California Code of Civil Procedure – 2026
California's civil procedure is statutory, and this is the statute — 3,365 sections in four parts, from the courts themselves through to the miscellaneous provisions. Part 1 organises the courts of justice; Part 2, by far the largest, is the civil action itself and holds most of what a litigator reaches for daily: the summons and service, the demurrer and the pleadings, the anti-SLAPP special motion to strike at section 425.16, summary judgment at 437c, trial and jury selection, judgment and its enforcement, and the appeal. The Civil Discovery Act runs from section 2016.010 — depositions, interrogatories, inspection demands, requests for admission and the motions to compel that follow each. Small claims practice begins at section 116.110. Part 3 covers the special proceedings of a civil nature, including writs of mandate and prohibition, unlawful detainer, arbitration and eminent domain; Part 4 the miscellaneous provisions, among them the rules of evidence in particular cases and the general provisions on construing statutes. Fifteen sections the publisher prints in square brackets, such as section 2077 on construing the descriptive part of a conveyance, are substantive and are included.
Browse all 3365 rules of the 2026 edition organized by section below. Each rule includes the full text, a plain-English summary, committee notes, amendment history, and cross-references to related rules. Use the search box to find rules by keyword or number.