How close to trial may California summary judgment be heard?

The actual scheduled trial date

Verify the actual trial date and any order changing the hearing limit. A calculated boundary neither reserves a hearing nor proves the court will hear the motion.

Responsible actor. The moving party establishing a permissible hearing with the court. Use ordinary California civil summary judgment or summary adjudication under section 437c. Exclude unlawful detainer and other section 437c(s) possession proceedings, a changed court schedule, and additional actual closures. Establish the actual hearing or trial date independently.

1. The actual scheduled trial date
2. Verify the actual trial date and any order changing the hearing limit. A calculated boundary neither reserves a hearing nor proves the court will hear the motion.
3. Exclude the trial date and subtract thirty calendar days for the ordinary latest-hearing boundary. Intermediate closed days count. If the boundary is closed, this preset refuses a final hearing date rather than automatically moving it inside the statutory interval.
4. Obtain an actual hearing within the applicable trial-related limit or retain a good-cause order. Independently meet appearance, service and filing requirements.

The hearing or trial day is excluded. Calendar-day periods include intermediate weekends and judicial holidays. CCP 12c(b) counts service-method additions farther backward from the base notice date. CCP 12a supplies the next eligible day for final opposition and reply expiry; that later-date treatment cannot be reused as a service target that reduces the full minimum notice. The personal-service and latest-hearing presets refuse closed base boundaries. Rule 1.11 governs ordinary weekend holiday observance. The retained 2026 and 2027 judicial calendar includes Lincoln Day, March 31, Juneteenth, Native American Day and Thanksgiving Friday, and the December 31, 2027 New Year observance. CCP 135 excludes the identified Admission Day, Columbus Day, Lunar New Year, Diwali and Genocide Remembrance Day agency holidays. Actual additional court closures require separate proof.

For moving papers, CCP 437c(a)(2) adds five, ten or twenty calendar days by the recipient mailing address, and two court days for fax, express mail or other overnight delivery. CCP 1010.6 supplies its separate electronic-service treatment, including two court days where applicable and the next-court-day treatment of noncourt-day service. Establish valid service and the actual event. Section 437c(b)(6) excludes CCP 1005 and 1013 time extensions, preserving CCP 1005(c) delivery of opposition and reply by the next business-day close. Do not import the ordinary sixteen, nine or five court-day motion periods into summary judgment.

Section 437c is the retained edition effective January 1, 2025. These presets cover anchors on or after January 1, 2026 and final dates within the independently retained 2026 and 2027 judicial calendar. They require an actual open-day hearing or trial anchor, unchanged statutory periods and no additional closure. Historical editions, future amendments, court orders, actual outages and additional local requirements need separate review. The software coverage limit does not establish that an actual act is late.

Fictitious example

Use ordinary California civil summary judgment or summary adjudication under section 437c. Exclude unlawful detainer and other section 437c(s) possession proceedings, a changed court schedule, and additional actual closures. Establish the actual hearing or trial date independently. Actual trial date, no contrary good-cause order and an available hearing.

Fictitious facts within the stated coverage. No different court order, additional closure, unsupported service method or possession proceeding is assumed. The result does not prove the required acts or a reserved hearing.

Good-cause order

The thirty-day limit expressly permits the court to order otherwise for good cause. Retain the actual order and its terms.

Full notice remains separate

The hearing limit and eighty-one-day service requirement are distinct. A nominal total of 111 days does not resolve service additions, closed days, actual hearing availability or a changed trial date.

Responsive pleading

Filing the motion does not extend the time to file a responsive pleading. Do not replace that independent obligation with this hearing calculation.

Trial in possession proceedings

Subdivision (r) states that the section does not extend the section 1170.5 trial period. Subdivision (s) excludes the identified possession proceedings from (a) and (b).

Method and delivery requirements

For moving papers, CCP 437c(a)(2) adds five, ten or twenty calendar days by the recipient mailing address, and two court days for fax, express mail or other overnight delivery. CCP 1010.6 supplies its separate electronic-service treatment, including two court days where applicable and the next-court-day treatment of noncourt-day service. Establish valid service and the actual event. Section 437c(b)(6) excludes CCP 1005 and 1013 time extensions, preserving CCP 1005(c) delivery of opposition and reply by the next business-day close. Do not import the ordinary sixteen, nine or five court-day motion periods into summary judgment.

Edition and calendar coverage

Section 437c is the retained edition effective January 1, 2025. These presets cover anchors on or after January 1, 2026 and final dates within the independently retained 2026 and 2027 judicial calendar. They require an actual open-day hearing or trial anchor, unchanged statutory periods and no additional closure. Historical editions, future amendments, court orders, actual outages and additional local requirements need separate review. The software coverage limit does not establish that an actual act is late.

• Use ordinary California civil summary judgment or summary adjudication under section 437c. Exclude unlawful detainer and other section 437c(s) possession proceedings, a changed court schedule, and additional actual closures. Establish the actual hearing or trial date independently.
• The calculated component does not prove appearance, service, accepted filing, reservation or a permissible actual hearing.

• The actual scheduled trial date
• Verify the actual trial date and any order changing the hearing limit. A calculated boundary neither reserves a hearing nor proves the court will hear the motion.
• Obtain an actual hearing within the applicable trial-related limit or retain a good-cause order. Independently meet appearance, service and filing requirements.
• The thirty-day limit expressly permits the court to order otherwise for good cause. Retain the actual order and its terms.
• The hearing limit and eighty-one-day service requirement are distinct. A nominal total of 111 days does not resolve service additions, closed days, actual hearing availability or a changed trial date.
• Filing the motion does not extend the time to file a responsive pleading. Do not replace that independent obligation with this hearing calculation.
• Subdivision (r) states that the section does not extend the section 1170.5 trial period. Subdivision (s) excludes the identified possession proceedings from (a) and (b).
• Court electronic filing follows CCP 1010.6 and rules 2.253 and 2.259. Preserve receipt and accepted-filing confirmations, fees or waiver and the actual court requirements. Preparing, uploading or serving a document does not prove accepted filing. Rule 2.259(c) has the stated court-system-failure relief and excludes complaints and other initial pleadings. Paper filing requires actual court receipt and the office procedure. A computed date does not reserve a hearing.