(a) Except as otherwise provided by a rule of the Judicial Council, a local court rule, or a local uniform written policy, the methods of discovery may be used in any sequence, and the fact that a party is conducting discovery, whether by deposition or another method, shall not operate to delay the discovery of any other party.
§ 2019.020.Sequence and timing; discretion of parties; court order
Title 4. Civil Discovery Act · Chapter 5. Methods and Sequence of Discovery · Article 1. General Provisions · Enacted 2004 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 2019.020 lets parties use any of the approved discovery methods in whatever sequence they choose, without one party's discovery delaying another's, unless a rule provides otherwise or the court sets a different sequence for good cause.
Full Text of § 2019.020
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), on motion and for good cause shown, the court may establish the sequence and timing of discovery for the convenience of parties and witnesses and in the interests of justice.
Plain-English Summary
Discovery in a California case doesn't have to follow any fixed order. A party can depose a witness before sending interrogatories, or demand documents before either, and one party's discovery doesn't hold up anyone else's. Absent a Judicial Council rule, local court rule, or local uniform written policy saying otherwise, the parties themselves control the pace and order.
That flexibility isn't absolute. On a motion showing good cause, a court can step in and set the sequence and timing of discovery for the case, balancing the convenience of parties and witnesses against the interests of justice. Until that happens, though, the default rule favors letting litigants proceed on their own schedule rather than forcing everyone to wait in line.
Frequently Asked Questions
Must discovery methods be used in a particular order in California?
No. Section 2019.020 lets a party use approved discovery methods in any sequence, and one party's discovery doesn't delay another's.
Can a court change the order in which discovery happens?
Yes, on a motion and for good cause shown, a court may set the sequence and timing of discovery for the convenience of the parties and witnesses and in the interests of justice.
Does a pending deposition stop another party from serving interrogatories?
No. The default rule is that no party's discovery, by any method, delays another party's discovery.
Amendment History
(Added by Stats.2004, c. 182 (A.B.3081), § 23, operative July 1, 2005.)
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the West's Annotated California Codes / Thomson Reuters. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 29, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: discovery sequence californiaorder of discovery methods civil case