(a) Notwithstanding any other law and unless ordered otherwise by a court or otherwise agreed to by the parties, a continuance or postponement of a trial or arbitration date extends any deadlines that have not already passed as of March 19, 2020, applicable to discovery, including the exchange of expert witness information, mandatory settlement conferences, and summary judgment motions in the same matter. The deadlines are extended for the same length of time as the continuance or postponement of the trial date.
§ 599.Extension of Deadlines During State of Emergency
Title 8. Of the Trial and Judgment In Civil Actions · Chapter 3. Issues—The Mode of Trial and Postponements · Last amended 2022 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 599 provided that a continuance or postponement of a trial or arbitration date automatically extended related discovery and motion deadlines by the same length of time, applicable only during the Governor's COVID-19 state of emergency declared March 4, 2020, and expiring 180 days after that emergency ended.
Full Text of § 599
(b) This section shall remain in effect only during the state of emergency proclaimed by the Governor on March 4, 2020, related to the COVID-19 pandemic and 180 days after the end, pursuant to Section 8629 of the Government Code, of that state of emergency and is repealed on that date.
Plain-English Summary
This section was California's pandemic-era answer to the domino effect a trial continuance can have on case deadlines. Unless a court ordered otherwise or the parties agreed differently, postponing a trial or arbitration date automatically extended any not-yet-passed deadlines tied to that same matter — including expert witness disclosure, mandatory settlement conferences, and summary judgment motions — for the same length of time as the postponement itself.
The extension only reached deadlines measured against March 19, 2020, that hadn't already passed by that date, tying the rule to the early weeks of the COVID-19 emergency.
By its own terms, § 599 was temporary. It applied only during the state of emergency the Governor proclaimed on March 4, 2020, and for 180 days after that emergency ended, after which the section was to be repealed automatically under Government Code § 8629.
Frequently Asked Questions
What deadlines did a trial postponement automatically extend under § 599?
Deadlines for discovery, including expert witness disclosure, mandatory settlement conferences, and summary judgment motions in the same case, so long as those deadlines hadn't already passed as of March 19, 2020.
By how much were those deadlines extended?
By the same length of time as the continuance or postponement of the trial or arbitration date.
Is § 599 still in effect?
By its own terms, it applied only during the Governor's March 4, 2020 state of emergency and for 180 days afterward, with automatic repeal following under Government Code § 8629.
Amendment History
Amended by Stats 2021 ch 214 (SB 241),s 6, eff. 1/1/2022. Added by Stats 2020 ch 112 (SB 1146),s 1, eff. 9/18/2020.
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: covid-19 trial continuance deadline extension californiastate of emergency discovery deadlines