In addition to the circumstances referred to under Article 4 (commencing with Section 1297.131) and Article 5 (commencing with Section 1297.141) of this chapter, the mandate of an arbitrator terminates upon his or her withdrawal from office for any reason, or by or pursuant to agreement of the parties.
§ 1297.151.Termination Upon Withdrawal of Arbitrator
Title 9.3. Arbitration and Conciliation of International Commercial Disputes · Chapter 3. Composition of Arbitral Tribunals · Article 6. Termination of Mandate and Substitution of Arbitrators · Enacted 1988 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1297.151 recognizes that an arbitrator's mandate also terminates, beyond the challenge and failure-to-act grounds in Articles 4 and 5, whenever the arbitrator withdraws from office for any reason at all, or the parties themselves agree or act under an agreement to end it.
Full Text of § 1297.151
Plain-English Summary
Articles 4 and 5 give two structured paths to end an arbitrator's mandate: a successful challenge, or a failure-or-impossibility-to-act determination. This section adds a broader, catch-all path that doesn't depend on either one. An arbitrator's mandate also ends upon withdrawal from office for any reason -- not just the reasons those earlier articles address -- or by or under an agreement of the parties.
This is a practical safety valve. Arbitrators sometimes need to step down for ordinary reasons that have nothing to do with bias or incapacity: a scheduling conflict, a change in circumstances, or plain personal preference. Parties, too, may agree between themselves to replace an arbitrator without ever invoking a challenge or a failure-to-act claim. Either route ends the mandate just as effectively, opening the door to the substitution process in the rest of this article.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are challenge and failure-to-act the only ways an arbitrator's mandate can end?
No. Section 1297.151 recognizes that a mandate also ends when the arbitrator withdraws for any reason, or when the parties agree to end it, apart from the grounds addressed in Articles 4 and 5.
Does an arbitrator need a specific reason to withdraw under this section?
No. The section covers withdrawal for any reason, without requiring the kind of grounds a challenge or a failure-to-act claim would need.
What happens once a mandate ends under this section?
Section 1297.152 requires a substitute arbitrator to be appointed under the rules that applied to the original appointment.
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: arbitrator resigns for any reason californiatermination of arbitrator mandate by agreement