---
title: "General Federal Criminal Limitation and Refiling Statutes"
citation: "18 U.S.C. §§ 3281, 3282, 3288, 3289"
authority_id: "AUTH-USC-18-3281-3282-3288-3289"
authority_type: "statute"
jurisdiction: "federal_nationwide"
precedential_status: "binding_enacted_positive_law_title"
official_url: "https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title18/pdf/USCODE-2024-title18-partII-chap213.pdf"
url: "https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/authorities/AUTH-USC-18-3281-3282-3288-3289/"
legal_review: "2026-08-25"
links_checked: "2026-10-15"
links_available: 1
links_checked_count: 1
license: "CC BY 4.0"
---

# General Federal Criminal Limitation and Refiling Statutes

## Propositions supported

Section 3281 supplies the no-limit rule for death-punishable offenses; § 3282 supplies the general five-year noncapital default and DNA-profile provision; §§ 3288 and 3289 supply bounded refiling periods after dismissal of a felony indictment or information.

## Material limitations

Chapter 213 contains other offense-specific periods and tolling rules. Accrual, continuing-offense treatment, superseding-indictment timeliness, and any refiling application require the actual charges, dates, dismissal basis, grand-jury schedule, and controlling precedent.

## Official sources

- <https://www.govinfo.gov/link/uscode/18/3281>
- <https://www.govinfo.gov/link/uscode/18/3282>
- <https://www.govinfo.gov/link/uscode/18/3288>
- <https://www.govinfo.gov/link/uscode/18/3289>


## Used in

- [Federal Charging and Commencement](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/10-investigation-and-charging/federal-charging-and-commencement.md)