Motion for attorney fees, unlimited civil: 180-day outer limit after entry of judgment

180 days after date of entry of judgment, under Cal. Rules of Court, rules 3.1702(b)(1), 8.104(a)(1)(C).

Rule text

CRC 3.1702(b): "(1) Time for motion A notice of motion to claim attorney's fees for services up to and including the rendition of judgment in the trial court-including attorney's fees on an appeal before the rendition of judgment in the trial court-must be served and filed within the time for filing a notice of appeal under rules 8.104 and 8.108 in an unlimited civil case or under rules 8.822 and 8.823 in a limited civil case." CRC 8.104(a)(1): "... (C) 180 days after entry of judgment."

Cal. Rules of Court, rules 3.1702(b)(1), 8.104(a)(1)(C), official source

Calculate this deadline

Deadline
Wednesday, May 5, 2027
  1. Trigger (Date of entry of judgment): Friday, November 6, 2026.
  2. Exclude the trigger day and count 180 calendar days: Wednesday, May 5, 2027.
Rules applied
Cal. Rules of Court, rules 3.1702(b)(1), 8.104(a)(1)(C)
CRC 3.1702(b): "(1) Time for motion A notice of motion to claim attorney's fees for services up to and including the rendition of judgment in the trial court-including attorney's fees on an appeal before the rendition of judgment in the trial court-must be served and filed within the time for filing a notice of appeal under rules 8.104 and 8.108 in an unlimited civil case or under rules 8.822 and 8.823 in a limited civil case." CRC 8.104(a)(1): "... (C) 180 days after entry of judgment."
Official 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
  • Applies when no notice of entry or filed-endorsed copy was served. Borrowed from the notice-of-appeal period; the EARLIEST applicable alternative controls, and any CRC 8.108 / 8.823 extension of the appeal time (e.g., after a new trial motion) also extends this time. Parties may stipulate, by a stipulation filed before the time expires, to extend to 60 days (unlimited) or 30 days (limited) after the appeal time expires, or, if a notice of appeal is filed, to the time for the costs-on-appeal memorandum (3.1702(b)(2)); the trial judge may extend for good cause (3.1702(d)). Extensions set to none: CCP 1013 / 1010.6 do not extend the notice-of-appeal period; whether they extend this borrowed period is not stated (conservative). Fees fixed by formula without court determination are claimed in the memorandum of costs instead (3.1702(e)). Rule 3.1702 amended eff. July 1, 2013.
  • 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.
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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 entry of judgment on Monday, March 15, 2027, personal service: due Monday, September 13, 2027.

  1. Trigger (Date of entry of judgment): Monday, March 15, 2027.
  2. Exclude the trigger day and count 180 calendar days: Saturday, September 11, 2027.
  3. That day is a Saturday, so the deadline moves to the next court day: Monday, September 13, 2027 (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. 12, 12a, 12b, 10; Cal. Rules of Court, rule 1.10).

Notes

Applies when no notice of entry or filed-endorsed copy was served. Borrowed from the notice-of-appeal period; the EARLIEST applicable alternative controls, and any CRC 8.108 / 8.823 extension of the appeal time (e.g., after a new trial motion) also extends this time. Parties may stipulate, by a stipulation filed before the time expires, to extend to 60 days (unlimited) or 30 days (limited) after the appeal time expires, or, if a notice of appeal is filed, to the time for the costs-on-appeal memorandum (3.1702(b)(2)); the trial judge may extend for good cause (3.1702(d)). Extensions set to none: CCP 1013 / 1010.6 do not extend the notice-of-appeal period; whether they extend this borrowed period is not stated (conservative). Fees fixed by formula without court determination are claimed in the memorandum of costs instead (3.1702(e)). Rule 3.1702 amended eff. July 1, 2013.

Related deadlines

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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.