A corporation or association may be sued in the county where the contract is made or is to be performed, or where the obligation or liability arises, or the breach occurs; or in the county where the principal place of business of such corporation is situated, subject to the power of the court to change the place of trial as in other cases.
§ 395.5.Action Against Corporation Or Association On Contract
Title 4. Of the Place of Trial, Reclassification, and Coordination of Civil Actions · Chapter 1. Place of Trial · Enacted 1972 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentence§ 395.5 gives plaintiffs several venue options for suing a corporation or association on a contract: the county where the contract was made or is to be performed, where the obligation or liability arises, where the breach occurred, or the corporation's principal place of business.
Full Text of § 395.5
Plain-English Summary
A corporation or association sued on a contract does not get a single fixed home venue the way an individual defendant does. § 395.5 lets the plaintiff choose among several counties tied to the transaction: where the contract was made, where it is to be performed, where the obligation or liability arises, where the breach occurred, or the county of the corporation's principal place of business.
That flexibility is still subject to the ordinary power of the court to change venue in other cases, so a corporation sued in one of these counties can still move to transfer under the general change-of-venue rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I sue a corporation for breach of contract in California?
In any county connected to the contract -- where it was made, where it was to be performed, where the obligation or liability arises, where the breach occurred, or the corporation's principal place of business.
Can the corporation still ask to move the case to a different county?
Yes -- § 395.5 is subject to the ordinary change-of-venue rules, such as § 397.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1972, Ch. 118.
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: suing a corporation venue californiabreach of contract venue california corporation