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Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.888 · Chapter 4. Briefs, Hearing, and Decision in Limited Civil and Misdemeanor Appeals

Finality and modification of decision

Verbatim from the official edition

Text — As posted by the Judicial Council of California (read October 22, 2026)

(a) Finality of decision

(1) Except as otherwise provided in this rule, an appellate division decision, including an order dismissing an appeal involuntarily, is final 30 days after the decision is sent by the court clerk to the parties.

(2) If the appellate division certifies a written opinion for publication or partial publication after its decision is filed and before its decision becomes final in that court, the finality period runs from the date the order for publication is sent by the court clerk to the parties.

(3) The following appellate division decisions are final in that court when filed:

(A) The denial of a petition for writ of supersedeas;

(B) The denial of an application for bail or to reduce bail pending appeal; and

(C) The dismissal of an appeal on request or stipulation.

(b) Modification of judgment

(1) The appellate division may modify its decision until the decision is final in that court. If the clerk's office is closed on the date of finality, the court may modify the decision on the next day the clerk's office is open.

(2) An order modifying a decision must state whether it changes the appellate judgment. A modification that does not change the appellate judgment does not extend the finality date of the decision. If a modification changes the appellate judgment, the finality period runs from the date the modification order is sent by the court clerk to the parties.

(c) Consent to increase or decrease in amount of judgment

If an appellate division decision conditions the affirmance of a money judgment on a party's consent to an increase or decrease in the amount, the judgment is reversed unless, before the decision is final under (a), the party serves and files a copy of a consent in the appellate division. If a consent is filed, the finality period runs from the filing date of the consent. The clerk must send one filed-endorsed copy of the consent to the trial court with the remittitur.

Notes and commentary — not rule text

History

(Subd (a) amended effective January 1, 2019.)

(Subd (b) amended effective January 1, 2019.)

(Subd (c) amended effective January 1, 2016.)

Rule 8.888 amended effective January 1, 2019; adopted effective January 1, 2009; previously amended effective January 1, 2016.

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/eight/rule8_888
Text hash
sha256 74d678678c182111ece720485522de4a23d46935b39c8c0b32b697390f0de97d
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

Cited by 4 provisions

Provisions in this library whose text cites Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.888. 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.