The arbitral tribunal may, at any time during the arbitral proceedings, make an interim arbitral award on any matter with respect to which it may make a final arbitral award. The interim award may be enforced in the same manner as a final arbitral award.
§ 1297.316.Interim Award
Title 9.3. Arbitration and Conciliation of International Commercial Disputes · Chapter 6. Making of Arbitral Award and Termination of Proceedings · Article 4. Form and Content of Arbitral Award · Enacted 1988 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1297.316 lets the arbitral tribunal issue an interim award at any point during the proceedings on any matter it could also decide in a final award, and gives that interim award the same enforceability as a final one.
Full Text of § 1297.316
Plain-English Summary
Not every question in a case has to wait for the very end to be resolved, and this section lets the tribunal decide some of them along the way. The arbitral tribunal may, at any time during the arbitral proceedings, make an interim arbitral award on any matter with respect to which it could also make a final award.
That interim award isn't a lesser or provisional ruling in terms of its practical force. The section provides that it may be enforced in the same manner as a final arbitral award. A tribunal might use this tool to resolve liability before turning to damages, or to decide a threshold issue that shapes the rest of the case, without leaving that ruling in limbo until the whole arbitration wraps up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a tribunal decide part of a case before issuing its final award?
Yes. Section 1297.316 lets the tribunal make an interim award at any time during the proceedings on any matter it could also decide in a final award.
Is an interim award as enforceable as a final award?
Yes. The section provides that an interim award may be enforced in the same manner as a final arbitral award.
What kind of issues might a tribunal resolve through an interim award?
The section doesn't limit the subject matter, so a tribunal might use an interim award for something like liability, a jurisdictional question, or any other matter it could otherwise decide in a final award.
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: interim arbitral award enforceabilitypartial award international arbitration california