What Is a Lookback Window?
A lookback window is created when a state legislature temporarily suspends or removes the civil statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse claims. During the window period, survivors can file claims for abuse that occurred at any time in the past, even if the standard deadline has long since passed.
Why States Enact Lookback Windows
Lookback windows recognise that many survivors of childhood abuse are unable to come forward until well into adulthood, often after significant psychological processing. The standard limitations periods, often expiring when the survivor is in their mid-to-late twenties, have been criticised as inadequate for this reason.
States With Current or Recent Lookback Windows
Checked against official statutes and court decisions on September 14, 2026:
- Louisiana: Open. Survivors whose claims had expired can file until June 14, 2027. The Louisiana Supreme Court upheld the law in 2024, and a 2026 bill proposed extending the deadline to 2029.
- Maryland: Not a window. The Child Victims Act of 2023 removed the deadline permanently, including for claims that had already expired, and was upheld by the Supreme Court of Maryland in February 2025.
- New York: Closed. The Child Victims Act window ran from August 2019 to August 2021.
- New Jersey: Closed. A two-year window ran from December 1, 2019.
- California: Closed. A three-year window ran from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2022.
- Minnesota: Closed. A three-year window ended on May 25, 2016.
- Colorado: A 2021 law created a new claim for older abuse, but in 2023 the Colorado Supreme Court held it cannot be used where earlier claims were already time-barred.
- Pennsylvania: Proposed. Bills to open a two-year window had not become law as of September 2026.
See our state pages for each state's current deadline and official sources. The law changes frequently, so seek legal advice promptly if you believe a window may apply to you.