When Is a JNOV Motion Due in California?
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.
15 calendar days from the earliest of: the clerk's service of notice of entry under § 664.5, service by any party of written notice of entry, or 180 days after entry. CCP §§ 629, 659
What catches people out: It borrows the new trial deadline rather than having one of its own, which means the same 15 days and the same absence of any service extension.
A motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict has no independent period. Section 629 ties it to the time for moving for a new trial, so the deadline is the same 15 days from the earliest of the clerk's service of notice of entry, a party's service of written notice of entry, or 180 days after entry.
As with the new trial motion, the section 1013 extensions do not apply and the court cannot extend the period. Both motions sit in the small category of California deadlines where the arithmetic is simple and the consequence of getting it wrong is total.
The two motions are routinely filed together, and the standards differ in a way that matters to the drafting. A new trial motion asks for another trial; a JNOV asks the court to enter the opposite judgment on the evidence already presented, which requires that there be no substantial evidence supporting the verdict. Filing both preserves both arguments, and the deadline is the same day either way.
A JNOV motion also extends the time to appeal from the judgment under rule 8.108(d), on the same shape as the new trial extension: until the earliest of 30 days after service of the order denying it, 30 days after denial by operation of law, or 180 days after entry of judgment.
What the statute does not say on its face
- A motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict “shall be made within the period specified by Section 659 for the filing and service of a notice of intention to move for a new trial.” (Code Civ. Proc., § 629(b).) The full § 659(a) trigger set applies, including the 180-day outside limit, and § 659's bar on extension by order, stipulation, or § 1013 applies with it.
- Briefing follows § 659a; the hearing is set as under § 660; and the court's power to rule expires no later than its power to rule on a new trial motion, after which the motion is denied by operation of law.
- Typically filed together with a new trial motion.
Then the hearing clock starts
Filing on time is half of it. The hearing itself runs on CCP § 1005(b): 16 court days of notice before the hearing, opposition 9 court days before, reply 5 court days before. Electronic service pushes the moving papers to 18 court days. All of it counts backward across weekends and California court holidays, which is where most miscounts happen. The civil motion deadline calculator does both halves at once.
Common questions
How long do you have to file a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict in California?
15 calendar days from the earliest of: the clerk's service of notice of entry under § 664.5, service by any party of written notice of entry, or 180 days after entry, under CCP §§ 629, 659. Calendar days count weekends and holidays; if the last day lands on one, the deadline rolls to the next court day.
Does the method of service extend the motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict deadline?
No. This period takes no service extension at all, so the date is the same however the triggering papers were served. Adding days for mail here is how the deadline gets missed.
Can the motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict deadline be extended?
No. Nothing extends this deadline: not a stipulation between counsel, not a court order, and not good cause. Treat the date as fixed.
When are the opposition and reply due on a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict?
Opposition is due 9 court days before the hearing and the reply 5 court days before, under Code of Civil Procedure section 1005(b). Both are court days and both count backward from the hearing across weekends and California court holidays.
What catches people out on the motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict deadline?
It borrows the new trial deadline rather than having one of its own, which means the same 15 days and the same absence of any service extension.
Other motion deadlines
DemurrerAnti-SLAPP special motion to strikeMotion to strikeMotion to quash service of summonsMotion to compel further responsesMotion for reconsiderationMotion for new trial
This deadline was verified against the code on August 17, 2026. Every figure on this page is read from the same rules engine the calculators use, so it cannot disagree with them. See methodology.
Related: Civil motion deadlines · Response to a complaint · California court holidays · How these rules were verified · When the notice of appeal is due · Keep this date with the case
Rules current as of August 20, 2026 · CCP amendments through January 1, 2025 · engine v1.0.0