§ 12c.Computation of last day to perform act before hearing date

Preliminary Provisions · Enacted 2010 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026

In one sentenceSection 12c explains how to count backward from a hearing date when the law requires an act a set number of days beforehand, excluding the hearing date itself and any additional days added for the method of service.

Full Text of § 12c

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b)

(a) Where any law requires an act to be performed no later than a specified number of days before a hearing date, the last day to perform that act shall be determined by counting backward from the hearing date, excluding the day of the hearing as provided by Section 12.

(b) Any additional days added to the specified number of days because of a particular method of service shall be computed by counting backward from the day determined in accordance with subdivision (a).

Plain-English Summary

Sections 12 and 12a assume you’re counting forward from a starting event to a deadline. Section 12c handles the opposite situation: a law that requires something be done no later than a certain number of days before a hearing. It has you count backward from the hearing date, leaving out the hearing date itself as Section 12 already directs.

If the applicable rule adds extra days because of how something was served — for example, additional time for mailing — those extra days are counted backward from the day you land on after the first calculation, not from the hearing date itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you count days before a hearing under California civil procedure?

Section 12c has you count backward from the hearing date, excluding the day of the hearing itself.

What if extra days are added because of how a document was served?

Section 12c counts those additional days backward from the day already determined for the underlying deadline, not from the hearing date.

Amendment History

Added Stats 2010 ch 41 § 1 (AB 2119), effective January 1, 2011.

Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature. Last verified July 28, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: counting days before a hearing CaliforniaCCP section 12c backward counting