawyer checks.Every term, defined: the day you knew, or reasonably should have known, that you had a claim. That day can fall well after the event itself.
- 4.3
It cannot tell you whether your clock was paused or extended. The law pauses some for children and for people who cannot manage their own affairs, and certain written acknowledgments can affect a Limitation periodThe time limit for starting a legal claim. After it passes, the claim is usually gone for good.Most BC claims have two years from discovery. Our page on the clocks lists the common ones.Every term, defined. Whether any of that applies depends on your situation.
- 4.4
It does not list every clock. Claims against a municipality, insurance claims, and appeals carry their own limits, some of them shorter than the two years most people have heard of. If yours is not on the list, ask us.
5. Questions people actually ask
- Does the clock stop while we negotiate?
- Usually it keeps running. In BC, talking, trading offers, or waiting to hear back from an insurer does not by itself stop most limitation periods. Some written agreements and acknowledgments can affect a clock, but they have to be the right kind, worded the right way. If a negotiation is getting close to a deadline, get advice before the date arrives.
- What if I only found out about the problem later?
- For most lawsuits, the two-year clock starts on the day you discovered the claim, which can be well after the day it happened. There is an outer edge: a separate 15-year limit runs from the event itself, whatever you knew. Working out the discovery date is a legal question, and often the most important one in the file.
- I think a date has already passed. Is it over?
- Sometimes, and sometimes not. The start date may be later than you think, some clocks have exceptions, and some tribunals accept late complaints in limited cases. Call before you assume either way. Fifteen minutes on the phone costs nothing.
Count the dates with a lawyer
Book a consultation and we will confirm your dates in writing, or call (250) 555-0184 and ask us to count them with you.