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California courts

What is the deadline for three year rule: bringing an action to trial again after new trial, mistrial or reversal?

The period for three year rule: bringing an action to trial again after new trial, mistrial or reversal normally runs 3 years from the order granting a new trial or declaring a mistrial, or the filing of the remittitur in the trial court where the judgment is reversed on appeal, under Code of Civil Procedure s 583.320(a). The period is measured in calendar years.

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Period
3 years
Trigger
The order granting a new trial or declaring a mistrial, or the filing of the remittitur in the trial court where the judgment is reversed on appeal
Rule
Code of Civil Procedure s 583.320(a)
California Rules of Court

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Calculate your deadline

Enter the date of the order granting a new trial or declaring a mistrial, or the filing of the remittitur in the trial court where the judgment is reversed on appeal. See the date, cited rule and counting steps.

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Which date starts the 3 years period?

The period runs from the order granting a new trial or declaring a mistrial, or the filing of the remittitur in the trial court where the judgment is reversed on appeal.

Count forward from the trigger event. Confirm the event on the docket or in the service record before entering a date.

If a new trial is granted in the action the action shall again be brought to trial within the following times: (1) If a trial is commenced but no judgment is entered because of a mistrial or because a jury is unable to reach a decision, within three years after the order of the court declaring the mistrial or the disagreement of the jury is entered. (2) If after judgment a new trial is granted and no appeal is taken, within three years after the order granting the new trial is entered. (3) If on appeal an order granting a new trial is affirmed or a judgment is reversed and the action remanded for a new trial, within three years after the remittitur is filed by the clerk of the trial court.

Code of Civil Procedure s 583.320(a)
Read California Rules of Court
Use the event the rule names.

This period runs from the specific event in the cited rule. Do not substitute a nearby date such as a hearing, a courtesy copy or the day you first learned of it.

Which date do I enter?

How are the 3 years counted?

  1. Exclude the day of the trigger event.
  2. Count every following day, including intermediate Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays.
  3. If the last day is a Saturday, Sunday or California legal holiday, continue to the next day that is not one of those.

Exclude the trigger day and count calendar days under Code of Civil Procedure ss 12, 12a, 12b, 12c.

If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday in the California calendar, the computation rule carries it to the next open day.

California computes time under Code of Civil Procedure ss 12, 12a, 12b, 12c. The applied calendar bundles the state legal holidays for the covered years; court-specific closures and emergency orders are not bundled.

Read Code of Civil Procedure ss 12, 12a, 12b, 12c
National rules do not establish local facts.

The calculation gives the ordinary national-rule date. Check relevant holidays, the court’s accessibility and its filing cutoff separately.

Review the filing checklist

What does a worked calculation look like?

Fictitious example

Assume the order granting a new trial or declaring a mistrial, or the filing of the remittitur in the trial court where the judgment is reversed on appeal on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 (the order granting a new trial or declaring a mistrial, or the filing of the remittitur in the trial court where the judgment is reversed on appeal on this date, with no order, motion or extension affecting the period), with no order, motion, extension or local closure affecting the result. Exclude the trigger day and count calendar days under Code of Civil Procedure ss 12, 12a, 12b, 12c. The last counted day falls on a weekend or legal holiday, so the deadline moves to the next open day. The example assumes no local rule, order or closure changes the default period.

Example counting steps
StepWhat is countedDate
TriggerDo not count this daySeptember 1, 2026
Period ends3 years measured under the cited ruleSeptember 3, 2029
Example resultMonday, September 3, 2029
Try these dates using the worked-example button

Can an order, motion or extension change the deadline?

Extensions
Same mandatory regime as the five year rule: extension only by written stipulation or oral agreement in open court under CCP 583.330, and exclusions only under CCP 583.340.
Orders and local rules
A scheduling order, stipulation approved by the court, standing order or local rule can set a different period and controls over the national default.
  • Same mandatory regime as the five year rule: extension only by written stipulation or oral agreement in open court under CCP 583.330, and exclusions only under CCP 583.340.
  • A stipulation, scheduling order, standing order or local rule can set a different period and controls over the national default.

What should I check before filing?

These checks help you review the result. They do not activate a calendar date or certify that the deadline applies.

Common questions

Find answers about when this 3 years period starts, how it is counted, what can change it and how to keep your calculation.

Starting the clock

Does the clock start on the order granting a new trial or declaring a mistrial, or the filing of the remittitur in the trial court where the judgment is reversed on appeal, or when I first learned of it?

The period runs from the order granting a new trial or declaring a mistrial, or the filing of the remittitur in the trial court where the judgment is reversed on appeal as the rule defines it, not from the day you read about it, received a courtesy copy or attended a hearing. Use the date shown on the docket or in the service record.

Counting days and filing

Which time zone and filing cutoff apply?

California filing rules and the court’s electronic filing system set the cutoff. This calculator does not verify filing hours or system availability.

Code of Civil Procedure ss 12, 12a, 12b, 12c

What if the court is inaccessible on the last day?

Code of Civil Procedure ss 12, 12a, 12b, 12c and the court’s administrative orders govern an inaccessible clerk’s office. Check the court’s notices. This calculator does not predict a closure.

Code of Civil Procedure ss 12, 12a, 12b, 12c

Extensions and local rules

Can the court extend this deadline?

Same mandatory regime as the five year rule: extension only by written stipulation or oral agreement in open court under CCP 583.330, and exclusions only under CCP 583.340. A request does not itself extend the period, and no discretionary extension is calculated here.

Do local rules, standing orders or a scheduling order change the date?

They can. Many courts set their own periods by local rule, standing order or case-specific order, and those control over the national default. This calculator gives the national-rule date only; compare it with any order in the case before relying on it.

Choosing the right calculator

Does this calculator decide whether the rule applies to my case?

No. It calculates a period from the date you provide under the cited rule. It does not decide whether the rule governs your filing, whether an exception applies, or whether the filing has merit. Those questions need separate review.

Can I calculate the deadline without an account?

Yes. Enter the trigger date to see the free national-rule calculation, citation, counting steps and warnings. You can add court context after the result. Missing court review keeps the result provisional.

Results, records and your case

What is included in an Evidence Record?

The retained inputs, result, cited rule, calculation working, warnings and review state. The PDF includes a payload digest and retained-data appendix, and the record can be verified against its fingerprint later. It records the calculation, not a guarantee of legal correctness.

Does saving to a case activate the calendar?

Not automatically. Provisional records remain subject to review. A separately labeled manual date does not alter the original calculation.

Official sources and review

The period and the counting method come from different provisions. The official source is the court’s published rules; the reading links open the rule text at the Legal Information Institute.

Provisions used in this guide
ProvisionPurpose
Code of Civil Procedure s 583.320(a)Trigger and period
Code of Civil Procedure ss 12, 12a, 12b, 12cCounting, holidays and the last day
Read the official California Rules of Court

Rule record reviewed . Guide sources checked . Next source check .

Published by Deadline Engine. This tool calculates the ordinary period under the cited rule. It does not decide whether the rule applies, obtain an extension or file anything for you.

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