The award shall be made within the time fixed therefor by the agreement or, if not so fixed, within such time as the court orders on petition of a party to the arbitration. The parties to the arbitration may extend the time either before or after the expiration thereof. A party to the arbitration waives the objection that an award was not made within the time required unless he gives the arbitrators written notice of his objection prior to the service of a signed copy of the award on him.
§ 1283.8.Time For Making Award
Title 9. Arbitration · Chapter 3. Conduct of Arbitration Proceedings · Enacted 1961 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1283.8 requires an arbitration award to be made within the time the agreement fixes, or a court-ordered time if the agreement is silent, allows the parties to extend that deadline, and treats an objection that the award was untimely as waived unless the arbitrators receive written notice of it before the signed award is served.
Full Text of § 1283.8
Plain-English Summary
An arbitration award has to come within a deadline, and this section says where that deadline comes from. If the arbitration agreement fixes a time for the award, that time controls. If it does not, the deadline is whatever the court orders on a party's petition. Either way, the parties to the arbitration remain free to extend the deadline themselves, whether they do so before or after it has already expired.
The section also sets a trap for anyone who wants to challenge a late award: the objection has to be raised in writing to the arbitrators before a signed copy of the award is served. A party who waits until after service to complain that the award came too late has waived the objection -- timing the complaint correctly is not optional.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if the arbitration agreement doesn't set a deadline for the award?
A party can petition the court to set the time within which the award must be made.
Can the parties agree to extend the time for making the award?
Yes, either before or after the original deadline expires.
What must a party do if it believes the award came too late?
Give the arbitrators written notice of the objection before the signed award is served -- otherwise the objection is waived.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1961, Ch. 461.
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: time limit arbitration award californialate arbitration award objection