Information must be filed within 15 days after holding order
15 days after date the defendant was held to answer, under Cal. Pen. Code 1382(a)(1); Cal. Rules of Court, rule 4.110(1).
Rule text
Pen. Code 1382(a): "The court, unless good cause to the contrary is shown, shall order the action to be dismissed in the following cases:(1) When a person has been held to answer for a public offense and an information is not filed against that person within 15 days." CRC 4.110(1): "The information must be filed within 15 days after a person has been held to answer for a public offense"
Cal. Pen. Code 1382(a)(1); Cal. Rules of Court, rule 4.110(1), official source
Calculate this deadline
- Trigger (Date the defendant was held to answer): Friday, November 6, 2026.
- Exclude the trigger day and count 15 calendar days: Saturday, November 21, 2026.
- That day is a Saturday, so the deadline moves to the next court day: Monday, November 23, 2026 (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. 12, 12a, 10; Gov. Code 6800, 6804, 6806; Cal. Rules of Court, rule 1.10 (for periods set by the Rules of Court)).
Cal. Pen. Code 1382(a)(1); Cal. Rules of Court, rule 4.110(1)
Pen. Code 1382(a): "The court, unless good cause to the contrary is shown, shall order the action to be dismissed in the following cases:(1) When a person has been held to answer for a public offense and an information is not filed against that person within 15 days." CRC 4.110(1): "The information must be filed within 15 days after a person has been held to answer for a public offense"Official source
Cal. Code Civ. Proc. 12, 12a, 10; Gov. Code 6800, 6804, 6806; Cal. Rules of Court, rule 1.10 (for periods set by the Rules of Court)
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.(b) This section applies to Sections 659, 659a, and 921, and to all other provisions of law providing or requiring an act to be performed on a particular day or within a specified period of time, whether expressed in this or any other code or statute, ordinance, rule, or regulation." 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." Gov. Code 6800: "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." Gov. Code 6804: "“Month” means a calendar month, unless otherwise expressed." Gov. Code 6806: "A day is the period of time between any midnight and the midnight following." CRC 1.10(a): "The time in which any act provided by these rules is to be performed is computed by excluding the first day and including the last, unless the last day is a Saturday, Sunday, or other legal holiday, and then it is also excluded." CRC 1.10(b): "Unless otherwise provided by law, if the last day for the performance of any act that is required by these rules to be performed within a specific period of time falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or other legal holiday, the period is extended to and includes the next day that is not a holiday."Official source
- Dismissal unless good cause is shown. CRC 4.110(2): arraignment on the information must be held on the date the information is filed or as soon thereafter as the court directs.
- 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.
Worked example
Date the defendant was held to answer on Monday, March 15, 2027, personal service: due Tuesday, March 30, 2027.
- Trigger (Date the defendant was held to answer): Monday, March 15, 2027.
- Exclude the trigger day and count 15 calendar days: Tuesday, March 30, 2027.
Notes
Dismissal unless good cause is shown. CRC 4.110(2): arraignment on the information must be held on the date the information is filed or as soon thereafter as the court directs.
Related deadlines
- Earliest appearance date on a citation (notice to appear) (10 days after)
- Preliminary examination within 10 court days of arraignment or plea (10 court days after)
- Preliminary examination: 60-day outer limit (60 days after)
- Suppression motion at preliminary examination: file and personally serve (5 court days before)
- People's written response to suppression motion at preliminary examination (2 court days before)
- Plea or notice of intent to demur after arraignment on information or indictment (7 days after)
Local rules by county
County local rules and courtroom procedures can add to or change this deadline. Pick a county to calculate with them applied.
- Alameda
- Alpine
- Amador
- Butte
- Calaveras
- Colusa
- Contra Costa
- Del Norte
- El Dorado
- Fresno
- Glenn
- Humboldt
- Imperial
- Inyo
- Kern
- Kings
- Lake
- Lassen
- Los Angeles
- Madera
- Marin
- Mariposa
- Mendocino
- Merced
- Modoc
- Mono
- Monterey
- Napa
- Nevada
- Orange
- Placer
- Plumas
- Riverside
- Sacramento
- San Benito
- San Bernardino
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Joaquin
- San Luis Obispo
- San Mateo
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Clara
- Santa Cruz
- Shasta
- Sierra
- Siskiyou
- Solano
- Sonoma
- Stanislaus
- Sutter
- Tehama
- Trinity
- Tulare
- Tuolumne
- Ventura
- Yolo
- Yuba
Rules current as of 2026-10-25. Confirm against the official source and any local rule or court order before relying on a date. Rules changelog.