For the purposes of Section 1297.13, the states of the United States, including the District of Columbia, shall be considered one state.
§ 1297.15.States of United States Considered One State
Title 9.3. Arbitration and Conciliation of International Commercial Disputes · Chapter 1. Application and Interpretation · Article 1. Scope of Application · Enacted 1988 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1297.15 treats every state of the United States, including the District of Columbia, as a single state for purposes of the international test in Section 1297.13.
Full Text of § 1297.15
Plain-English Summary
Without this section, a contract between a California business and a New York business might look international under Section 1297.13, since the parties' places of business sit in different states. This section closes that gap by treating all the states of the United States, plus the District of Columbia, as one state for that test.
The practical effect channels purely interstate, domestic disputes -- however far apart the parties are within the country -- toward the ordinary domestic arbitration statute rather than this specialized title, reserving this title for disputes that truly reach across a national border.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a contract between a California company and a New York company count as international under this title?
No, at least not on that basis alone. Section 1297.15 treats all U.S. states, including the District of Columbia, as a single state for the international test.
Why does this section matter for the scope of the title?
It keeps purely domestic, interstate arbitration agreements out of this title's international framework, reserving that framework for disputes with a genuine cross-border connection.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1988, Ch. 23, Sec. 1. Effective March 7, 1988.
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: us states considered one state arbitrationinterstate vs international arbitration california