California · statute of limitations

California Oral Contract Statute of Limitations (two years)

By DocketMath TeamUpdated July 15, 20262 min read
California Oral Contract Statute of Limitations (two years)
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Quoted from the source law itself. Not legal advice; confirm how it applies to your matter.

Current verified answer

California statute-of-limitations: period is 3; period is 3.

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Authority and key facts

Citation: Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1

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Verified April 23, 2026

  • Period: 3
  • Period: 3
  • Statute Of Limitations Years: 2
  • Government Notice Period Days: 180

How the limitation period applies

The controlling primary authority for California statute of limitations for an action upon a contract, obligation or liability not founded upon an instrument of writing (Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 339(1)) is Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 339(1).

Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 339(1). Within two years: 1. An action upon a contract, obligation or liability not founded upon an instrument of writing, except as provided in Section 2725 of the Commercial Code or subdivision 2 of Section 337 of this code; or an action founded upon a contract, obligation or liability, evidenced by a certificate, or abstract or guaranty of title of real property, or by a policy of title insurance; provided, that the cause of action upon a contract, obligation or liability evidenced by a certificate, or abstract or guaranty of title of real property or policy of title insurance shall not be deemed to have accrued until the discovery of the loss or damage suffered by the aggrieved party thereunder.

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DocketMath's statute-of-limitations tool can model these timelines once you identify the controlling claim type and accrual date. Use the source panel for the verified primary-source citations.

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Sources

All sources are official primary law published by leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.

Corroboration method: Direct fetch from leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, the official California Legislature publisher of the California Codes, retrieved with a standard browser user agent. The page header and section text confirm the section number (339), chapter/title placement, and the operative two-year clause for non-written contract actions.


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