Florida lemon law statute of limitations (2026)

Florida’s clock is a sequence: a 24-month rights period, then a short filing window measured in days, with a branch if the manufacturer runs a certified dispute program. This page walks the sequence without skipping steps. For the full filing walkthrough, see our Florida lemon law arbitration guide. Last reviewed: October 2026.

A sequence, not a single date

Three dates matter, in order: when the rights period ends, what must be filed within 60 days of that end, and — if a certified program decided first — the later Board deadline that can follow it. Sending the Motor Vehicle Defect Notification form starts the notice process; it is not itself a filing, and it does not stop any of these clocks.

The 24-month rights period

Florida’s Lemon Law rights period runs for 24 months after delivery. The initial report of the defect belongs within that period, and the repair attempts and days out of service the presumption counts are measured against it. Record the rights-period end separately from the date the defect was first reported — they answer different questions. Keep the dates, repair-order numbers and reported problems together in the free repair log.

The 60 days after the rights period

The basic filing estimate is 60 days after the rights period ends. If the manufacturer has a certified dispute settlement program, §681.109 requires filing with that program within the same 60-day period — check your warranty documents and the Attorney General’s instructions for whether a certified program covers your manufacturer before choosing where the filing goes.

After a certified program: the 30-day Board rule

If a certified program decides and you take the dispute to the Florida New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board instead, §681.109(4) measures the Board request from the program’s final action: 30 days after that final action, where that date is later than the basic 60-day date. Our calculator shows the basic estimate; it does not collect the program’s final-action date, so compute this branch from the program’s own decision letter. Recreational vehicles follow their own track: an RV dispute goes to the RV mediation and arbitration program first, with the application due no later than 60 days after the rights period expires (§681.1097(2)) — see the Florida guide’s RV section.

How to compute your dates

1. Find the delivery date and add 24 calendar months: the rights-period end.
2. Add 60 calendar days: the basic filing deadline (program or Board track).
3. If a certified program applies, record its final-action date, add 30 days, and compare — the later date is the Board-request date under §681.109(4).
4. Confirm the forum before filing anything; the right paper to the wrong body does not preserve the date.

The deadline calculator computes the basic sequence from your delivery date.

A worked example (fictional dates)

Inputs: delivery February 3, 2025.

The arithmetic: the 24-month rights period ends February 2, 2027, and the filing estimate is 60 days after it — April 3, 2027. If instead the claim went to the manufacturer’s certified program first and that program finished on March 20, 2027, the Board filing would be due 30 days after the program ended — April 19, 2027 — the later of the two dates on these facts.

What the calculator doesn’t handle: it takes your delivery date only. It does not know whether a certified program was used or when it finished, and sending the Defect Notification form is not a filing and stops none of these clocks.

When to talk to a lawyer instead

Talk to a licensed Florida attorney if the 60 days have run, a certified program’s role is disputed, or your case involves an RV and the program track is unclear. Which body had jurisdiction on which date is exactly the kind of question that decides these cases.

Primary sources are collected in the Florida filing guide.