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California · PFAS in Water: What to Check

PFAS in Water: What to Check in California

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Filing deadline3 years from discovery of injury and PFAS connectionCCP § 340.8

Deadlines vary with the facts of each case. A lawyer can confirm yours.

Updated

01 · Your filing deadline

What is the deadline in California?

California has a 2-year statute of limitations for toxic-exposure personal injury claims under CCP § 340.8, running from the date of injury or from when the plaintiff becomes aware of the injury, its physical cause and facts suggesting a wrongful act, whichever is later. A lawyer can confirm yours.

3 years from discovery of injury and PFAS connection

Source: CCP § 340.8

Deadlines vary; a lawyer can confirm yours. An older diagnosis or a past filing window does not, by itself, establish whether you have a claim.

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A lawyer can check which filing rules apply to your circumstances.

02 · Where cases are heard

Where would my case be heard?

California has some of the most extensive PFAS contamination in the United States, with documented contamination at multiple Air Force and Navy bases, industrial semiconductor facilities in Silicon Valley, and agricultural regions. Santa Clara County filed a major PFAS lawsuit in February 2025. California's 2-year statute of limitations for toxic-exposure injury runs from the later of the injury or its discovery (CCP § 340.8).

Federal PFAS claims proceed in MDL 2873 (In re: Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation), centralized in the District of South Carolina (Charleston) before Judge Richard M. Gergel. The MDL consolidates water utility and personal injury claims against 3M, DuPont, Chemours, Corteva, Tyco/Johnson Controls, and others alleging AFFF contamination of drinking water. California plaintiffs file directly into MDL 2873 for federal coordinated proceedings.

California public water systems serving millions of residents — including San Jose Water and Fairfield-area utilities — are eligible class participants in these settlements.

California's statute of limitations for environmental toxic tort personal injury is 2 years from injury or discovery, whichever is later, under CCP § 340.8. The discovery rule tolls the period until a plaintiff knew or reasonably should have known of both the injury and its PFAS connection — one of the most claimant-favorable SoLs in the nation.

Major California PFAS contamination sources include: Travis AFB (Fairfield/Solano County groundwater plumes), Edwards AFB (Mojave), NAS Miramar (San Diego), NAS Lemoore (Central Valley), former Castle AFB (Merced County), Silicon Valley semiconductor manufacturers in San Jose/Santa Clara/Sunnyvale (industrial PFAS wastewater discharge), and agricultural biosolids PFAS spreading in the Central Valley. Santa Clara County filed a PFAS lawsuit against 3M and DuPont in February 2025.

How this works nationally

For the overall process and updates, read the PFAS in Water: What to Check overview. This page covers the local information available for California.

What happens when I check?

You answer a few short questions about what happened. If you send them, your answers are kept on file. If a participating law firm takes these cases, it may contact you. People's Justice is not a law firm.

Live in California? Read what applies in your state.

Register your interest. If a participating law firm takes these cases, it may contact you.

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Sources

  1. CCP § 340.8