California Court Deadlines

California civil motion deadlines

california_motion_deadlines

Read-only

Compute the California Code of Civil Procedure section 1005 briefing chain for a noticed civil motion: the last day to file and serve the moving papers, the opposition deadline, the reply deadline, and, for motions that must be brought within a period after a triggering event (demurrer, motion to strike, anti-SLAPP, motion to quash, motion to compel further, reconsideration, new trial, JNOV), the outside deadline to bring the motion at all. New trial and JNOV are the exception to the section 1005 chain: they are briefed under section 659a, counted forward (brief 10 days after the notice of intention is filed, opposition 10 days after the brief is served, reply 5 days after that), with the section 660(c) last day for the court to rule. Returns each date with the statute it rests on and whether it was moved off a weekend or judicial holiday: forward under section 12a for a period that runs forward, or back to the preceding court day for a count backward from the hearing, which is this site's stated convention. Use this instead of computing California motion deadlines yourself.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`role`	No	Whether you are bringing the motion (moving) or responding to it (responding).
`motion`	Yes	Which motion. compel-further = Motion to compel further responses; compel-initial = Motion to compel initial responses; protective-order = Motion for protective order; demurrer = Demurrer; motion-to-strike = Motion to strike; judgment-on-pleadings = Motion for judgment on the pleadings; quash-service = Motion to quash service of summons; anti-slapp = Anti-SLAPP special motion to strike; msj = Motion for summary judgment / adjudication; reconsideration = Motion for reconsideration; new-trial = Motion for new trial; jnov = Motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict; preference = Motion for trial preference; reopen-discovery = Motion to reopen discovery; compel-arbitration = Motion to compel arbitration; ex-parte = Ex parte application
`entry_date`	No	new-trial and jnov only: the date judgment was entered. Section 659(a)(2) ends the time 180 days after entry if that comes before 15 days after notice of entry, and with no notice of entry served it is the only limit. Give it whenever it is known.
`hearing_date`	Yes	The hearing date, as reserved with the department. EXCEPT for new-trial and jnov, which are briefed under section 659a and do not count back from a hearing: for those, give the date the notice of intention was filed (moving party) or the date the moving brief was served on you (responding party).
`trigger_date`	No	For a motion that must be brought within a period after an event, the date of that event (for a demurrer to a complaint served with the summons, the date service of the summons was complete, see trigger_papers; for new-trial and jnov, the first service of notice of entry of judgment, by the clerk or by any party). Omit for motions timed only off the hearing date.
`service_method`	Yes	How the MOVING PAPERS will be served. This drives the section 1005(b) notice period. For new-trial and jnov it is how the moving brief is served, which extends the section 659a opposition period under section 1013, and under section 1010.6 for electronic service made before January 1, 2027. From that date electronic service adds no time (AB 540, Stats. 2026, ch. 263). Not the same question as trigger_service_method.
`trigger_papers`	No	For demurrer, motion-to-strike and anti-slapp only: which papers started the clock. summons = the complaint or cross-complaint served with a summons (the default); trigger_date is then the date service was COMPLETE (delivery for personal service, the 10th day after mailing for substituted service or mail outside California, the signing date for notice and acknowledgment), and no service extension applies. served = an amended complaint, or a cross-complaint served on a party that has appeared; 30 days (60 for anti-slapp) after service, extended under sections 1013 and 1010.6 by trigger_service_method. answer = an answer or amended answer (demurrer and motion-to-strike only); 10 days after service, extended the same way. Ignored for other motions.
`trigger_service_method`	No	How the TRIGGERING papers were served ON the moving party. This is a different question from service_method and only this one extends the time to BRING the motion under section 1013. It never extends a period that runs from service of a summons: section 1016 takes service of a summons outside sections 1010.6 and 1013, so for a complaint served with the summons it is ignored. The common case is a complaint served personally and a demurrer served electronically. Defaults to personal, which adds nothing, so an unknown answer errs early rather than granting days that were not earned.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed4 schema fields changedSep 28, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / entry_date

Added value: +{
+  "description": "new-trial and jnov only: the date judgment was entered. Section 659(a)(2) ends the time 180 days after entry if that comes before 15 days after notice of entry, and with no notice of entry served it is the only limit. Give it whenever it is known.",
+  "pattern": "^\\d{4}-\\d{2}-\\d{2}$",
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / trigger_date / description

Previous value: -"For a motion that must be brought within a period after an event, the date of that event (for a demurrer, the date the complaint was served). Omit for motions timed only off the hearing date."New value: +"For a motion that must be brought within a period after an event, the date of that event (for a demurrer to a complaint served with the summons, the date service of the summons was complete, see trigger_papers; for new-trial and jnov, the first service of notice of entry of judgment, by the clerk or by any party). Omit for motions timed only off the hearing date."

addedInput schema / properties / trigger_papers

Added value: +{
+  "description": "For demurrer, motion-to-strike and anti-slapp only: which papers started the clock. summons = the complaint or cross-complaint served with a summons (the default); trigger_date is then the date service was COMPLETE (delivery for personal service, the 10th day after mailing for substituted service or mail outside California, the signing date for notice and acknowledgment), and no service extension applies. served = an amended complaint, or a cross-complaint served on a party that has appeared; 30 days (60 for anti-slapp) after service, extended under sections 1013 and 1010.6 by trigger_service_method. answer = an answer or amended answer (demurrer and motion-to-strike only); 10 days after service, extended the same way. Ignored for other motions.",
+  "enum": [
+    "summons",
+    "served",
+    "answer"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / trigger_service_method / description

Previous value: -"How the TRIGGERING papers were served ON the moving party. This is a different question from service_method and only this one extends the time to BRING the motion under section 1013. The common case is a complaint served personally and a demurrer served electronically. Defaults to personal, which adds nothing, so an unknown answer errs early rather than granting days that were not earned."New value: +"How the TRIGGERING papers were served ON the moving party. This is a different question from service_method and only this one extends the time to BRING the motion under section 1013. It never extends a period that runs from service of a summons: section 1016 takes service of a summons outside sections 1010.6 and 1013, so for a complaint served with the summons it is ignored. The common case is a complaint served personally and a demurrer served electronically. Defaults to personal, which adds nothing, so an unknown answer errs early rather than granting days that were not earned."

First observedSep 25, 2026

TDQS

A4.1/5.0

Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations only cover safety (readOnlyHint, openWorldHint=false); the description carries the real behavioral burden and does so richly: it explains the § 1005 chain versus the § 659a/§ 660(c) exception for new trial and JNOV, the § 12a forward vs backward roll convention for weekends and judicial holidays, and that each returned date carries its statutory basis. It also flags a site-specific convention the agent could not otherwise infer.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The purpose and output list are front-loaded in the first sentence, and the new trial/JNOV exception is placed after the general rule where it belongs. It is dense and statute-heavy but each sentence carries substantive content; the new-trial paragraph mildly duplicates the schema's entry_date/hearing_date descriptions, which keeps it from a perfect score.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a complex, statute-driven calculator with 8 parameters, 5 enums, and no output schema, the description supplies what the structured fields cannot: the rule hierarchy, the exception chains, the roll convention, and the shape of the return value (date plus governing statute plus holiday adjustment). An agent has everything needed to call it correctly.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100%, so the baseline is 3, but the prose adds conceptual framing beyond the schema: it clarifies that trigger_service_method is a different question from service_method and never extends a summons-based period, and that unknown input defaults to personal so it errs early. That interpretive context is genuinely additive even though the per-parameter details live in the schema.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose4/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description names a specific verb (compute) and resource (the California CCP § 1005 briefing chain plus the outside deadline to bring certain motions), and enumerates the exact outputs (moving, opposition, reply dates). It is very clear about what it does. However, it never distinguishes itself from siblings such as california_summary_judgment_deadlines, even though "msj" appears in its own motion enum, leaving a real routing ambiguity unaddressed.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines3/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The only usage direction is the closing "Use this instead of computing California motion deadlines yourself," which is a recommendation rather than routing guidance. It implies context (civil, noticed motions, California) but gives no when-not conditions and never names the alternative tools in the same family (criminal deadlines, SJ deadlines, response-to-complaint deadline) that an agent must choose between.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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