If a summons is served by mail pursuant to this chapter, the provisions of Section 1013 that extend the time for exercising a right or doing an act shall not extend any time specified in this title.
§ 413.20.Extension of Time If Summons Served By Mail
Title 5. Jurisdiction and Service of Process · Chapter 4. Service of Summons · Article 1. General · Enacted 1610 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 413.20 provides that when a summons is served by mail under this chapter, the general extension-of-time rule in § 1013 for mailed papers does not stretch any deadline set in this Title.
Full Text of § 413.20
Plain-English Summary
Section 1013 ordinarily adds extra time to act after a paper is served by mail, to account for mailing delay. Section 413.20 blocks that extension from applying to summons served by mail under this chapter. If a summons is served by mail under Chapter 4, § 1013’s added time for exercising a right or doing an act does not extend any time period specified in this Title.
The reason is that Title 5’s own mail-service provisions already build the mailing delay into their deadlines — substituted service and out-of-state mail service, for example, are deemed complete only on the 10th day after mailing. Layering § 1013’s extension on top would double-count that built-in cushion. Section 413.20 keeps the Title 5 deadlines running on the schedule those sections already set.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does § 1013’s extra time for mailed documents apply to a summons served by mail?
No. Section 413.20 provides that when a summons is served by mail under this chapter, § 1013’s extension of time for mailed papers does not extend any time period set in this Title.
Why doesn’t the mail-service extension in § 1013 apply here?
Title 5’s own mail-based service methods, such as substituted service, already build a waiting period into their deemed-complete dates. Section 413.20 keeps § 1013’s separate extension from stacking on top of that built-in period.
Does § 413.20 apply to deadlines outside Title 5?
No. Section 413.20 blocks § 1013’s mail extension only as to time periods specified in this Title; it does not address deadlines set elsewhere in the Code of Civil Procedure.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1969, Ch. 1610.
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
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