Tomorrow's hearing is on the calendar. The briefing is filed. The appearing attorney is assigned. One task may still need attention today: checking the tentative ruling and preserving the opportunity for oral argument.
The word “tentative” can be misleading. Under one California procedure, the ruling can become the court's ruling without a hearing if the court has not directed argument and no party gives timely notice of an intention to appear. Under another, advance notice of intent to appear is not required and the ruling does not automatically become final merely because no notice was given.
The difference belongs in the hearing checklist.
Start with the two procedures in Rule 3.1308
California Rules of Court, rule 3.1308 permits two procedures for advance tentative rulings in civil law and motion:
| Procedure | Availability and notice | Effect of no notice |
|---|---|---|
| Rule 3.1308(a)(1): notice of intent to appear required | The tentative must be available no later than 3 p.m. the court day before the hearing. If argument is not directed, a party seeking it must notify the court and all other parties by 4 p.m. that court day. | The tentative becomes the ruling when the court has not directed argument and no timely notice is given. |
| Rule 3.1308(a)(2): no notice of intent to appear required | The court specifies when the tentative will be available before the hearing. This procedure does not require advance notice of intent to appear. | Lack of notice does not automatically make the tentative final; the ruling is not final until the hearing. |
The rule does not require judges to issue tentative rulings. It also addresses local-rule notice of the selected procedure. Under the notice-required procedure, notice to other parties must be by telephone or in person; the court must accept telephone notice and may designate additional methods for notifying the court. Do not assume that an email to a courtroom also satisfies notice to every other party.
A starting directory for selected courts
The following covers ordinary civil law-and-motion guidance, checked October 29, 2026. Special proceedings, case orders, and department instructions need their own review. All times are local California time.
| Court | Where and when to check | Oral-argument step |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | Use the court's tentative-ruling search, selecting the case or the location, department, and hearing date. Read the assigned department's posted instructions. | Check the ruling and department procedure for the applicable notice requirement and method. The search page alone does not establish one universal countywide deadline. |
| Orange | The civil tentative-ruling directory organizes rulings by judicial officer and says postings are typically available by 3 p.m. the day before the hearing. Local Rule 382 addresses access. | Read the specific department's instructions and ruling for appearance, argument, and submission requirements. The directory's typical posting time is not a countywide call-in rule. |
| San Diego | The civil tentative-rulings page directs users to the online register of actions and states availability by 4 p.m. before the scheduled motion day. | Local Rule 2.1.19(C), 2026 edition, follows rule 3.1308(a)(2): no notice of intent to appear is required for oral argument. Confirm appearance arrangements and any direction in the ruling. |
| Alameda | Local Rule 3.30(d) says rulings generally appear by 4 p.m. two court days before the hearing, and no later than 3 p.m. the court day before. Use the court's access instructions. | The rule adopts rule 3.1308(a)(1). Give required notice by 4 p.m. the court day before the hearing. If no tentative has issued, appear unless otherwise ordered. |
| Sacramento | The Civil Home Courts page describes tentative rulings under Local Rule 1.06(A), generally by 2 p.m. the court day before the hearing. | Follow the relevant department's notice instructions and notify the other side. The court's civil tentative-ruling handout identifies a 4 p.m. deadline the court day before the hearing to request argument. Check special calendar instructions separately. |
| Tuolumne | The court's tentative-rulings page states availability after 3 p.m. the court day before the hearing for covered unlimited civil law-and-motion matters. | The page directs parties seeking argument to notify the court and opposing counsel by 4 p.m. that court day. Check whether the ruling itself directs an appearance. |
For Los Angeles and Orange County, capture the actual department procedure in the case file when the hearing is calendared. If the posted directions appear inconsistent with the statewide rule, raise the conflict with the responsible attorney and seek clarification early enough to preserve the opportunity to appear.
Give the review its own calendar entry
A reminder at the hearing time does not help with an argument-request deadline the previous afternoon. Create a separate task for checking the tentative, with enough time for the attorney to read it and decide whether to seek argument.
Include the court, department, hearing date, source link, assigned reviewer, backup, and applicable notice cutoff. Where the court posts earlier, use that earlier opportunity. A Friday hearing may require action Thursday; a Monday hearing ordinarily puts the preceding-court-day task on Friday, subject to holidays.
When argument is requested, record who notified the court, who notified the other parties, the method, and the time. Remote-appearance registration is a separate requirement from notice requesting oral argument.
Read the entire ruling before closing the task
The disposition is only part of the review. The court may direct an appearance, identify issues for argument, request an order, or impose conditions that need follow-up. If the court later issues a different ruling, the team's record should reflect the final result.
If no tentative appears, do not translate “nothing posted” into “nothing required.” Check the court's procedure and preserve the scheduled appearance unless the applicable directions establish otherwise.
Court monitoring can help a team stay aware of activity around a hearing, but a tentative-ruling workflow still needs a named reviewer and a timely decision. Use AlwaysPresent as part of that broader case-review routine, and keep the court's required checks and notices assigned. Explore AlwaysPresent.
This guide covers selected civil procedures and does not replace the applicable court rule, department instructions, or case order.