In every general civil case except complex cases and cases exempted under rules 3.712(b)–(d), 3.714(c)–(d), 3.735(b), 2.573(e), and 3.740(c), the court must review the case no later than 180 days after the filing of the initial complaint
Rule 3.721.Case management review
Division 7. Civil Case Management · Chapter 3. Case Management · Last amended 2007 · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceRule 3.721 sets the clock for the court's first look at a new general civil case, requiring the court to review the case no later than 180 days after the complaint is filed unless the case is complex or falls into one of several listed exemptions.
Full Text of Rule 3.721
Plain-English Summary
Rule 3.721 puts a number on when a court has to take its first real look at a new civil case. In every general civil case, unless the case is complex or falls into one of several listed exemptions, the court must review the case no later than 180 days after the initial complaint is filed.
That review does not happen in a vacuum — it is tied to the exemptions built into other rules across Division 7. Cases excused under Rule 3.712(b) through (d) (uninsured motorist, coordinated, or unanswered collections cases), Rule 3.714(c) or (d) (exceptional cases and expedited local plans), Rule 3.735(b), or Rule 3.740(c) do not fall under this 180-day requirement. What is left is the broad run of ordinary civil litigation, for which the 180-day mark functions as a backstop: the point by which the court has to have engaged with the case, typically through the case management conference process the rules that follow set up.
Frequently Asked Questions
How soon does a court have to review a new civil case?
No later than 180 days after the initial complaint is filed, unless the case is a complex case or falls into one of the exemptions listed in Rule 3.721.
Which cases are exempt from the 180-day review?
Complex cases and cases excused under Rules 3.712(b)–(d), 3.714(c)–(d), 3.735(b), and 3.740(c) — categories that include uninsured motorist cases, coordinated cases, unanswered collections cases, exceptional cases, and cases on an expedited local plan.
What form does the 180-day review typically take?
In most cases it happens through the initial case management conference process set out in Rule 3.722 and the rules that follow it.
Amendment History
Rule 3.721 amended effective July 1, 2007; 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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