- Source
- calcourtdeadlines.com
- Rules
- 74 verified against the code
- Verified
- August 20, 2026
- Generated
- Thursday, August 20, 2026
California Litigation Deadline Chart
Every deadline this site computes, on one page, each with the code section behind it. 74 rules, verified against the code. Print it or save it as a PDF.
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.
A chart states the rule. It does not apply it. None of the dates below have been rolled forward past weekends and court holidays under CCP § 12a, and several move with the method of service. Use a calculator for an actual date.
Responding to a complaint
| How you were served | Response due | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Personal delivery | 30 days | CCP § 415.10 |
| Substituted service (left with someone, then mailed) | 40 days | CCP § 415.20(b) |
| First-class mail to a defendant outside California | 40 days | CCP § 415.40 |
| Notice and acknowledgment of receipt | 30 days from execution | CCP § 415.30(c) |
| Unlawful detainer, any method | 10 court days, plus 5 if mailed | CCP § 1167 |
Full detail and a calculator: response to a complaint. The base period is 30 days under CCP § 412.20(a)(3).
Written discovery responses
| Instrument | Days | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Interrogatories (Form or Special) | 30 | CCP § 2030.260(a) |
| Requests for Production | 30 | CCP § 2031.260(a) |
| Requests for Admission | 30 | CCP § 2033.250(a) |
Service extensions
| Method of service | Calendar days | Court days |
|---|---|---|
| Electronic service | none | +2 |
| Personal service | none | none |
| Mail within California | +5 | none |
| Mail outside California, within the U.S. | +10 | none |
| Mail outside the U.S. | +20 | none |
| Express mail / overnight delivery | none | +2 |
| Mail to a Safe at Home confidential address (address-confidentiality program) | +12 | none |
Motion trigger deadlines
| Motion | Deadline | Runs from |
|---|---|---|
| Motion to compel further responses CCP §§ 2030.300(c), 2031.310(c), 2033.290(c) | 45 days | service of the verified responses, extended by the method of service |
| Demurrer CCP § 430.40(a) | 30 days | service of the complaint, extended by the method of service |
| Motion to strike CCP §§ 435, 435.5 | 30 days | service of the pleading, extended by the method of service |
| Motion to quash service of summons CCP § 418.10(a) | 30 days | service of the summons, extended by the method of service |
| Anti-SLAPP special motion to strike CCP § 425.16(f) | 60 days | service of the complaint, extended by the method of service |
| Motion for reconsideration CCP § 1008(a) | 10 days | service of written notice of entry of the order, extended by the method of service |
| Motion for new trial CCP § 659(a) | 15 days | 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. No service extension applies |
| Motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict CCP §§ 629, 659 | 15 days | 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. No service extension applies |
Motion hearing notice
| Paper | Court days before hearing | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Moving papers filed and served | 16 | CCP § 1005(b) |
| Opposition | 9 | CCP § 1005(b) |
| Reply | 5 | CCP § 1005(b) |
Criminal motions run on a different clock: 10, 5 and 2 court days under rule of court 4.111. See criminal motion deadlines.
What this chart cannot do
Three things move every date above, and none of them fit in a table. Weekends and court holidays roll a deadline forward under section 12a, and California closes on four days that are not federal holidays, so an out-of-state calendar gets them wrong. The method of service changes both the start date and, on a notice period, the direction of the adjustment. And county local rules add trial-preparation deadlines this chart does not carry at all.
The court holiday calendar covers the first, every calculator handles the second, and county local rules covers the third. How each figure was verified is on the methodology page.
Civil rules verified against the code on August 20, 2026; motion rules on August 17, 2026. Every figure on this page is read from the same rules engine the calculators use, so the chart cannot disagree with them.
Rules current as of August 20, 2026 · CCP amendments through January 1, 2025 · engine v1.0.0