This chapter shall apply to any civil action otherwise within the scope of this chapter in which a party to the action is a public agency or public entity.
§ 1141.27.Applicability to Public Agency Or Public Entity
Title 3. Of Summary Proceedings · Chapter 2.5. Judicial Arbitration · Enacted 1978 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1141.27 confirms that this chapter's judicial arbitration requirements apply to any civil action otherwise within its scope even when a public agency or public entity is a party to the action.
Full Text of § 1141.27
Plain-English Summary
Government defendants don't get a pass from judicial arbitration. Section 1141.27 states plainly that this chapter applies to any civil action that otherwise falls within its scope, even when a public agency or public entity is one of the parties.
Read alongside § 1141.28's cost provisions, this section means a governmental party is treated like any private litigant for purposes of arbitration eligibility — the same $50,000 threshold, the same procedures, and the same trial de novo rights and risks apply regardless of who's on the other side of the caption.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does judicial arbitration apply to lawsuits against a city, county, or state agency?
Yes. Section 1141.27 makes this chapter applicable to any qualifying civil action even where a public agency or public entity is a party.
Are the arbitration procedures different when the government is a defendant?
No. The same chapter, including the same thresholds and trial de novo rules, governs the case regardless of whether a party is public or private.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1978, Ch. 743.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 29, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: judicial arbitration against government californiapublic entity arbitration california