Cal. Rules of Court, rule 4.116 · Chapter 1. Pretrial Proceedings
Certification to juvenile court
Text — As posted by the Judicial Council of California (read October 22, 2026)
(a) Application
This rule applies to all cases not filed in juvenile court in which the person charged by an accusatory pleading appears to be under the age of 18, except when jurisdiction over the child has been transferred from the juvenile court under Welfare and Institutions Code section 707.
(b) Procedure to determine whether certification is appropriate
If an accusatory pleading is pending, and it is suggested or it appears to the court that the person charged was under the age of 18 on the date the offense is alleged to have been committed, the court must immediately suspend proceedings and conduct a hearing to determine the true age of the person charged. The burden of proof of establishing the age of the accused person is on the moving party. If, after examination, the court is satisfied by a preponderance of the evidence that the person was under the age of 18 on the date the alleged offense was committed, the court must immediately certify the matter to the juvenile court and state on the certification order:
(1) The crime with which the person named is charged;
(2) That the person was under the age of 18 on the date of the alleged offense;
(3) The date of birth of the person;
(4) The date of suspension of criminal proceedings; and
(5) The date and time of certification to juvenile court.
(c) Procedure on certification
If the court determines that certification to the juvenile court is appropriate under (b), copies of the certification, the accusatory pleading, and any police reports must immediately be transmitted to the clerk of the juvenile court. On receipt of the documents, the clerk of the juvenile court must immediately notify the probation officer, who must immediately investigate the matter to determine whether to commence proceedings in juvenile court.
(d) Procedure if child is in custody
If the person is under the age of 18 and is in custody, the person must immediately be transported to the juvenile detention facility.
Notes and commentary — not rule text
History
(Subd (a) amended effective May 22, 2017; adopted effective January 1, 2001; previously amended effective January 1, 2007.)
(Subd (b) amended effective January 1, 2007; adopted as untitled subd effective January 1, 1991; previously amended and lettered effective January 1, 2001.)
(Subd (c) amended effective January 1, 2007; adopted as untitled subd effective January 1, 1991; previously amended and lettered effective January 1, 2001.)
(Subd (d) amended effective January 1, 2007; adopted as untitled subd effective January 1, 1991; previously amended and lettered effective January 1, 2001.)
Rule 4.116 amended effective May 22, 2017; adopted as rule 241.2 effective January 1, 1991; previously amended and renumbered effective January 1, 2001; previously amended July 1, 1991, and January 1, 2007.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As posted by the Judicial Council of California (read October 22, 2026)
- Official file
- https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/four/rule4_116
- Text hash
- sha256 ff697ce31b14c82f4b114bce85b2d544e1c2cdafb5040d4f8614a4fc972d8687
- Composed by
- compose_crc.py 2026-10-22: the Judicial Council's rule pages read paragraph by paragraph; verify_crc.py's second reading of the Council's per-title PDFs finds every paragraph
This rule cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Welfare and Institutions Code
Cited by 1 provision
Provisions in this library whose text cites Cal. Rules of Court, rule 4.116. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.