The present tense includes the past and future tenses; and the future, the present.
§ 1235.050.Present Tense
Title 7. Eminent Domain Law · Chapter 2. Principles of Construction; Definitions · Article 1. Construction · Enacted 1975 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1235.050 provides a tense-conversion rule so that verbs written in the present tense in the Eminent Domain Law also cover the past and future tenses, and verbs in the future tense also cover the present.
Full Text of § 1235.050
Plain-English Summary
Legal drafting can't spell out every tense a verb might need, so this section supplies a shortcut. Under § 1235.050, the present tense used anywhere in this title includes the past and future tenses as well, and the future tense includes the present.
The effect is that a rule written as "the court determines" isn't limited to some narrow present moment -- it also reaches what the court determined earlier or will determine later, without requiring the drafter to write out every tense every time a duty or a power is described.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the Eminent Domain Law need a rule about verb tenses?
So a provision written in one tense -- present or future -- isn't read too narrowly to exclude the other tenses it's meant to cover.
Does this rule apply anywhere else in California statutes, or only here?
Section 1235.050 states the rule specifically for this title, though similar tense-construction rules commonly appear across California codes.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1975, Ch. 1275.
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: present tense future tense statutory construction california