Court Opinions

State Laws

US Code

US Constitution

California Code Of Civil Procedure Section 338

Legal Research Home > California Lawyer > Code of Civil Procedure > California Code Of Civil Procedure Section 338

Within three years:
   (a) An action upon a liability created by statute, other than a
penalty or forfeiture.
   (b) An action for trespass upon or injury to real property.
   (c) An action for taking, detaining, or injuring any goods or
chattels, including actions for the specific recovery of personal
property. The cause of action in the case of theft, as defined in
Section 484 of the Penal Code, of any article of historical,
interpretive, scientific, or artistic significance is not deemed to
have accrued until the discovery of the whereabouts of the article by
the aggrieved party, his or her agent, or the law enforcement agency
that originally investigated the theft.
   (d) An action for relief on the ground of fraud or mistake. The
cause of action in that case is not deemed to have accrued until the
discovery, by the aggrieved party, of the facts constituting the
fraud or mistake.
   (e) An action upon a bond of a public official except any cause of
action based on fraud or embezzlement is not deemed to have accrued
until the discovery, by the aggrieved party or his or her agent, of
the facts constituting the cause of action upon the bond.
   (f) (1) An action against a notary public on his or her bond or in
his or her official capacity except that any cause of action based
on malfeasance or misfeasance is not deemed to have accrued until
discovery, by the aggrieved party or his or her agent, of the facts
constituting the cause of action.
   (2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), an action based on malfeasance
or misfeasance shall be commenced within one year from discovery, by
the aggrieved party or his or her agent, of the facts constituting
the cause of action or within three years from the performance of the
notarial act giving rise to the action, whichever is later.
   (3) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), an action against a notary
public on his or her bond or in his or her official capacity shall be
commenced within six years.
   (g) An action for slander of title to real property.
   (h) An action commenced under Section 17536 of the Business and
Professions Code. The cause of action in that case shall not be
deemed to have accrued until the discovery by the aggrieved party,
the Attorney General, the district attorney, the county counsel, the
city prosecutor, or the city attorney of the facts constituting
grounds for commencing the action.
   (i) An action commenced under the Porter-Cologne Water Quality
Control Act (Division 7 (commencing with Section 13000) of the Water
Code). The cause of action in that case shall not be deemed to have
accrued until the discovery by the State Water Resources Control
Board or a regional water quality control board of the facts
constituting grounds for commencing actions under their jurisdiction.

   (j) An action to recover for physical damage to private property
under Section 19 of Article I of the California Constitution.
   (k) An action commenced under Division 26 (commencing with Section
39000) of the Health and Safety Code. These causes of action shall
not be deemed to have accrued until the discovery by the State Air
Resources Board or by a district, as defined in Section 39025 of the
Health and Safety Code, of the facts constituting grounds for
commencing the action under its jurisdiction.
   (l) An action commenced under Section 1603.1, 1615, or 5650.1 of
the Fish and Game Code. These causes of action shall not be deemed to
have accrued until discovery by the agency bringing the action of
the facts constituting the grounds for commencing the action.
   (m) An action challenging the validity of the levy upon a parcel
of a special tax levied by a local agency on a per parcel basis.
   (n) An action commencing under Section 51.7 of the Civil Code.

Last modified: January 12, 2009