California Purchase Contract Deadline Calculator
To calculate a California purchase contract deadline, treat the day of acceptance as Day 0, count calendar days starting the next day, and if the last day lands on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, move it to the next business day. The number of days for each item comes from your signed contract, not from this page. Commonly used defaults in recent versions of C.A.R.’s Residential Purchase Agreement (RPA), as public summaries of the 2016 to 2022 forms describe them, are 3 business days for the deposit, 7 days for the seller’s disclosures, 17 days for investigation and appraisal and 21 days for the loan.
Confirm every figure against your own contract before you rely on it. C.A.R. redesigned the RPA in December 2025 (the 12/25 version). The form and C.A.R.’s guides to it are open only to members, and as of October 2026 we have not found a public summary of the 12/25 default periods. So every period on this page is a commonly used default from recent RPA versions, not a confirmed reading of the 12/25 form: read the time-period paragraph and the definitions of Days, business days and legal holidays in the agreement you signed, and your contract controls.
This page works as a paper calculator: a table of the usual periods, the counting rules, a blank worksheet and three hypothetical worked examples using real 2026 and 2027 calendar dates. For what each contingency protects, see our guide to the California Residential Purchase Agreement.
The usual time periods in a California purchase contract
These are commonly used defaults in recent RPA versions, as published summaries report them. Your contract controls; any period can be shortened, lengthened or waived in the offer or a counter offer.
| Item | Common default in recent RPA versions | Counted in | Where the default is reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buyer’s initial deposit to escrow | 3 days after acceptance | Business days | C.A.R. Member Legal Services, via Tahoe Mountain Realty (2016); Seb Frey summary of RPA 12/22 |
| Seller delivers required disclosures and reports | 7 days after acceptance | Calendar days | Megowan Realty Group; Santa Barbara Independent (2021) |
| Investigation (inspection) contingency | 17 days after acceptance | Calendar days | C.A.R. Member Legal Services, via Tahoe Mountain Realty (2016) |
| Appraisal contingency | 17 days after acceptance | Calendar days | Santa Barbara Independent (2021) |
| Loan contingency | 21 days after acceptance | Calendar days | Megowan Realty Group; Santa Barbara Independent (2021) |
| Seller requests HOA documents | 3 days after acceptance | Calendar days | Megowan Realty Group |
| Notice to perform period | Usually 2 days after delivery | Calendar days | Santa Barbara Independent (2021) |
| Close of escrow | No default; the date or number of days is written into the contract | Calendar days if stated as days | Seb Frey summary of RPA 12/22; Megowan Realty Group |
All of those sources describe versions before the 12/25 redesign. If your contract is on the 12/25 form, check each line against it, especially the deposit timing and the notice periods. Our guides to the earnest money deposit, the loan contingency and the appraisal contingency explain what each one covers.
How the days are counted
- Acceptance is Day 0. Acceptance generally means the signed offer or final counter offer has been delivered back to the other side. The next calendar day is Day 1.
- Count calendar days. According to C.A.R. Member Legal Services, “days” in C.A.R. purchase agreements means calendar days, with the deposit’s business days as the exception.
- Roll a weekend or holiday deadline forward. If the last day for performance falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, it moves to the next business day. Only the final day moves; weekends in the middle still count.
- Count business days only where the contract says so. For the deposit, skip Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays entirely.
- Write every date down at acceptance and have both agents and escrow confirm the same list.
California’s general rules point the same way. Civil Code section 10 computes time by excluding the first day and including the last, and excludes the last day too if it’s a holiday. Civil Code section 11 says an act due on a holiday may be performed on the next business day. Civil Code section 7 defines holidays as every Sunday plus the days the Government Code lists. The contract’s own definitions control for the contract, so read them.
Which holidays count
Government Code section 6700 lists the state’s holidays. Besides the familiar ones, it now includes Lunar New Year, Lincoln Day on February 12, Farmworkers Day on March 31, Genocide Remembrance Day on April 24, Juneteenth, Admission Day on September 9, Native American Day on the fourth Friday in September, Columbus Day and Diwali, and it covers Good Friday from noon to 3 p.m. Some apply to cities and counties only if they adopt them.
Not every listed day closes escrow offices, banks or recorders, and the day after Thanksgiving isn’t on the list at all. When a deadline lands on one of these days, check how your contract defines a legal holiday and agree on the date in writing rather than assuming.
Worked example 1 (hypothetical): acceptance on Friday, November 6, 2026
A hypothetical offer is accepted on Friday, November 6, 2026, with every default left in place. Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, and Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26, are state holidays.
| Item | Count | Raw date | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial deposit | 3 business days | Mon Nov 9, Tue Nov 10, then skip Veterans Day | Thursday, November 12 |
| Seller disclosures | 7 days | Friday, November 13 | Friday, November 13 |
| Investigation and appraisal | 17 days | Monday, November 23 | Monday, November 23 |
| Loan | 21 days | Friday, November 27 | Friday, November 27 (not a holiday under section 6700; confirm with escrow) |
| Close of escrow (if written as 30 days) | 30 days | Sunday, December 6 | Monday, December 7 |
Worked example 2 (hypothetical): acceptance on Thursday, December 17, 2026
A second hypothetical shows how the year-end holidays and a weekend push dates around.
| Item | Count | Raw date | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial deposit | 3 business days | Fri Dec 18, Mon Dec 21, Tue Dec 22 | Tuesday, December 22 |
| Seller disclosures | 7 days | Thursday, December 24 | Thursday, December 24 |
| Investigation and appraisal | 17 days | Sunday, January 3, 2027 | Monday, January 4, 2027 |
| Loan | 21 days | Thursday, January 7, 2027 | Thursday, January 7, 2027 |
| Close of escrow (if written as 30 days) | 30 days | Saturday, January 16, 2027 | Tuesday, January 19, 2027, because Monday, January 18 is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day |
Christmas Eve is not a state holiday, so the disclosure deadline stays put even though many offices close early. Plan around it.
Worked example 3 (hypothetical): when a notice to perform comes into play
In the first hypothetical, suppose the buyer hasn’t removed the investigation contingency by Monday, November 23. Under the active-removal approach the RPA has long used, the contingency doesn’t simply lapse. The seller may deliver a notice to perform, and the buyer then has the notice period, usually reported as 2 days, to remove the contingency or cancel. Only after that period expires without action may the seller cancel.
If the seller delivers the notice on Tuesday, November 24, a 2-day period would end on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26, and roll to Friday, November 27. Our guide to the notice to perform in California explains the timing rules, including when the seller may first deliver one, and our page on when a seller can back out covers the seller’s side.
Statutory clocks that run alongside the contract
Some deadlines come from statutes rather than the form, and they can’t be negotiated away the same way.
- Late Transfer Disclosure Statement: under Civil Code 1102.3, if the statement or a material amendment arrives after the offer, the buyer may terminate within 3 days after delivery in person, or 5 days after mailing or after electronic delivery where the parties agreed to transact electronically.
- Lead-based paint: for most pre-1978 housing, federal rules give the buyer a 10-day opportunity to inspect, which the parties may lengthen, shorten or waive in writing.
Our California escrow timeline shows where these fall alongside inspections, the loan and closing.
Your deadline worksheet
Print this table, or copy it into your calendar, and fill it in from your signed contract on the day of acceptance.
| Item | Period in my contract | Business or calendar days | Raw date | Final deadline after weekend or holiday roll |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance (Day 0) | n/a | n/a | ||
| Initial deposit | ||||
| Seller disclosures and reports | ||||
| HOA documents | ||||
| Investigation contingency | ||||
| Appraisal contingency | ||||
| Loan contingency | ||||
| Other contingency (sale of buyer’s home, insurance, etc.) | ||||
| Close of escrow |
Put the inspection appointments well before the investigation deadline, and send any request for repair early enough for the seller to answer before you must decide. If you plan to cancel, follow the steps in our guide to cancelling a home purchase before the deadline passes. Investors running an exchange have a separate clock; see our 1031 exchange deadline calculator.
This is general information, not legal advice. A missed or miscounted contract deadline can cost a deposit or a deal, so if a date is in doubt, ask your agent and a California real estate attorney to read the actual paragraph in your contract before you rely on a count.
Questions people ask
When does the 17-day contingency period end?
Count 17 calendar days starting the day after acceptance. If Day 17 is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day. Check that your contract still uses 17 days, because it’s negotiable.
Is the day of acceptance Day 1?
No. Acceptance is Day 0, and Day 1 is the next calendar day. That’s how published summaries of the RPA describe it and how Civil Code section 10 computes time.
Do contingencies expire automatically when the deadline passes?
Not under the active-removal approach the C.A.R. form has long used. The buyer removes a contingency in writing; if not, the seller may serve a notice to perform and can cancel only after the notice period expires. Confirm the mechanics in the 12/25 form.
Are weekends counted in contract deadlines?
Yes, for calendar-day periods. Only the final day moves if it lands on a weekend or holiday. Business-day periods, such as the deposit, skip weekends and holidays entirely.
What counts as a legal holiday?
Under the Civil Code, every Sunday plus the holidays in Government Code section 6700, which include several recently added days such as Juneteenth, Genocide Remembrance Day and Diwali. Your contract’s own definition controls, so check it when a deadline is close to one of these dates.
When is the deposit due?
Public summaries of recent RPA versions describe the default as three business days after acceptance, unless the contract says otherwise. Confirm it in the 12/25 form if that is what you signed. Agree on the delivery method with escrow early so a wire isn’t delayed.
Can the buyer and seller change a deadline after acceptance?
Yes, by a written, signed amendment. A verbal agreement or an email exchange between agents is not a safe substitute.
The guide to home buying contingencies explains what each contingency protects. When you’re ready to write an offer, we can build the deadline list with you before you sign. Start with our home-buying process guides or talk to Diamond about buying.
Sources & notes
- C.A.R. Business Products: Your Guide to the California Residential Purchase Agreement (RPA), redesigned agreement 12/25
- OnlineEd: C.A.R. New and Revised Forms, December 2025 (course description)
- Tahoe Mountain Realty: Understanding Purchase Contract Time Frames, by C.A.R. Member Legal Services (Nov. 7, 2016)
- Seb Frey: Quick Guide to the California Residential Purchase Agreement (RPA 12/22)
- Megowan Realty Group: Purchase Contract (updated May 10, 2026)
- Santa Barbara Independent: Will I Be Actively or Passively Removed? (June 30, 2021)
- California Public Law: Civil Code section 7 (holidays)
- California Public Law: Civil Code section 10 (computing time)
- California Public Law: Civil Code section 11 (acts due on holidays)
- California Public Law: Government Code section 6700 (state holidays)
- California Public Law: Civil Code section 1102.3 (TDS termination right)
- U.S. EPA: Real estate disclosures about potential lead hazards
Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
