California Tenant Question Library
How Is the 3-Day Deadline Counted?
Short answer
The clock starts the day after the notice is served — not the day you got it — and it skips weekends and court holidays. So "three days" is usually more than three calendar days.
The three-day count doesn't begin when the landlord signs the notice or the moment it reaches you. Day one is the day after the notice is properly served, and the three days exclude Saturdays, Sundays, and judicial holidays (Code of Civil Procedure §1161(2)).
An example makes it clearer. If a notice is served on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday don't count — so the count runs Monday (day 1), Tuesday (day 2), and Wednesday (day 3), and the deadline is the end of that Wednesday. And if a court holiday falls inside the window, it's skipped too, which pushes the deadline even later. So a notice served late in the week, or near a holiday, usually gives you more calendar time than "three days" makes it sound.
A Few Things Worth Knowing
- Counting starts the day after service — not the day you received it.
- Weekends and judicial holidays don't count toward the three days (Code of Civil Procedure §1161(2)).
- A notice served late in the week or near a holiday gives you more calendar time than it looks.
The Tool for This Moment
Pin Down Your Real Deadline
The California Tenant Rapid Response System helps you work out the exact deadline that applies to your notice.