How long does a person have to press charges?

The amount of time allowed to press charges after a crime or to file a report with the police is dependent on the crime and the state in which it is committed says J. Hirby at The Law Dictionary. Generally it is advised that a report is filed immediately.

The time it takes for a crime to expire is called the statute of limitations, which every crime has; it is the maximum amount of time allowed to file charges against a crime. The statutes depend on the type of crime, but often felonies warrant a five-year statute, misdemeanors hold a two-year statute and petty crimes such as a traffic offence only hold a year statute, according to The Law Dictionary.