Kern Ex Parte Deadlines: Noon to File, and No Oral Argument by Default
Not legal advice. Rules attested September 29, 2026; last full pass August 17, 2026. Verify every date yourself. Read the full disclaimer
Each verified rule carries its own date on the methodology page, all of them September 29, 2026: the date the maintaining attorney last attested it. The last full pass, signed off on August 17, 2026, checked the rules against their official sources (the code, the California Rules of Court, or for court holidays the Judicial Council calendar), with the exceptions listed on the about page. Rules still awaiting sign-off are listed on the methodology page as not yet verified. County local rules are paraphrased summaries. Individual department and judge standing orders are included only where the court publishes them and we have read the document, so assume your own department has requirements beyond what you see here. Verify every date against the operative code sections, your court's rules and your department's own order before relying on it. Using this site creates no attorney-client relationship.
Kern publishes both halves of the ex parte clock, and then takes the argument away. Rule 3.4(e) makes decision on the papers the default: an ex parte request is decided solely on the moving papers without oral argument or comment by counsel, though the judge may exempt a matter. The deadlines still measure back from a scheduled hearing, so there is a date to calculate and the calculator below calculates it. What the rule does not give you by default is a chance to speak at it. The hearing time itself is not published, and Rule 3.3.1 says only that law and motion matters are heard per the applicable courtroom schedules.
The second thing to get right is the channel. Kern requires pre-clearance rather than a reservation. All ex parte matters must be pre-cleared with the Clerk's Office, and Rule 3.3.1 states that the law and motion phone reservation system does not apply to ex parte. Reaching for that line out of habit is calling the wrong place. Then the hours split. Notice goes to all parties no later than 10:00 a.m. on the court day prior to the scheduled hearing, in accordance with California Rules of Court, rule 3.1203(a) and (b). The application and supporting paperwork are due by 12:00 p.m. the same day. Two hours, one morning, both written into the local rule.
Your dates
The rule, before you enter anything
Notify all parties no later than 10:00 a.m. on the court day before the ex parte appearance. CRC 3.1203(a). That is a clock deadline, not a date deadline. It is not extended by mail or electronic service, and if the day before the hearing is not a court day the deadline moves to the preceding court day, never the following one.
Then there is the county filing deadline, which is usually the one that bites. Enter a date and pick your county.
The Kern rule, in full
- Filing
- All applications and supporting paperwork must be filed no later than 12:00 p.m. the court day prior to the scheduled hearing (Rule 3.4(a) and (b)). Note that Kern splits the two deadlines: notice at 10:00 a.m., filing at noon.
- Reservation
- Required as pre-clearance rather than a courtroom reservation: "All ex parte matters must be pre-cleared with the Clerk's Office." Applications requiring notice are noticed in the Civil Division or Direct Calendar Court for a ruling. No lead time specified. Note that Rule 3.3.1 expressly states the law and motion phone reservation system does not apply to ex parte.
- Notice
- Written into the local rule: "Notice must be provided to all parties no later than 10:00 a.m. on the court day prior to the scheduled hearing, in accordance with California Rule of Court, rule 3.1203(a)(b)." No earlier local requirement.
- Opposition
- Nothing recorded. This site holds no finding either way on a county-wide opposition deadline here, which is not the same as a finding that none exists.
- When heard
- Not published. Rule 3.3.1 says only that law and motion matters are heard per applicable courtroom schedules. Rule 3.4(e) makes no oral argument the default. Ex parte requests are decided "solely on the moving papers without oral argument or comment by counsel," though the judge may exempt a matter.
- E-filing
- Mandatory for represented parties in all limited and unlimited civil (Rule 1.10, rev. Jan 1 2025). EFS-007/EFS-008 hardship exemption available.
- Department variation
- Rule 3.4 routes matters to the Civil Division or Direct Calendar Court. Only the Presiding or Direct Calendar Judge, or a designee, signs ex parte orders, and counsel "shall not seek to have ex parte orders signed by judges other than those assigned by the Presiding Judge" (Rule 3.4(c)-(d)). No published ex parte standing order was found.
- Rules relied on
- KCSC Local Rule 3.4 (Ex Parte Applications and Orders); Rule 1.10 (e-filing)
- Edition read
- Local Rules eff. Jul 1 2026; Rule 3.4 eff. Jul 1 2003, rev. Jan 1 2020. Court source
FAQ
What is the Kern ex parte filing deadline?
12:00 p.m. on the court day prior to the scheduled hearing. Rule 3.4(a) and (b) require all applications and supporting paperwork to be filed no later than that hour.
Is there oral argument on a Kern ex parte application?
Not by default. Rule 3.4(e) provides that ex parte requests are decided solely on the moving papers without oral argument or comment by counsel, though the judge may exempt a matter from that default. The deadlines are still written against a scheduled hearing. No court-wide ex parte hearing time is published. Rule 3.3.1 says only that law and motion matters are heard per the applicable courtroom schedules.
When is ex parte notice due in Kern?
10:00 a.m. on the court day prior to the scheduled hearing. The local rule writes it out: notice must be provided to all parties by that hour, in accordance with California Rules of Court, rule 3.1203(a) and (b). There is no earlier local requirement. Note that this is two hours before the papers are due, so notice goes out first and the filing follows by noon.
Do you reserve a Kern ex parte hearing?
Not through the reservation system. Kern requires pre-clearance with the Clerk's Office instead. All ex parte matters must be pre-cleared there, and applications requiring notice are noticed in the Civil Division or Direct Calendar Court for a ruling. Rule 3.3.1 expressly states that the law and motion phone reservation system does not apply to ex parte. No lead time for pre-clearance is specified.
Which judge signs a Kern ex parte order?
Only the Presiding Judge or the Direct Calendar Judge, or a designee. Rule 3.4 routes matters to the Civil Division or Direct Calendar Court. The signing restriction is Rule 3.4(c) and (d): counsel shall not seek to have ex parte orders signed by judges other than those assigned by the Presiding Judge. No published ex parte standing order was found for the county.
Is there an opposition deadline for a Kern ex parte?
Nothing recorded. This site holds no finding either way on a county-wide opposition deadline here, which is not the same as a finding that none exists. Whatever the answer turns out to be, Rule 3.4(e) still governs the hearing itself: by default the request is decided solely on the moving papers, without oral argument or comment by counsel.
Is e-filing mandatory in Kern?
Yes for represented parties, in all limited and unlimited civil cases, under Rule 1.10 as revised January 1, 2025. A hardship exemption is available on forms EFS-007 and EFS-008.
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Related: Ex parte deadlines, all counties · County ex parte rule sheet · California court holidays · Kern County trial binder rules · Kern County trial document templates
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