Use this skill whenever the user asks about timing or deadlines in a California civil case. Triggers include "when is my answer due California", "compute the deadline", "how many court days", "what's the opposition brief deadline", "I was served — when do I have to respond", "when does my discovery response have to go out", "California motion notice requirement", "CCP 1005", "CCP 12", "calendar days vs court days California", "mail service adds days California", "summary judgment timeline California CCP 437c", "how long do I have to file a motion to vacate California", "exemption claim deadline California", "FDCPA statute of limitations", "Rosenthal Act statute of limitations", "when does the discovery cutoff hit", "CMC statement deadline". Computes court-day and calendar-day deadlines under Code Civ. Proc., § 12 and § 1013 using Govt. Code § 6700 California state holidays (including Day after Thanksgiving), covers the extended service rules under CCP § 1010.6 for e-service and CCP § 1013 for mail, and catalo
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Use this skill whenever the user asks about timing or deadlines in a California civil case. Triggers include "when is my answer due California", "compute the deadline", "how many court days", "what's the opposition brief deadline", "I was served — when do I have to respond", "when does my discovery response have to go out", "California motion notice requirement", "CCP 1005", "CCP 12", "calendar days vs court days California", "mail service adds days California", "summary judgment timeline California CCP 437c", "how long do I have to file a motion to vacate California", "exemption claim deadline California", "FDCPA statute of limitations", "Rosenthal Act statute of limitations", "when does the discovery cutoff hit", "CMC statement deadline". Computes court-day and calendar-day deadlines under Code Civ. Proc., § 12 and § 1013 using Govt. Code § 6700 California state holidays (including Day after Thanksgiving), covers the extended service rules under CCP § 1010.6 for e-service and CCP § 1013 for mail, and catalogs key California civil deadlines (answer, demurrer, motion notice, opposition, reply, CMC statement, discovery cutoff, summary judgment, and post-judgment). Deterministic date arithmetic is delegated to scripts/case-calendar.py. Composes with ca-first-30-days, ca-discovery, ca-post-judgment, and ca-file-packet.
This skill computes deadlines in California civil cases — when
to answer, file or respond to motions, serve discovery, claim
exemptions, and the statutes of limitations that bound new
actions.
NOT LEGAL ADVICE. Verify every deadline against the current
rule and statute. The legislature can amend the Code of Civil
Procedure without notice.
How time is computed in California
Code Civ. Proc., § 12 — the fundamental rule
Exclude the first day (day of the act, event, or default
triggering the period).
Include the last day of the period.
If the last day is a holiday or weekend: the period extends
to the next court day (Code Civ. Proc., § 12a).
If the last day for filing or service falls on a Saturday, Sunday,
or a judicial holiday, the period extends to the next day that is
not a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday.
Court days vs. calendar days
Many California deadlines are measured in court days (also
called "judicial days"). A court day is any day that the court is
open for business — Monday through Friday excluding judicial
holidays. Other deadlines are measured in calendar days
(including weekends and holidays, with extension only if the last
day falls on a non-court day).
Confirm whether a specific deadline uses court days or calendar
days by reading the governing statute or rule.
Code Civ. Proc., § 12c — court day defined
A "court day" is a day that the court is open for business,
i.e., Monday through Friday excluding judicial holidays listed
in Govt. Code § 6700.
Observed-day rule: when a holiday falls on a Saturday, courts
observe it on the preceding Friday; when it falls on a Sunday,
courts observe it on the following Monday. Verify per-county
closures — some courts observe additional closures.
Note — Cesar Chavez Day (March 31): while it is a state
employee holiday under Govt. Code § 6700, many superior courts do
not close on Cesar Chavez Day. Verify whether the specific court
will be open before relying on this date as a holiday.
Note — Lincoln's Birthday (Feb. 12): historically observed;
largely phased out. Do not assume courts close on Feb. 12.
Service additions
Code Civ. Proc., § 1013 — mail service
When service is by mail, additional time is added to any
period requiring response or act:
Distance
Additional days
Within California
5 calendar days
Outside California, within U.S.
10 calendar days
Outside U.S.
20 calendar days
The 5-day addition is for the period within which the served
party must perform an act. It applies only when the triggering
act was service by mail; it does NOT apply when the triggering
act was filing or a court order.
Code Civ. Proc., § 1010.6 — electronic service
When service is by electronic means (e-service through an e-
filing system or by email/fax):
Add 2 court days to any response period (Code Civ. Proc.,
§ 1010.6(a)(3)(B)).
Note: mandatory e-filing systems in LASC and many other
counties deliver e-service at the time of filing; the 2-court-
day addition still applies to the opposing party's response
period.
Deterministic computation
Use the bundled scripts/case-calendar.py for date arithmetic:
# Compute the answer deadline — 30 calendar days from service# on 2025-04-15
python3 plugins/ca-court-docs/scripts/case-calendar.py \
--from 2025-04-15 --rule answer-due
# Compute a custom deadline — 16 court days from a given date
python3 plugins/ca-court-docs/scripts/case-calendar.py \
--from 2025-04-15 --days 16 --mode court
# List all known rules
python3 plugins/ca-court-docs/scripts/case-calendar.py --rules
The script encodes Code Civ. Proc., §§ 12, 12a, 1013, 1010.6
and Govt. Code § 6700 holidays.
Deadlines by procedural posture
Initial response (defendant)
Trigger
Deadline
Authority
Personal service (in California)
30 calendar days from date of service
Code Civ. Proc., § 412.20(a)(3)
Service by mail within California (with acknowledgment)
30 days from signing of acknowledgment
§ 415.30(c)
Service by publication
30 days from date of completion of publication
§ 415.50
Substituted service (deliver + mail)
30 days from the date service was deemed complete (10 days after mailing date)
§ 415.20(b); § 415.20(c)
Defendant served outside California
40 calendar days
§ 412.20(a)(4)
Demurrer overruled
10 days after service of the ruling
§ 430.30(c)
Motion practice — timing
Event
Timing
Authority
Motion notice minimum
16 court days before hearing
Code Civ. Proc., § 1005(b)
Opposition deadline
9 court days before hearing
§ 1005(b)
Reply deadline
5 court days before hearing
§ 1005(b)
Service of motion (adds to above)
Mail: +5 calendar days; e-service: +2 court days
§§ 1013, 1010.6
Meet-and-confer before demurrer
At least 5 days before demurrer deadline
§ 430.41(a)(3)
Meet-and-confer before motion to strike
At least 5 days before MTS deadline
§ 435.5(a)(3)
Practical note on motion notice: if the motion is served by
mail (within California), the 16-court-day notice period is
extended by 5 calendar days under § 1013, making the minimum
notice effectively 16 court days + 5 calendar days.
Case Management Conference (CMC)
Event
Timing
Authority
CMC statement due
15 calendar days before the CMC
Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.725
CMC scheduling
Typically within 180 days of filing of complaint
CRC 3.722
Discovery
Event
Timing
Authority
Interrogatory response
30 days after service; or 45 if served with complaint
Code Civ. Proc., § 2030.260(a)
RFP response
30 days after service; or 45 if served with complaint
§ 2031.260(a)
RFA response
30 days after service; or 45 if served with complaint
§ 2033.250(a)
Deposition notice — party
At least 10 days
§ 2025.270(a)
Deposition notice — non-party (subpoena)
At least 15 days
§ 2020.410(c)
Motion to compel further responses (after timely response)
45 days after service of response
§ 2030.300(c); § 2031.310(c)
Discovery cutoff before trial
30 days before trial
§ 2024.020(a)
Discovery motion cutoff
15 days before trial
§ 2024.020(a)
Expert exchange
50 days before trial (simultaneous) OR per court order
§ 2034.230
Summary judgment
Event
Timing
Authority
MSJ/MSA notice
75 days before hearing date
Code Civ. Proc., § 437c(a)(2)
MSJ/MSA opposition
14 days before hearing
§ 437c(b)(2)
MSJ/MSA reply
5 days before hearing
§ 437c(b)(4)
MSJ/MSA filing cutoff
Must be heard at least 30 days before trial (unless court allows later)
§ 437c(a)(3)
Mail/e-service additions apply: if the MSJ is served by mail,
add 5 calendar days to the 75-day notice period. If served by e-
service, add 2 court days.
Post-judgment
Event
Timing
Authority
Motion to vacate default (§ 473 discretionary)
Within 6 months of entry of order/judgment
Code Civ. Proc., § 473(b)
Motion to vacate default (§ 473 mandatory, attorney fault)
Within 6 months of entry
§ 473(b)
Motion to vacate void judgment (§ 473(d))
No time limit
§ 473(d)
Motion for new trial
Within 15 days of service of notice of entry of judgment
§ 659
Motion to vacate judgment after non-jury trial (§ 663)
Within 15 days of service of notice of entry
§ 663a
Notice of appeal (limited civil)
30 days from service of notice of entry of judgment
CRC 8.822
Notice of appeal (unlimited civil)
60 days from service of notice of entry of judgment
Exclude April 15 (day of service). Start counting April 16.
30 days → May 15, 2025 (Thursday). May 15 is a court day.
Answer due May 15, 2025.
Example 2: Opposition to motion
Motion served by mail on Friday, April 25, 2025.
The hearing is set for Monday, May 19, 2025.
§ 1005(b) — opposition due 9 court days before hearing.
9 court days before May 19 = count back: May 18 (Sun — skip),
May 17 (Sat — skip), May 16 (1), May 15 (2), May 14 (3),
May 13 (4), May 12 (5), May 9 (6), May 8 (7), May 7 (8),
May 6 (9) = May 6, 2025.
Service was by mail (+5 calendar days). Does the mail extension
apply to the opposition deadline? No — the 5-day mail addition
applies to the time to respond to a served document, not to
the opposition deadline which is keyed to the hearing date. The
opposition remains due May 6.
Opposition due May 6, 2025.
Example 3: Summary judgment timeline
Trial date: Monday, September 8, 2025.
MSJ notice must be at least 75 days before the hearing. The
last possible hearing date that is at least 30 days before trial
(September 8): on or before August 9, 2025.
Work backward from August 9: 75 days earlier = May 26, 2025
(Memorial Day — court holiday). Extend to next court day:
May 27, 2025.
MSJ must be filed and served no later than May 27, 2025 for a
hearing on August 9.
Opposition due 14 days before August 9 = July 26, 2025.
Reply due 5 days before August 9 = August 4, 2025.
Example 4: Notice of appeal (unlimited civil)
Judgment entered on the docket; notice of entry of judgment
served on Friday, April 18, 2025.
CRC 8.104(a)(1) — 60 days from service of notice of entry.
60 days from April 18 = June 17, 2025 (Tuesday).
Notice of appeal due June 17, 2025.
Common deadline-computation mistakes
Mistake
Consequence
Including the day of service
Off-by-one; early deadline
Forgetting the 5-day mail addition for § 1013
Under-served opposition period
Confusing court days and calendar days
Wrong deadline (often shorter than actual)
Forgetting to extend for the holiday or weekend on the last day
Missed deadline
Confusing the 16-court-day motion notice rule with calendar days
Improperly noticed motion
Missing Cesar Chavez Day (March 31) — checking if court is open
Varies by court; verify
Missing the Day after Thanksgiving (some practitioners skip it)
Off by one day
Using 30-day summary judgment notice instead of 75-day California notice
Invalid MSJ; court may take it off calendar
When in doubt, file early
Late filings in California civil cases can be fatal — motions to
vacate, notices of appeal, and exemption claims all have strict
deadlines. Build a 5–7 day buffer whenever possible.
Cross-references
scripts/case-calendar.py — deterministic date arithmetic
