Lapse of time does not bar the commonwealth.

Explanation

(English-origin maxim.) Statutes of limitation do not run against the sovereign — the state's claims are not barred by delay, because public rights belong to the whole people and cannot be forfeited by the negligence of officers.

Where this applies

• A state discovers that a road was illegally built across public land fifty years ago — the state's claim to reclaim the land is not barred by the passage of time.
• The government brings a fraud case against a contractor twenty years after the fraud occurred — the statute of limitations does not run against the commonwealth.
• A city finds that a developer encroached on public parkland decades ago — the city can still demand removal because lapse of time does not bar the public's rights.