Yesterday, June 14, 2021, Ohio Senate Bill 13 went into effect. This bill shortens the statute of limitations for breach of written contract actions from eight years to six and, for oral contracts, from six years to four.
As Greg Thompson and Alayna Bridgett shared earlier this year, while S.B. 13 amends the statute of limitations for contract claims in general, it is important for construction project stakeholders to consider provisions within their own contracts that limit contract claims periods. Nearly every construction contract will include provisions shortening the time frame in which a party may bring a claim (oftentimes to just days). These provisions provide a period much shorter than the enumerated statute of limitations. It is important to remember that, regardless of whatever appears in the Ohio Revised Code, parties must comply with the claims provisions provided in their contracts.