San Joaquin Ex Parte Deadlines: A Rolling 24-Hour Clock

Not legal advice. Rules checked against the code on August 20, 2026. Verify every date yourself. Read the full disclaimer

Core CCP rules were checked against Westlaw (via CoCounsel legal research) on August 20, 2026. County local rules are paraphrased summaries; individual department standing orders are NOT included. Verify every date against the operative code sections and your court’s rules before relying on it. Using this site creates no attorney-client relationship.

Sixteen of the seventeen counties on this site set an ex parte filing deadline as a clock time on a named day: noon the court day before, 10:00 a.m. the court day before. San Joaquin is the exception. Papers and fees are due no later than 24 hours before the requested hearing date and time, so a 9:00 a.m. hearing and a 3:00 p.m. hearing on the same day have deadlines six hours apart.

The sequencing is the other thing to get right. Approval by the Law and Motion Judge is a prerequisite to filing, not to being heard. You obtain the approval and the schedule from the assigned civil courtroom first, and only then file. A practitioner who files and then seeks a date has done it in the wrong order.

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 San Joaquin rule, in full

Filing: A ROLLING 24-HOUR CLOCK, not a clock-time cutoff, and the only one of the 17 counties structured this way: "The party shall file the moving papers and any applicable filing fee due no later than 24 hours prior to the requested hearing date and time." Proof of service must be on file before the scheduled hearing.
Approval and scheduling: Required, and it is a hard prerequisite to FILING: "Ex parte matters must be approved and scheduled by the Law and Motion Judge by his or her clerk prior to filing documents in the clerk’s office." Contact the assigned civil courtroom for approval before filing. Does not include unlawful detainers. No lead time specified.
Notice: No San Joaquin-specific clock time. Rule 3-114(B) requires only "reasonable notice," orally or in writing, of the time and place, and counsel should be prepared to explain the efforts made to give informal notice. CRC 3.1203 governs. Verified absence.
Opposition: Not published county-wide.
When heard: Not published. Rule 3-103(B) permits remote appearance at ex parte hearings via the audio bridge unless the tentative ruling or the court requires in person.
E-filing: NOT mandatory. Local Rule 6 states only that the court "allows" electronic filing for specific case types. No mandatory e-filing provision was found. Treat as permissive.
Department variation: Rule 3-101 puts civil cases on direct calendaring, assigned to one judicial officer for all purposes at filing, and ex parte scheduling routes to the assigned civil courtroom clerk. No published department standing orders were found.
Rules relied on: SJSC Local Rule 3-106 (Ex Parte Applications and Orders); Rule 3-114 (Chambers Conferences and Ex Parte Matters)
Edition read: Local Rules eff. Jul 1 2026; Rules 3-106 and 3-114 eff. Jan 1 2018. Court source

What is not here

The lead time for approval, because the rule does not state one. That is the number you actually need and the only place to get it is the assigned civil courtroom. Unlawful detainers sit outside the approval requirement entirely.

FAQ

What is the San Joaquin ex parte filing deadline?

A rolling 24 hours. The moving papers and any filing fee are due no later than 24 hours prior to the requested hearing date and time, which is measured against the hearing itself rather than against a clock time on the previous day. Proof of service must be on file before the scheduled hearing.

Do you need approval before filing an ex parte in San Joaquin?

Yes, and it comes before filing rather than before being heard. Ex parte matters must be approved and scheduled by the Law and Motion Judge through the clerk prior to filing documents in the clerk's office. Contact the assigned civil courtroom for approval first. Unlawful detainers are excluded, and no lead time is specified.

Is there a San Joaquin specific ex parte notice deadline?

No clock time. Rule 3-114(B) requires only reasonable notice, orally or in writing, of the time and place, and counsel should be prepared to explain what efforts were made to give informal notice. CRC 3.1203 governs, so the statewide 10:00 a.m. the court day before applies.

Is e-filing mandatory in San Joaquin?

No. Local Rule 6 states only that the court allows electronic filing for specific case types, and no mandatory e-filing provision was found. Treat it as permissive.

Can you appear remotely for a San Joaquin ex parte hearing?

Rule 3-103(B) permits remote appearance at ex parte hearings via the audio bridge, unless the tentative ruling or the court requires an appearance in person.

Practicing in another county? Compare all 17 county rules.