(a) General application The rules in this chapter prescribe the procedures for the management of all applicable court cases. These rules may be referred to as “the case management rules.” (Subd (a) amended and lettered effective February 26, 2013; adopted as unlettered subd.)
Rule 3.720.Application
Division 7. Civil Case Management · Chapter 3. Case Management · Last amended 2020 · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceRule 3.720 marks the start of the case management chapter, applying its procedures to every case in which a court sets an initial case management conference, while letting courts exempt case types by local rule if they have alternative processing procedures such as judicial arbitration or mediation in place.
Full Text of Rule 3.720
(b) Suspension of rules A court by local rule may exempt specified types or categories of general civil cases from the case management rules in this chapter, provided that the court has in place alternative procedures for case processing and trial setting for such actions, including, without limitation, compliance with Code of Civil Procedure sections 1141.10 et seq. and 1775 et seq. The court must include the alternative procedures in its local rules. (Subd (b) amended effective January 1, 2020; adopted effective February 26, 2013; previously amended effective January 1, 2016.)
(c) Rules when case management conference set In any case in which a court sets an initial case management conference, the rules in this chapter apply. (Subd (c) adopted effective February 26, 2013.)
Plain-English Summary
Chapter 3 of Division 7 holds the rules most California civil litigants will run into directly — the case management conference apparatus, referred to throughout the rules as the case management rules. Rule 3.720 opens that chapter by defining its reach: these rules apply to every case in which a court sets an initial case management conference.
Courts do not have to apply this chapter to every case type, though. A court can exempt specified categories of general civil cases by local rule, but only if it has alternative procedures in place for processing those cases and setting them for trial — including, where relevant, compliance with the judicial arbitration statutes in Code of Civil Procedure section 1141.10 and following, or the civil mediation statutes in section 1775 and following. Those alternative procedures have to be written into the court's local rules, not left informal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Rule 3.720 cover?
It opens Chapter 3 of Division 7, the case management rules, and states that they apply to every case in which a court sets an initial case management conference.
Can a court exempt certain cases from the case management rules?
Yes, by local rule, but only if the court has alternative case-processing and trial-setting procedures in place for those case types and has written those procedures into its local rules.
What are the case management rules?
The rules in Chapter 3 of Division 7, which set out the case management conference process and related procedures for managing California civil cases from filing toward resolution.
Does this rule mention judicial arbitration or mediation?
Yes. It notes that a court's alternative case-processing procedures may include compliance with the judicial arbitration statutes at Code of Civil Procedure section 1141.10 and following, or the civil mediation statutes at section 1775 and following.
Amendment History
Rule 3.720 amended effective January 1, 2020; adopted effective January 1, 2007; previously amended effective February 26, 2013, and January 1. 2016.
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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