The rules on jury instructions in chapter 4 of division 8 of title 2 of these rules apply to civil cases.
Rule 3.1560.Application
Division 15. Trial · Chapter 7. Jury Instructions · Adopted 2007 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceRule 3.1560 confirms that the jury instruction rules found elsewhere in the California Rules of Court govern civil cases, folding a general set of instruction procedures into civil trial practice instead of restating them separately.
Full Text of Rule 3.1560
Plain-English Summary
Rule 3.1560 is a bridge, not a new source of law. Rather than laying out its own procedure for proposing, exchanging, and settling jury instructions, it points to a set of instruction rules that live elsewhere in the California Rules of Court and applies them to civil cases.
That structure keeps the instruction rules in one place instead of duplicating them for every category of case that uses juries. Civil litigants preparing proposed instructions, objecting to an opponent’s proposed instructions, or asking the court to settle the final charge to the jury follow that shared set of procedures rather than a separate civil-only version.
Placed where it sits in Division 15, right after the rules governing jury selection and expedited jury trial mechanics and just before the rule on requesting special jury findings, Rule 3.1560 marks the point where the trial rules shift from managing the jury itself to shaping what the jury is told and asked to decide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do civil cases follow separate jury instruction rules in California?
No. Rule 3.1560 applies the general jury instruction rules found elsewhere in the California Rules of Court to civil cases, rather than creating a separate civil-only set of instruction procedures.
Where is the actual procedure for requesting jury instructions found?
In the jury instruction rules that Rule 3.1560 references, not in Rule 3.1560 itself, which only extends those rules to civil practice.
Does Rule 3.1560 change how jury instructions are requested in a civil trial?
No. It applies the existing instruction rules to civil cases without altering the procedures those rules set for requesting, objecting to, or settling instructions.
Amendment History
Rule 3.1560 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
Also known as: do jury instruction rules apply to civil cases CaliforniaCRC rule 3.1560 applicationCalifornia civil jury instructions governing rule