The rules in this chapter govern ex parte applications and orders in civil cases, unless otherwise provided by a statute or a rule. These rules may be referred to as “the ex parte rules.”
Rule 3.1200.Application
Division 11. Law and Motion · Chapter 4. Ex Parte Applications · Adopted 2007 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceRule 3.1200 states that the rules in this chapter set the general procedure for ex parte applications and orders in civil cases, except where some other statute or rule already covers the situation, and gives this set of rules its shorthand name: the ex parte rules.
Full Text of Rule 3.1200
Plain-English Summary
Ex parte requests — asking a court to act before the other side has a normal chance to respond — come up constantly in civil litigation, and they need a baseline set of rules to keep them consistent. This rule establishes that this chapter supplies that baseline, governing ex parte applications and orders in civil cases across the board.
That baseline gives way whenever a more specific statute or rule already addresses the situation — this chapter is not meant to override rules written for a particular kind of ex parte request elsewhere in the law. The chapter also picks up a shorthand name here: the rules that follow are referred to collectively as the ex parte rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this rule cover?
The general procedure that governs ex parte applications and orders in civil cases.
Does this chapter apply to every ex parte request?
Only when no other statute or rule already governs that particular kind of ex parte request.
What does the ex parte rules refer to?
The shorthand name this chapter gives itself for the rules governing ex parte applications and orders.
Amendment History
Rule 3.1200 adopted effective January 1, 2007.
Source & verification. Rule text is reproduced verbatim from
the Judicial Council of California. Adopted by the Judicial Council of California.
Last verified July 29, 2026.
· Official source
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