(a) Setting hearing; notice Within 15 days after the appointment of the arbitrator, the arbitrator must set the time, date, and place of the arbitration hearing and notify each party and the administrator in writing of the time, date, and place set. (Subd (a) amended and lettered effective January 1, 2004; adopted as part of unlettered subd.)
Rule 3.817.Arbitration hearings; notice; when and where held
Division 8. Alternative Dispute Resolution · Chapter 2. Judicial Arbitration · Last amended 2007 · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceThis rule tells the arbitrator to set the hearing’s time, date, and place within fifteen days of appointment, keeps hearings off weekends and holidays and at least thirty days out absent agreement, and requires the whole hearing to wrap up within ninety days of the case being assigned.
Full Text of Rule 3.817
(b) Date of hearing; limitations Except upon the agreement of all parties and the arbitrator, the arbitration hearing date must not be set:
(1) Earlier than 30 days after the date the arbitrator sends the notice of the hearing under
(a) ; or
(2) On Saturdays, Sundays, or legal holidays. (Subd (b) amended and lettered effective January 1, 2004; adopted as part of unlettered subd.)
(c) Hearing completion deadline The hearing must be scheduled so as to be completed no later than 90 days from the date of the assignment of the case to the arbitrator, including any time due to continuances granted under rule 3.818. (Subd (c) amended effective January 1, 2007; adopted as part of unlettered subd; previously amended and relettered effective January 1, 2004.)
(d) Hearing location The hearing must take place in appropriate facilities provided by the court or selected by the arbitrator. (Subd (d) amended effective January 1, 2004.)
Plain-English Summary
Once an arbitrator takes on a case, the clock starts running. Rule 3.817 gives the arbitrator fifteen days to pick a time, date, and place for the hearing and to notify every party and the administrator in writing. That notice period matters because it also sets the earliest the hearing can happen: absent agreement from everyone involved, the hearing cannot be scheduled less than thirty days after the arbitrator sends notice, and it cannot land on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday.
The rule also imposes an outer boundary. The whole hearing, not just its start, has to be completed within ninety days of the date the case was assigned to the arbitrator, and any continuances granted under rule 3.818 count against that same ninety-day window rather than extending it. Finally, the rule leaves the physical setting flexible: the hearing takes place wherever the court provides suitable facilities, or wherever the arbitrator selects instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
How soon after appointment must an arbitrator schedule the hearing?
Within fifteen days of being appointed, the arbitrator must set the hearing’s time, date, and place and notify every party and the administrator in writing.
Is there a minimum notice period before the hearing can take place?
Yes. Unless all parties and the arbitrator agree otherwise, the hearing cannot be set earlier than thirty days after the arbitrator sends the hearing notice, and it cannot fall on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday.
Is there a deadline for finishing the arbitration hearing?
Yes. The hearing has to be completed within ninety days of the date the case was assigned to the arbitrator, and any continuance granted under rule 3.818 counts within that same ninety-day period.
Where does the arbitration hearing take place?
In appropriate facilities that the court provides or that the arbitrator selects.
Amendment History
Rule 3.817 amended and renumbered effective January 1, 2007; adopted as rule 1611 effective July 1, 1976; previously amended effective July 1, 1979, and January 1, 1992; previously amended and renumbered as rule 1607 effective January 1, 2004.
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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