Election contest hearing: earliest date (not less than 10 days from the order setting hearing)
10 days after date of the presiding judge's order designating the time and place of hearing, under Cal. Elec. Code 16500, 16520, 16540.
Rule text
16500: Within five days after the end of the time allowed for filing statements of contest, the clerk of the superior court shall notify the superior court of the county of all statements filed. The presiding judge shall forthwith designate the time and place of hearing, which time shall be not less than 10 nor more than 20 days from the date of the order. 16520: The presiding judge shall forthwith designate the time and place of hearing, which shall be not less than 10 nor more than 20 days from the date of the order. 16540: ... who shall forthwith designate the time and place of hearing, the time for which shall be not less than 10 nor more than 20 days from the date of the order.
Calculate this deadline
- Trigger (Date of the presiding judge's order designating the time and place of hearing): Friday, November 6, 2026.
- Exclude the trigger day and count 10 calendar days: Monday, November 16, 2026.
Cal. Elec. Code 16500, 16520, 16540
16500: Within five days after the end of the time allowed for filing statements of contest, the clerk of the superior court shall notify the superior court of the county of all statements filed. The presiding judge shall forthwith designate the time and place of hearing, which time shall be not less than 10 nor more than 20 days from the date of the order. 16520: The presiding judge shall forthwith designate the time and place of hearing, which shall be not less than 10 nor more than 20 days from the date of the order. 16540: ... who shall forthwith designate the time and place of hearing, the time for which shall be not less than 10 nor more than 20 days from the date of the order.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." Elec. Code 15: "Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if the last day for the performance of any act provided for or required by this code shall be a holiday, as defined in Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 6700) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code, the act may be performed upon the next business day with the same effect as if it had been performed upon the day appointed.For purposes of this section, the Friday in November immediately after Thanksgiving Day shall be considered a holiday."Official source
- Court duty, informational: lets counsel check the hearing date is within the statutory window. 16500 (general elections), 16520 (primary, other than recount), 16540 (primary recount). Roll 'none' (window boundary). See el_contest_hearing_latest_20_days.
- 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 of the presiding judge's order designating the time and place of hearing on Monday, March 15, 2027, personal service: due Thursday, March 25, 2027.
- Trigger (Date of the presiding judge's order designating the time and place of hearing): Monday, March 15, 2027.
- Exclude the trigger day and count 10 calendar days: Thursday, March 25, 2027.
Notes
Court duty, informational: lets counsel check the hearing date is within the statutory window. 16500 (general elections), 16520 (primary, other than recount), 16540 (primary recount). Roll 'none' (window boundary). See el_contest_hearing_latest_20_days.
Related deadlines
- General election contest on bribery / offense-against-franchise grounds (Elec. Code 16100(c)): statement of contest within 6 months (6 months after)
- General election contest in case of a tie: statement of contest within 20 days (20 days after)
- Contest involving presidential electors: statement of contest within 10 days (10 days after)
- General election contest on all other grounds: statement of contest within 30 days (30 days after)
- Primary election contest (Elec. Code 16101): file affidavit within 5 days after completion of official canvass (5 days after)
- Primary election contest involving a recount (16101(e)): file affidavit within 5 days after completion of official canvass; mail copy same day (5 days after)
- Primary contest (other than recount): defendant's answer and cross-contest affidavit within 5 days after receipt of affidavit (5 days after)
- Primary recount contest: defendant's affidavit designating additional precincts (within 3 days after contestant files affidavit of mailing) (3 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 2026-10-27. Confirm against the official source and any local rule or court order before relying on a date. Rules changelog.