San Mateo Ex Parte Deadlines: The Filing Clock Runs From the Hearing Hour
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.
The deadline is measured against the hearing hour, not the prior day. Rule 3.500(b) puts the ex parte application and proof of payment in the hands of the courtroom clerk for the assigned civil judge no later than 15 minutes from the time set for ex parte hearings. General civil ex parte is heard at 1:30 p.m., two days per week per department, and which two days is not published. So the papers move on the day of the hearing. Presiding Judge matters run on a separate clock: 2:15 p.m. on the date of the hearing under Rule 3.19(B), against a 2:00 p.m. hearing.
The deadline that actually catches people is not in the filing rule. Under Rule 3.500(e), which governs general civil, a party who wants to appear remotely must serve the moving papers including a proposed order on all parties, submit them in paper to the assigned judge, and pay the fee, by at least 10:00 a.m. two court days before the ex parte appearance. That is earlier than the notice deadline under the California Rules of Court, and it is the sharpest San Mateo deadline.
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 Mateo rule, in full
- Filing
- Measured against the hearing hour, not the prior day. Ex parte applications and proof of payment must be received directly by the courtroom clerk for the assigned civil judge no later than 15 minutes from the time set for ex parte hearings (Rule 3.500(b)). Presiding Judge matters: no later than 2:15 p.m. on the date of the hearing (Rule 3.19(B)).
- Reservation
- NOT FOUND for general civil. Rule 3.500 sets fixed department days and times instead of a reservation system.
- Notice
- Rule 3.500(a) incorporates all requirements of CRC 3.1200 et seq. IMPORTANT PRACTICAL TRAP: to appear REMOTELY, the moving papers including a proposed order must be served on all parties, submitted in paper to the assigned judge, and the fee paid, by at least 10:00 a.m. TWO COURT DAYS before the ex parte appearance (Rule 3.500(e)). That is the sharpest San Mateo deadline and it is earlier than the CRC notice deadline.
- 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
- General civil: 1:30 p.m., two days per week per department. Which two days is NOT published; confirm with the department. UD: Tuesdays and Fridays 1:30 p.m. in Dept. 30. Presiding Judge matters: 2:00 p.m. Monday to Friday.
- Trap
- Failure to present a proposed order at the time of presentation results in DENIAL of the application (Rule 3.500(c)). A courtesy copy must be emailed to the department or provided in hard copy at the hearing, with a subject line stating the case caption, "Ex Parte Application" or "Opposition to Ex Parte Application", and the hearing date and time.
- E-filing
- SPLIT REGIME. General civil ex parte filings MUST be e-filed (Rule 3.500(c)). But Presiding Judge matters must be submitted in PAPER and CANNOT be e-filed (Rule 3.19(D)). Two contradictory rules in the same county, split by which calendar the matter is on.
- Department variation
- Rule 3.500(a) itself sends you to the court website for your judge specific ex parte days.
- Rules relied on
- SMSC Rule 3.500 (general civil); Rule 3.19 (Presiding Judge calendar); Rule 3.1202 (UD)
- Edition read
- Local Court Rules as amended eff. Jul 1 2026; Rule 3.500 amended eff. Jan 1 2026. Court source
FAQ
What is the San Mateo ex parte filing deadline?
It runs off the hearing hour on the day of the hearing, not off the prior day. Under Rule 3.500(b) the ex parte application and proof of payment must be received directly by the courtroom clerk for the assigned civil judge no later than 15 minutes from the time set for ex parte hearings. General civil ex parte is heard at 1:30 p.m., two days per week per department, and which two days is not published. For Presiding Judge matters the deadline is 2:15 p.m. on the date of the hearing under Rule 3.19(B).
What do you have to do to appear remotely at a San Mateo general civil ex parte?
Rule 3.500(e), which governs general civil, requires that the moving papers including a proposed order be served on all parties, submitted in paper to the assigned judge, and the fee paid, by at least 10:00 a.m. two court days before the ex parte appearance. That is earlier than the notice deadline under California Rules of Court 3.1200 et seq., and it is the sharpest San Mateo deadline. Plan the remote appearance first and the notice second, not the other way around.
Do you e-file a San Mateo ex parte application?
It depends on which calendar the matter is on, and the two rules point opposite ways. General civil ex parte filings must be e-filed under Rule 3.500(c). Presiding Judge matters must be submitted in paper and cannot be e-filed under Rule 3.19(D). One county, two contradictory rules, split by calendar.
Do you have to reserve a San Mateo ex parte hearing?
No county-wide reservation requirement was found for general civil. Rule 3.500 sets fixed department days and times instead of a reservation system. That is not the same as having nothing to check: Rule 3.500(a) sends you to the court website for your judge's ex parte days, and the two days per week each department hears ex parte are not published.
What happens if you show up without a proposed order?
The application is denied. Rule 3.500(c) provides that failure to present a proposed order at the time of presentation results in denial. A courtesy copy must also be emailed to the department or provided in hard copy at the hearing, with a subject line stating the case caption, either Ex Parte Application or Opposition to Ex Parte Application, and the hearing date and time.
When are San Mateo ex parte applications heard?
General civil ex parte is heard at 1:30 p.m., two days per week per department. Which two days is not published, so confirm with the department. Unlawful detainer ex parte is heard Tuesdays and Fridays at 1:30 p.m. in Department 30. Presiding Judge matters are heard at 2:00 p.m. Monday to Friday.
What notice does San Mateo require to the other side?
Rule 3.500(a) incorporates all requirements of California Rules of Court 3.1200 et seq., so the statewide ex parte rules govern notice here. The local timing that runs earlier than the notice deadline under those rules is the remote appearance requirement in Rule 3.500(e), at 10:00 a.m. two court days before the appearance.
Related: Ex parte deadlines, all counties · County ex parte rule sheet · California court holidays
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