This act shall be known as the Code of Civil Procedure, and is divided into four parts, as follows: 1. Of Courts of Justice. 2. Of Civil Actions. 3. Of Special Proceedings of a Civil Nature. 4. Miscellaneous Provisions.
§ 1.Citation of act
Preliminary Provisions · Last amended 1967 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1 names the statute the Code of Civil Procedure and divides it into four parts — Courts of Justice, Civil Actions, Special Proceedings of a Civil Nature, and Miscellaneous Provisions.
Full Text of § 1
Plain-English Summary
Section 1 is the code’s own label and map. It names the statute — the Code of Civil Procedure — and lays out the four parts that follow: Part 1 covers the courts themselves, Part 2 covers ordinary civil lawsuits, Part 3 covers special proceedings that don’t fit the ordinary-lawsuit mold, and Part 4 gathers whatever is left over.
That fourth part once held the law of evidence. When the Legislature created a separate Evidence Code in 1965, it renamed Part 4 “Miscellaneous Provisions” to match what remained there. Section 1 still reflects that change today.
None of this creates rights or duties on its own. It’s the framework a reader needs before working through the rest of the code.
Official Comment
The following official comments are published by the California Law Revision Commission (and, for a few older sections, its predecessor Code Commissioners) alongside the statute itself — not commentary from this site.
Law Revision Commission Comment. The title of Part IV has been changed to reflect the fact that the evidence provisions in Part IV have been placed in the Evidence Code. [Recommendations, January 1965]
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the four parts of the California Code of Civil Procedure?
Section 1 lists them: Courts of Justice, Civil Actions, Special Proceedings of a Civil Nature, and Miscellaneous Provisions.
Why is Part 4 called “Miscellaneous Provisions” instead of something about evidence?
Part 4 once covered evidence law, but the Legislature moved those provisions into a separate Evidence Code in 1965 and renamed Part 4 to match what was left.
Amendment History
Enacted 1872. Amended Stats 1965 ch 299 § 15, operative January 1, 1967.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: CCP section 1what is the Code of Civil Procedurefour parts of the CCPcitation of the California Code of Civil Procedure