Except where changed by the provisions of this article, all provisions of law applicable to civil actions generally apply to actions subject to this article.
§ 90.Applicability of laws relating to civil actions
Title 1. Organization and Jurisdiction · Chapter 5.1. Limited Civil Cases · Article 2. Economic Litigation for Limited Civil Cases · Last amended 2003 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 90 opens the economic litigation article by providing that the general laws governing civil actions in the superior court apply to limited civil cases as well, except where this article or another statute sets a different, more specific rule.
Full Text of § 90
Plain-English Summary
Article 2 of this chapter is often called the “economic litigation” rules — the streamlined pleading, discovery, and trial procedures built to keep limited civil cases fast and inexpensive. Section 90 sets the baseline those rules build on.
Rather than write an entirely separate procedural code for limited civil cases, the Legislature started from the general civil action rules that already apply in the superior court and then carved out the specific departures that follow in § 91 through § 100. Section 90 is what makes that structure work: the general rules stay in force for a limited civil case unless a more specific rule in this article, or elsewhere in the law, displaces them.
A litigant in a limited civil case can therefore assume ordinary civil procedure governs by default, and should look to this article only for the points where the Legislature chose to do things differently to control cost and delay.
Official Comment
The following official comments are published by the California Law Revision Commission (and, for a few older sections, its predecessor Code Commissioners) alongside the statute itself — not commentary from this site.
2003 Law Revision Commission Comment. Section 90 is amended to reflect the repeal of former Part 3.5 (commencing with Section 1823) of the Code of Civil Procedure, relating to pilot projects. See 1994 Cal. Stat. ch. 146, § 26; 1996 Cal. Stat. ch. 124, § 15.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do the ordinary rules of civil procedure apply to a limited civil case?
Yes. Section 90 applies the general laws governing civil actions to limited civil cases, except where this article or another statute sets a different rule.
What is “economic litigation” in the context of California limited civil cases?
It’s the set of streamlined procedures in § 90 through § 100 — reduced discovery, simplified pleading, and a witness-and-evidence exchange process — built to keep the cost of litigating a limited civil case in proportion to what’s at stake.
Amendment History
Added Stats 1982 ch 1581 § 1. Amended Stats 2003 ch 149 § 3 (SB 79).
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: economic litigation limited civil case californiageneral civil procedure limited civil case