45 U.S.C. § 56 (2024)
This is the official text of 45 U.S.C. § 56 (2024), part of Federal (US Code)’s United States Code — the codified general and permanent federal statutes of the United States, organized into more than 50 numbered titles by subject.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Actions; limitation; concurrent jurisdiction of courts
Official statutory text
No action shall be maintained under this chapter unless commenced within three years from the day the cause of action accrued.
Under this chapter an action may be brought in a district court of the United States, in the district of the residence of the defendant, or in which the cause of action arose, or in which the defendant shall be doing business at the time of commencing such action. The jurisdiction of the courts of the United States under this chapter shall be concurrent with that of the courts of the several States.
(Apr. 22, 1908, ch. 149, §6, 35 Stat. 66; Apr. 5, 1910, ch. 143, §1, 36 Stat. 291; Mar. 3, 1911, ch. 231, §291, 36 Stat. 1167; Aug. 11, 1939, ch. 685, §2, 53 Stat. 1404; June 25, 1948, ch. 646, §18, 62 Stat. 989.)
Editorial Notes
Codification
The first par. of this section is from act Apr. 22, 1908.
The second par. of this section is from act Apr. 5, 1910.
Amendments
1948—Act June 25, 1948, struck out provision in last sentence relating to removal of actions.
1939—Act Aug. 11, 1939, changed limitation in first sentence from two to three years.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Change of Name
"District court" substituted in text for "circuit court" to conform to act Mar. 3, 1911, which transferred powers and duties of circuit courts to district courts.
Effective Date of 1948 Amendment
Act June 25, 1948, ch. 646, §38, 62 Stat. 992, provided that the amendment made by that act is effective Sept. 1, 1948.
Under this chapter an action may be brought in a district court of the United States, in the district of the residence of the defendant, or in which the cause of action arose, or in which the defendant shall be doing business at the time of commencing such action. The jurisdiction of the courts of the United States under this chapter shall be concurrent with that of the courts of the several States.
(Apr. 22, 1908, ch. 149, §6, 35 Stat. 66; Apr. 5, 1910, ch. 143, §1, 36 Stat. 291; Mar. 3, 1911, ch. 231, §291, 36 Stat. 1167; Aug. 11, 1939, ch. 685, §2, 53 Stat. 1404; June 25, 1948, ch. 646, §18, 62 Stat. 989.)
Editorial Notes
Codification
The first par. of this section is from act Apr. 22, 1908.
The second par. of this section is from act Apr. 5, 1910.
Amendments
1948—Act June 25, 1948, struck out provision in last sentence relating to removal of actions.
1939—Act Aug. 11, 1939, changed limitation in first sentence from two to three years.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Change of Name
"District court" substituted in text for "circuit court" to conform to act Mar. 3, 1911, which transferred powers and duties of circuit courts to district courts.
Effective Date of 1948 Amendment
Act June 25, 1948, ch. 646, §38, 62 Stat. 992, provided that the amendment made by that act is effective Sept. 1, 1948.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Federal (US Code)?
Find a Federal (US Code) lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.