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Rule 6 (Rules 6.0 to 6.11): the civil trial calendar, continuances, regular and standby assignment for trial (the calendar called at 9:30 a.m.) and cases ordered off calendar (Rule 6.0); Rules 6.2 through 6.4 and 6.8 not applied to expedited jury trials (Rule 6.1); motions in limine served at least ten (10) days before trial by mail or five (5) days by personal service (Rule 6.2); deposition extracts and exhibit and witness lists (Rules 6.3 and 6.4); jury instructions (Rule 6.5); default and default judgment - the two-step process, the request for entry of default and the request for default judgment (filed at least 10 days before the prove-up hearing; courtesy copy to Department 505) (Rule 6.6); temporary judge procedures (Rule 6.7); trial time limits (Rule 6.8); guardians ad litem and petitions to compromise claims of minors, heard in Department 505 on Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. and Fridays at 1:30 p.m. (Rule 6.9); trusts funded by court order (Rule 6.10); and CEQA cases - the designated CEQA judge, provisional complexity, the "CEQA case" caption, the initial case management conference and hearing dates under the procedures on the court's website (Rule 6.11).
California > First Appellate District > San Francisco County > Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco
6 Civil Trial Setting and Related Civil Trial Matters 6.0 Civil Trial Calendar. A. Trial Calendar. The trial calendar is maintained by the Presiding Judge, and includes all general civil cases, except unlawful detainers, asbestos cases, and cases assigned to a single judge for all purposes. (For Unlawful Detainers see LRSF 8.10). The trial calendar separately designates cases set for jury trial, expedited jury trial, non-jury trial, and short cause trial (any case with a time estimate of one day or less). B. Continuances. The Presiding Judge determines motions for continuance of a case set for trial on the trial calendar, except for unlawful detainer actions. (See LRSF 8.10) and asbestos cases. These motions must be accompanied by supporting declarations. No motion for continuance of a trial date may be made or heard in any other department. No motion to continue will be heard on the day of trial call, absent unusual circumstance or permission of the Presiding Judge. For hearing times, visit the Court’s website at https://sf.courts.ca.gov/. Appearances: Parties may appear by CourtCall or in person. Reservations: Reserving a date prior to the hearing is not required. Parties must schedule and notice hearings within the time limits provided by law e.g., CCP 1005, etc. The Presiding Judge on stipulation of the parties may continue trial to a date convenient to the Court by an ex parte application. Parties seeking a stipulated continuance of the trial date must submit: 1) An ex parte application establishing good cause for the continuance, including a declaration that there have been no prior continuances or stating the number of prior continuances, the reasons for those, and the party seeking those; 2) A filed stipulation by all parties including an agreement to a specific trial date. Trial dates are on a Monday, if Monday is a court holiday, on the Tuesday after a Monday court holiday; and 3) A proposed order. For hearing times, visit the Court’s website at https://sf.courts.ca.gov/. Appearances: Parties may appear by CourtCall or in person. Reservations: Reserving a date for the hearing is not required. No continuance will be granted except for good cause shown, such as serious accident, illness or death, or unanticipated unavailability of parties or witnesses. Without a showing of good cause, no case will be continued on the trial calendar on the ground that a date for a hearing in the Law and Motion Department or other department has not been scheduled or heard prior to the trial date. C. Regular Assignment for Trial. All general civil cases on the trial calendar (jury and non-jury) will be assigned for trial by the Presiding Judge, Monday through Friday. The calendar for limited and unlimited jurisdiction cases is called at 9:30 a.m. The Presiding Judge supervises the civil trial calendar and assigns and disposes of such cases in the manner best designed to accomplish the business of the Court. D. Standby Assignment. Any jury or non-jury case called for assignment and not assigned must be on standby, and all attorneys and principals must remain available in accordance with instructions of the Presiding Judge. All cases not assigned may be re-calendared or remain on the master calendar until trial assignment by the Presiding Judge. E. Cases Ordered Off Calendar. All cases ordered off calendar or in which a mistrial has been granted, may in the discretion of the Presiding Judge be reset for trial, placed for hearing on a calendar to show cause for why the action should not be dismissed, or otherwise assigned as the Presiding Judge determines. 6.1 Nonapplicability to Expedited Jury Trials. The provisions of Rules 6.2 through 6.4 and Rule 6.8 do not apply to expedited jury trials conducted pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure (CCP) § 630.01 or § 630.20, except as specified in the consent order or as ordered by the trial judge. 6.2 In Limine Motions. All motions in limine (except for unlawful detainer cases) must be filed and served by mail at least ten (10) days before the date set for trial or filed and personally served at least five (5) days before the date set for trial. Any written opposition to in limine motions must be filed and personally served no later than the date set for trial. Courtesy copies of all in limine motions and oppositions thereto must be provided to the trial judge as soon as the judge is known to parties. Failure to comply with rule 6.1 may preclude the bringing of motions in limine at the time of trial, subject to the Court's discretion. 6.3 Preparation of Deposition Extracts. Parties must meet and confer in advance of trial on the designation of depositions to be used at trial, other than those used for impeachment. At least ten (10) days prior to trial, or later as soon as the trial judge is known, the parties must lodge with the trial judge the designations and counter-designations of such testimony together with brief notations of all objections and responses thereto sufficient to allow the trial judge to rule on those objections. 6.4 Exhibit and Witness Lists. At least ten days prior to trial, or as soon as the trial judge is known, the parties must lodge with the trial judge a list of proposed exhibits and a list of witnesses expected to be called (except for rebuttal witnesses). The witness list must include for each witness a brief statement of the expected area of testimony and time estimate for direct. A separate witness list need not be filed under this subsection if the parties file a Joint Statement Regarding Trial Time Limits under LRSF 6.8. 6.5 Jury Instructions. A. In all jury trials, parties must deliver all proposed instructions to the trial judge pursuant to CCP § 607a. B. In limited jurisdiction cases, prior to the conference to settle jury instructions, all parties must meet and confer and notify the trial judge in writing which of the proposed instructions are acceptable to all parties. C. In unlimited jurisdiction cases, within two (2) court days after the date of assignment, all parties must meet and confer and notify the trial judge in writing which of the proposed instructions are acceptable to all parties. D. No proposed instruction may contain unfilled blanks or bracketed portions. Proposed instructions must be complete in all respects. Submission of BAJI, CACI, or CALJIC numbers is not sufficient. See CRC 2.1055, CCP § 607a. E. Parties must provide the Court with one copy of each instruction containing appropriate points and authorities and one copy without such points and authorities or other writing thereon, the latter form appropriate for submission to the jury. 6.6 Default and Default Judgment. A. The Two-Step Process. The court will only consider entry of default judgment after the clerk has entered a default. A party seeking a default judgment in a civil action (“the requesting party”) must either: (1) ask the clerk to enter default first and then request default judgment; or (2) request entry of default and default judgment at the same time. In either instance, the requesting party must deliver all required courtesy copies. B. Request for Entry of Default. 1) The requesting party must comply with all relevant statutes and rules, including CRC 3.110(g) and this rule. 2) The requesting party must submit all requests for entry of default to the clerk’s civil default division. 3) The request for entry of default packet must include the following: a. The original and a copy of the Request for Entry of Default on Judicial Council Form CIV-100; b. An endorsed-filed copy of the proof of service of summons or relevant notice of order fixing time for further responsive pleading; c. An endorsed-filed copy of the operative complaint; d. A venue declaration; e. In actions in which the requesting party is relying on service of summons by substituted service pursuant to CCP § 415.20(b), a completed declaration by the process server (see LRSF 6.6(C), below); f. In injury or death actions where a damage amount is not alleged in the complaint or pleading, a statement of damages and proof of service demonstrating timely service and compliance with CCP § 425.11(d); g. In actions where punitive damages are sought in the complaint and may be sought in the request for default judgment, a reservation of rights to seek punitive damages on default judgment and proof of service demonstrating timely service and compliance with CCP §425.115(g); h. Any additional documents required by law; and i. A self-addressed stamped envelope. 4) Additional information about lodging documents may be found on the Court’s website: https://sf.courts.ca.gov/divisions/civil-division/default-unit. 5) The requesting party must ensure that all information matches the operative pleading and summons. 6) Represented parties must e-file their default packet. 7) The requesting party must lodge a courtesy copy of any e-filed default packet with the Court’s civil default division in compliance with LRSF 2.7. C. Process Server’s Due Diligence Declaration in Support of Request for Default. A requesting party who is relying upon service of summons by substituted service pursuant to CCP § 415.20(b) must submit a declaration by the process server stating: 1) The factual basis upon which the process server concluded that the place of service and mailing was either the “dwelling house, usual place of abode, usual place of business, or usual mailing address other than a United States Postal Service box” of the person served; and 2) That not less than three attempts at personal service were made at three different times of the day, on three different days; and 3) At least one of these attempts was made at the last known residence address of the person to be served. D. Request for Default Judgment. 1) A requesting party must comply with all relevant rules, including CRC 3.1800, and statutes, including CCP §§ 585 through 587, as well as this rule. Unless the requesting party strictly complies with these requirements, the request may be rejected, continued to a future date to allow for compliance, or taken off calendar. 2) The requesting party must include in the default judgment packet all documents identified in CRC 3.1800, plus the following: a. An endorsed-filed copy of the operative complaint and summons; b. Any relevant statement(s) of damages, as well as proof(s) of service demonstrating timely service and compliance with the applicable service requirements of CCP § 425.11(d) and related case law; c. Any relevant reservation(s) of right to seek punitive damages, as well as proof(s) of service demonstrating timely service and compliance with the applicable service requirements of CCP § 425.115(g) and related case law; d. A completed default judgment checklist, if applicable, which can be found at https://sf.courts.ca.gov/, under Forms & Fees - Local Forms; e. A notice of payment of reporter’s fees, if required; f. A declaration identifying the basis for the attorney’s fees request (e.g., particular contract provision or specific statute) and, if the amount requested exceeds the amount set forth in the fee schedule in Appendix A, sworn testimony supporting the amount requested where the requesting party seeks attorney’s fees (see CRC 3.1800(a)(9)); g. An interest computation, including a declaration identifying with particularity the basis for pre-judgment interest request (e.g., specific statute), the rate and the authority for the rate, as well as the relevant calculation where the requesting party seeks pre-judgment interest (see CRC 3.1800(a)(3)); h. The proposed form of judgment (see CRC 3.1800(a)(6)) on the Judicial Council judgment form unless a lengthy or detailed judgment is necessary, or when different relief is sought against different defendants; and, i. A self-addressed stamped envelope. 3) Additional information about lodging documents may be found on the Court’s website: https://sf.courts.ca.gov/. 4) The clerk’s civil default division will process requests for default judgment consistent with CCP §§ 585(a) and 585(d). Such requests for default judgment must be by affidavit pursuant to CCP § 585(d). The requesting party may request a court judgment. As to any such request, the Court may require a prove-up hearing in which case the clerk will schedule a hearing. 5) In limited jurisdiction actions not covered by paragraph (4), the requesting party must submit papers sufficient to obtain default judgment by affidavit pursuant to CCP § 585(d). The clerk’s civil default division will process the request. The requesting party may request a court judgment. As to any request covered by this paragraph, the Court may require a prove-up hearing in which case the clerk will inform the moving party of the date, time and place of the hearing and the moving party will have to file a notice of hearing and pay related motion and court reporter’s fees. 6) For all requests covered by paragraphs (4) and (5), the requesting party must lodge a courtesy copy of the default judgment packet with the clerk’s civil default division in compliance with LRSF 2.7. 7) In all unlimited jurisdiction actions not covered by paragraph (4) above, the requesting party will be required to participate in a hearing to prove-up the default. a. Dates and times for prove-up hearings can be found on the court’s website at https://sf.courts.ca.gov/. The default judgment packet must be filed without a hearing date. The clerk, upon the filing of the papers, will select and schedule the hearing in accordance with CCP § 1005 and available calendar space. Represented parties must e-file their default judgment packet. Parties should utilize the “Note to Clerk” option to indicate preferred or unavailable date(s). After the packet is e-filed the moving party can obtain a copy of the e-filed motion with the hearing date from the Court’s website at https://sf.courts.ca.gov/. The requesting party must deliver an endorsed-filed courtesy copy of the default packet to Department 505 in compliance with LRSF 2.7. In its discretion and based on calendar management considerations, the Court will determine the number of motions filed by the same counsel that will be set for, or heard on, a given day; however, no more than three motions by the same counsel will be set for, or heard on, any given date. b. Counsel and all witnesses necessary to establish the essential facts must appear at the prove-up hearing. The requesting party may request a waiver of the witness requirement and permission to proceed by declaration in whole or in part by filing an ex parte application showing good cause, declaration(s) in support of the good cause showing and a proposed order. Represented parties must e-file their application and related materials. All such applications must be filed at least 10 days before the date of the prove-up hearing. The requesting party must lodge a courtesy copy of their papers in Department 505 in compliance with LRSF 2.7. c. All testimony, whether live or by declaration, must be presented by competent witnesses having personal knowledge of the essential facts. 8) Absent a showing of good cause, a dismissal of all “Doe” defendants must be on file at the time of the request for default judgment. 9) If a requesting party seeks a single judgment to resolve an entire action in which some defendants have appeared and some have defaulted, the requesting party must demonstrate in writing that a judgment can be entered as to the appearing defendant(s) and the terms of such judgment as to the appearing defendant(s). 10) Absent a showing of good cause, the Court will not enter a several judgment before resolution of the entire action (see CRC 3.1800(7) and CCP § 579). 11) In an action brought by a debt buyer upon a consumer debt sold or resold on or after January 1, 2014, the operative complaint must satisfy CCP § 1788.58 and the requesting party’s evidence in support of default judgment must satisfy the evidentiary requirements of CCP § 1788.60. 12) Applications for Auto Default Judgment must be submitted on affidavits pursuant CCP§ 585(d) and include an Auto Deficiency Judgment Declaration Form. See court’s website (https://sf.courts.ca.gov/) Forms & Fees; Local Forms: Deficiency Judgment Declaration- Auto Sale. E. Default Judgment in Forfeiture Actions. See LRSF 8.8. F. Dissolution Cases. See LRSF 11.14. 6.7 Temporary Judge Procedures. A. Administration of the Program. Administration for Temporary Judge proceedings are performed by the administrative office of the Courthouse at (415) 551-5709 which makes available a list of attorneys and retired judges who have indicated a willingness to serve as Temporary Judges, as well as forms of stipulation acceptable to the Court. B. Public Hearings. Every hearing before a Temporary Judge must be open to the public. C. Exhibits. Exhibits may be marked and received in evidence by the Temporary Judge. D. Files. The original Court file must remain in the possession of the clerk of the Court. All papers filed in the action must be filed with the clerk of the Court. Copies of any filed papers requested by the Temporary Judge must be provided by the parties. 6.8 Trial Time Limits. A. Trial Time Limits. The Court may, but need not, set time limits for any trial. Such limits may include, but need not be limited to, voir dire, opening statements, examination of witnesses, and closing argument. In its discretion and in the interests of justice, the Court may later depart from any limits set. B. Statement Regarding Trial Time Limits—Content. 1) Parties in long cause unlimited jurisdiction cases, before the start of a trial and in sufficient time to meet the filing deadlines set out in C.1. and C.2. below, must confer and attempt to agree on the total number of hours they contend will be required to try the case, including voir dire if any, opening statements, examination of witnesses and closing arguments. 2) The parties must file a Joint Statement re Trial Time Limits (or separate statements if unable to agree), setting forth: a. The total number of hours needed to try the case; b. A witness list with the name of each witness to be called on direct, a brief description of the general subject matter of the witness’ testimony, the number of hours of direct examination that will be required for that witness, and c. The total number of hours of direct examination required by each party. 3) A party contending that trial time limits are not appropriate must state supporting facts in the statement. 4) In short cause and limited jurisdiction cases the parties may stipulate to comply with the procedures in this Rule. C. Statement Re Trial Time Limits—Application. 1) The parties must file the joint statement or separate statements described above no less than five (5) days prior to the trial date. The trial judge may, after a hearing on the appropriate time limits held prior to the commencement of trial, impose time limits. 2) In cases assigned to a single judge, the parties must file the joint statement or separate statements described above no less than forty-five (45) days prior to trial date, or at a time and in a manner prescribed in any case management order. The trial judge may, after a hearing on the appropriate time limits at a status or pretrial conference, impose time limits, if any, at a time and in a manner prescribed in any case management order. D. Witnesses. The information in the joint statement or separate statements will not be used to exclude witnesses (including rebuttal witnesses) a party may call for direct examination. 6.9 Petitions for Appointment of Guardian Ad Litem and to Compromise Claims of Minors or Incompetents. A. Appointment of Guardian Ad Litem. After e-filing a Petition for Appointment of Guardian ad Litem, the filing party must deliver a courtesy copy of the petition with the proposed order directly to the Department of the Presiding Judge. B. Petitions to Approve Compromise. 1) A Petition to Compromise the Claim of a Minor or a Person with a Disability must be electronically filed. Where there is no pending civil case, the Petition serves as the first paper. 2) Petitions to compromise are heard in Department 505 on Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. and Fridays at 1:30 p.m. The hearing will be scheduled at the time the petition is filed. Counsel must lodge an endorsed-filed copy of the petition and a proposed order with Department 505 at least five (5) court days prior to the hearing. 3) Petitions to compromise may also be heard by the department in which the settlement was reached, at the discretion of that judicial officer. Counsel must call that department directly to determine if that department will hear the petition. 6.10 Trusts Funded by Court Order. A. Application. This rule 6.10 applies to trusts funded by court order under CRC 7.903 resulting from the settlement of a claim of a minor or person with disabilities as provided in Probate Code § 3600, et seq. B. Probate Department Review of Trust Issues. If the request to approve settlement of a claim includes distribution of funds to a Special Needs Trust, a fully noticed petition to establish a Special Needs Trust shall be filed with, and approved by, the Probate Department prior to any distribution being made to that trust. C. Civil Department to Track Filing of Petition to Establish Trust. The Order Approving Compromise shall set a status date in the Civil department that approves the compromise to confirm the filing of a Petition to Establish Special Needs Trust in the Probate Department. 6.11 CEQA Cases. A. Definition of a CEQA Case. A CEQA case is any case where a petition or complaint filed by any party alleges one or more claims under the California Environmental Quality Act, Cal. Public Resources Code § 21000, et seq. B. Assignment of CEQA Cases/Designated CEQA Judge/CEQA Department. Per Public Resources Code § 21167.1, all CEQA cases are assigned to a single Designated CEQA Judge for all purposes, including hearing on a petition for writ of mandate. The designated CEQA judge and the number of the CEQA Department are posted on the “CEQA Department” link on the court’s website (https://sf.courts.ca.gov/). C. CEQA Cases Provisionally Complex. The Court designates CEQA cases provisionally complex pursuant to CRC 3.400(c). Upon filing of the first paper in a CEQA case, the case will be assigned to the CEQA Department. D. Initial Pleading Alleging a Claim under CEQA Designation/Courtesy Copy. The caption page of the first pleading in any case that alleges one or more claims under CEQA shall clearly identify that the case is a CEQA case. The words “CEQA case” must appear on the caption page. In addition, at the time the pleading is filed, the person presenting the pleading for filing must notify the deputy clerk processing the filing that the case is a CEQA case. The party who filed the first pleading in any case that alleges one or more claims under CEQA must deliver a courtesy copy of the petition to the CEQA Department in compliance with LRSF 2.7. E. Initial Case Management Conference/Case Management Statement. 1) At the time of the filing of the first pleading in any case that alleges one or more claims under CEQA, the person presenting the pleading for filing will be informed of the date, time and location of the initial case management conference. Within seven court days of the filing of this pleading, the party filing the pleading must notify all parties of the date, time and location of the initial case management conference. 2) The parties are ordered to comply with the CEQA procedures posted on the court’s website, including meeting before the initial case management conference and submitting a joint case management conference statement. At the case management conference, the parties should be prepared to discuss all issues pertinent to the expeditious and least expensive resolution of the case, including but not limited to the preparation and certification of the administrative record and a briefing and hearing/trial schedule for all claims alleged by the parties. The parties must file a joint case management statement five court days before the initial case management conference and deliver two courtesy copies to the CEQA Department in compliance with LRSF 2.7. The joint case management statement must identify those issues in California Rules of Court, Rule 3.750 (b), which are agreed upon and those which the court must rule on at the conference. The statement should provide a description of the major factual and legal issues pursuant to California Rules of Court, Rule 3.750(d). F. Settlement Conference. If any party wishes to arrange for a settlement conference, the party may contact the Court’s ADR Coordinator. The contact information of the Court’s ADR Coordinator is posted on the court’s website (https://sf.courts.ca.gov/). G. Obtaining Dates for Hearings on Ex Parte Applications and Motions. Parties wishing to obtain a date for a hearing on an ex parte application or motion must comply with the procedures for obtaining a date stated in the “CEQA Department” link on the court’s website (https://sf.courts.ca.gov/). Adopted: July 1, 1998 Last Revised: January 1, 2026
6 Civil Trial Setting and Related Civil Trial Matters 6.0 Civil Trial Calendar. A. Trial Calendar. The trial calendar is maintained by the Presiding Judge, and includes all general civil cases, except unlawful detainers, asbestos cases, and cases assigned to a single judge for all purposes. (For Unlawful Detainers see LRSF 8.10). The trial calendar separately designates cases set for jury trial, e
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-10-08 (California T4 San Francisco build 2026-10-08) from BenchPath custody ca/t4/ca-san-francisco/docs/local-rules/final-proposed-changes-lrsf-effective-july-1-2026-submitted.pdf (the court's rule book, “Uniform Local Rules of Court, Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, Effective: July 1, 1998, Revised: July 1, 2026”, as fetched 2026-10-08; 2706376 bytes, sha256 82645c96954e6d459832c1ee68c5a042ff7f90ebc58fceb9a82fc7c5575631ad; 251 pages) with the shared verbatim composer (v2 reflow) over the rule body (PDF pages 3 to 235): each page's running header (“Local Rules of Court San Francisco Superior Court” and “Rule N”) and footer (“Effective: ...; Revised ...” and the printed page number) removed as chrome; lines reflowed into the rules' paragraphs; the one struck letter in the book (the final “s” of “means” in Rule 2.11(A)(5), read on the page image) set aside as chrome with the composer's strike_out, so the card reads the rule as amended; four rule headings set on their own lines and 23 paragraph breaks the reflow made inside sentences rejoined (whitespace-only fixes); the body's one soft hyphen (Rule 12.15's “JV-” at a line end) read as the hyphen it prints and the reflow's space after it removed; Rule 11's two tables (the timeshare percentages and their definitions) set row by row (the same characters); the body cut at the rule headings, which reassemble it; proof 1 (whitespace-only) and proof 2 (same character multiset as the text layer minus chrome) pass. The cover, the table of contents and the index belong to no rule. Review note: Rule 6.11 refers parties to the “CEQA Department” link on the court's website for the designated CEQA judge, the department number, the CEQA procedures and hearing dates (the CEQA Department page is carded).
Division XI: information forms for data processing (Rule 11.2); required action - action taken on all calendared cases and a future date always set (Rule 11.19); and pro tem judges - an attorney named as a plaintiff in a civil or small claims case may not sit as a judge pro-tem during the case or within six months following its resolution, nor one named as a defendant in two or more such cases (Rule 11.22). Rules 11.1, 11.3 to 11.5, 11.7 to 11.18, 11.20 and 11.21 are repealed, and Rule 11.6 (voluntary arbitration; see Local Rule 10.2) was repealed and renumbered.
Duval County's indigent-defense and magistration rules under the Texas Fair Defense Act (S.B. 7): who may be booked into the county jail and on what paper; arrest-case numbering; presentment to a magistrate within 48 hours (art. 15.16); the magistrate's warnings, counsel inquiry, interpreter duty, indigence determination and appointment of counsel within 24 hours of a request; the alternative appointment plan under art. 26.04(g)-(h) with annual applications, seven attorney categories (capital, first and second degree, third degree/state jail/misdemeanor, competency, appeals, post-conviction, extradition), CLE and experience standards, random rotation within each category, written acceptance within 48 hours, first contact by the end of the next working day, replacement and suspension of counsel, fee applications within five days of completing services and the compensation attachment ($500 pleas; $175/$150 hourly; $1,400 per jury-trial day; appellate caps); bail schedules by offense class with a personal bond office (fee $20 or 3%), pre-trial supervision and revocation hearings within two working days; arraignment settings and notice; repeal of conflicting rules.