California court deadline calculator
Pick a deadline and enter the trigger date. The result applies Cal. Code Civ. Proc. 12, 12a, 12b, 10; Cal. Rules of Court, rule 1.10 (counting, weekends and court holidays), service-method extensions where the law allows them, and the rule for that deadline, with each step and citation shown. Scope: Contra Costa County local rules are included below (marked with the court name), layered on these base rules. California superior court unlawful detainer proceedings (CCP 1159-1179a) and pre-filing landlord-tenant notices (CCP 1161, 1161b; Civ. Code 1946, 1946.1, 1946.2), writ of possession enforcement (CCP 715.010-715.020) and claims of right to possession (CCP 415.46, 1174.25, 1174.3), and limited civil appeals to the appellate division (CRC 8.822, 8.823). Local rent-control and just-cause ordinances, federal CARES Act 30-day notices, Section 8 and other subsidized-housing notice periods, and mobilehome (Civ. Code 798 et seq.) rules are not modeled.. Rules current as of 2026-10-23.
- Trigger (Date the 3-day notice was served on the tenant (CCP 1162 method)): Friday, November 6, 2026.
- Count 3 court days (Saturdays, Sundays, and court holidays are not counted): Thursday, November 12, 2026.
Cal. Code Civ. Proc. 1161(2) (operative Feb. 1, 2025)
three days’ notice, excluding Saturdays and Sundays and other judicial holidays, in writing, requiring its payment, stating the amount that is dueOfficial source
Cal. Code Civ. Proc. 12, 12a, 12b, 10; Cal. Rules of Court, rule 1.10
CCP 12: "The time in which any act provided by law is to be done is computed by excluding the first day, and including the last, unless the last day is a holiday, and then it is also excluded." CCP 12a(a): "If the last day for the performance of any act provided or required by law to be performed within a specified period of time is a holiday, then that period is hereby extended to and including the next day that is not a holiday. For purposes of this section, “holiday” means all day on Saturdays, all holidays specified in Section 135 and, to the extent provided in Section 12b, all days that by terms of Section 12b are required to be considered as holidays." CCP 12b: "If any city, county, state, or public office, other than a branch office, is closed for the whole of any day, insofar as the business of that office is concerned, that day shall be considered as a holiday for the purposes of computing time under Sections 12 and 12a." CCP 10: "Holidays within the meaning of this code are every Sunday and any other days that are specified or provided for as judicial holidays in Section 135."Official source
- The 3 days exclude Saturdays, Sundays and judicial holidays, so they are counted as court days. The result is the last day the tenant may pay; the UD complaint may be filed no earlier than the next court day. Service methods are in CCP 1162 (personal; leave with person of suitable age at residence or business AND mail; or post on the property AND deliver to a resident if found AND mail). AMBIGUITY (service method): CCP 1162 does not say when substituted or post-and-mail service is complete, and CCP 1013 mail extensions are not stated to apply to CCP 1161 notices. Courts have addressed this in case law, which was not fetched or verified here. A conservative landlord practice is to begin counting after the mailing date (or add days for mailing) before filing; tenants should count from the earliest service step. The engine applies no service-method adjustment. Commercial tenants: CCP 1162(b) methods. Landlord may not charge a fee for serving the notice (1161(6)).
- If the clerk's office is closed or inaccessible on the last day (weather, emergency or local closure orders), the deadline may be extended. Check local orders.
This calculator applies the cited rules to the dates you enter. It is not legal advice. Court orders, local rules, and case-specific facts can change a deadline; verify before relying on it. Rule set pending attorney review.
Track a case. Save its key dates once, get every deadline in one calendar feed for Outlook, Google or Apple, and it updates itself when the trial is continued or a rule changes.
Create a matterContra Costa County: other local timing requirements
- Fee-waiver litigant: request for court-provided reporter for unlimited civil law and motion hearings by 4:00 p.m. the court day before (email, fax, or phone); none provided where tentative ruling is uncontested. Contra Costa Super. Ct. Local Rule 2.53(a)(2)
- Fee-waiver litigant: probate court-provided reporter request on MC-30 received by 4:00 p.m. the court day before the hearing. Contra Costa Super. Ct. Local Rule 2.53(b)(1)
- Civil tentative rulings available from 1:30 p.m. the court day before the hearing; request argument by 4:00 p.m. that day and notify all other parties by 4:00 p.m. Contra Costa Super. Ct. Local Rule 3.43
- Civil Fast Track ex parte: OST applications must be accompanied by proposed moving papers; ex parte heard at times designated by each judge (see court website). Contra Costa Super. Ct. Local Rule 3.46
- Probate ex parte (incl. temporary conservatorship): notice to interested parties by 10:00 a.m. the day before the hearing (restates CRC 3.1203/3.1204); ex parte requests submitted to Probate Examiners 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. Contra Costa Super. Ct. Local Rule 7.104, 7.412; Probate Guideline Attachment 4(b)
- Probate tentative rulings generally available at least 7 court days before the hearing. Contra Costa Super. Ct. Local Rule Probate Guideline Attachment 4(c)
- Civil ex parte (unlimited and limited civil, unlimited UD; not family, probate, limited UD or restraining orders): notice to parties by 10:00 a.m. the day before; email notice to the department by 10:00 a.m. the court day before; papers served and submitted by 3:00 p.m. the day before; opposition by 10:00 a.m. the day of the ex parte determination; matters decided on the papers unless a hearing is ordered. Contra Costa Super. Ct. Standing Order 3.5, part I
- Motions for summary judgment/adjudication: hearing date must be reserved by email to the department before filing any moving papers. Contra Costa Super. Ct. Standing Order 3.5, part II.B
- Criminal ex parte applications to shorten or extend time: at least 24 hours' notice to the opposing party. Contra Costa Super. Ct. Local Rule 4.1(f)(1)
- Criminal motions: a filed motion may be dropped up to 48 hours before the appearance date on notice to opposing counsel and the court; within 48 hours the moving party must appear. Contra Costa Super. Ct. Local Rule 4.1(d)(2)
- Complex cases only (Contra Costa Dept. 16): at first appearance for trial lodge stipulations, uncontested MILs, joint statement of the case, Master Exhibit List and three exhibit binders/thumb drives, expert designation binder, Proposed Trial Schedule, Other Persons List, and jury instructions/verdict forms; each side names next court day's witnesses by the end of each court day. Contra Costa Super. Ct. Dept. 16 Pre-Trial Orders (rev. 2025), paras. 8, 10, 13, 24
- Complex/mass tort: Complex Litigation Department 16 (Judge Benjamin Reyes II): Department 16 Pre Trial Orders, Initial Case Assignment Order, sample issue conference and trial orders Complex cases heard in Dept. 16; department pretrial standing order and initial case assignment order set case schedules (documents not parsed). Local Rule 3.16 (Complex Litigation Cases) exists but its text could not be retrieved. Source
- Complex/mass tort: Complex Civil Litigation Department (Local Rule 3.16) Cases covered by CRC 3.400 assigned to designated Complex Civil Litigation Department; subject to procedures on court's Complex Litigation web page and Electronic Case Filing Standing Order. No fixed day-count schedule in rule. Source
Under Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.20, county rules cannot change statewide deadlines for pleadings, motions, discovery or ex parte applications; local rules that tried to were excluded from the calculator.
California evictions deadlines covered
Rules changelog · For developers: /api/deadlines?state=CA-UD and the calculate_deadline tool in the 1Court MCP server.