By Michael Shemtoub, trial attorney, Beverly Law. Updated November 2026.
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Every deadline in a claim against the City of Los Angeles
| Step | Deadline | Law |
|---|---|---|
| File the claim: injury, death or personal property (including a car) | 6 months after the claim accrues | Gov. Code § 911.2 |
| File the claim: any other kind (for example, damage to real property) | 1 year after the claim accrues | § 911.2 |
| City sends a notice that the claim is missing information | Within 20 days after you file; the City then waits 15 days before acting | § 910.8 |
| City acts on the claim | 45 days; if it does nothing, the claim is treated as rejected on day 45 | § 912.4 |
| City returns a late six-month claim without action | Within 45 days after you file; if it sends no notice, it waives the lateness defense | § 911.3 |
| Sue after a written rejection notice | 6 months from the date the notice was mailed or handed to you | § 945.6(a)(1) |
| Sue when no proper rejection notice was sent | 2 years from accrual | § 945.6(a)(2) |
| Apply to file a late claim (six-month claims only) | A reasonable time, never more than 1 year after accrual | § 911.4 |
| City decides the late-claim application | 45 days; silence counts as a denial | § 911.6 |
| Ask the court for relief after the application is denied | 6 months after the denial or deemed denial | § 946.6(b) |
| File the lawsuit after the court grants relief | 30 days | § 946.6(f) |
| Sue the City employee personally (for example, the driver) | Same deadlines as the suit against the City | § 950.6 |
The City’s own portal at claims.lacity.org and the City Attorney state the same six-month and one-year filing deadlines.
When the six months start
The clock starts when the claim “accrues,” which is the same date the ordinary statute of limitations would start (Gov. Code § 901). For a fall, a crash or pothole damage, that is usually the day it happened. It can be later in some cases, for example when an injury and its cause could not reasonably have been discovered at first. The California Supreme Court has explained that the six-month claim deadline is separate from the statute of limitations and runs from accrual (Shirk v. Vista Unified School Dist. (2007) 42 Cal.4th 201). For a wrongful death claim, the clock usually starts on the date of death. If you are not sure when your claim accrued, count from the earliest possible date.
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How to count six months
A month means a calendar month (Gov. Code § 6804). You leave out the day of the injury and count the last day (Civ. Code § 10). In practice, the deadline is the same date number six months later. If that date does not exist in the ending month, use the last day of that month.
| Date of injury | Six-month deadline | Note |
|---|---|---|
| March 15, 2026 | September 15, 2026 | Same date number |
| August 31, 2026 | February 28, 2027 | No Feb. 31, so the last day of February. It is a Sunday: file earlier. |
| August 31, 2027 | February 29, 2028 | Leap year |
| December 31, 2026 | June 30, 2027 | No June 31 |
| March 15, 2026 (damage to a house) | March 15, 2027 (one-year claim) | Other claims get 12 months |
The free deadline calculator on our City of Los Angeles claims page does this math for you and shows a recommended file-by date.
If the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday
Do not plan around it. A general California statute extends many deadlines that land on a weekend or court holiday to the next business day (Code Civ. Proc. § 12a), but we found no published court decision applying that rule to the deadline for presenting a government claim. Treat the date in the table as the last day, and file before it.
Mailing, online filing and proof of the date
A claim mailed to the City Clerk counts as presented on the day it is deposited in the mail (Gov. Code § 915.2(a)). Use certified mail with a return receipt and keep the receipt. The extra days the law adds for mailed papers do not extend the six months to sue after a rejection notice (§ 915.2(b)).
No statute says exactly when an online claim counts as received, so treat an online claim as filed when the City receives it and save the claim number the portal gives you. If you deliver the claim in person, ask for a file-stamped copy. Step-by-step instructions are on our how to file page.
Why the two-year injury deadline does not save a City claim
Many people know that California gives two years to sue for a personal injury (Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1). That rule governs suits against private people and companies. Against the City of Los Angeles, the six-month claim must come first, and the time to sue after that is set by Gov. Code § 945.6. Waiting because of the two-year rule can cost you the claim against the City. Our page on the personal injury statute of limitations covers the private-party rules.
If you missed the six-month deadline
You can apply to the City for permission to file a late claim. The application must state why the claim is late, attach the proposed claim, and be filed within a reasonable time, never more than one year after the claim accrued (Gov. Code § 911.4). The City has 45 days to grant or deny it; if it says nothing, it is denied on day 45 (§ 911.6). The City must grant the application in listed situations, such as a mistake or excusable neglect that did not prejudice the City.
If the City denies it, you have six months to ask the Superior Court for relief, and if the court grants it you must file suit within 30 days (§ 946.6). Late-claim relief applies only to six-month claims. Read more on our late claim page.
Deadlines for children and people who were incapacitated
The six-month deadline applies to children too. Being a minor does not stop the one-year limit on a late-claim application; that time is generally counted (Gov. Code § 911.4(c)). Time when the injured person was mentally incapacitated and had no guardian or conservator is not counted, and neither is time when a child was a dependent of the juvenile court without a guardian ad litem or conservator for filing civil actions. The City must grant a timely late-claim application when the injured person was a minor during the whole six-month period, or during part of it if the application is made within six months after the 18th birthday or one year after accrual, whichever comes first (§ 911.6(b)(2)-(3)).
Even then, the court deadlines still apply. In one case, a minor’s application was ignored and treated as denied, his lawyer missed the six-month court petition deadline, and the claim was lost (J.M. v. Huntington Beach Union High School Dist. (2017) 2 Cal.5th 648). See claims for minors.
Related pages
- How to file a claim against the City of Los Angeles
- How to file: online, mail or in person
- Late claim against the City of Los Angeles
- Claim denied: the six months to sue
- What happens after you file
- Claims for minors
- Do you have six months to claim against a city vehicle?
- How long after a fall can you claim compensation?
- Personal injury statute of limitations
Common questions
What is the deadline to file a claim against the City of Los Angeles?
Six months from the date of the injury for personal injury, wrongful death and damage to personal property such as a vehicle, and one year for all other claims, such as damage to real property. The deadline comes from California Government Code section 911.2 and runs from when the claim accrues, usually the injury date.
How do I count six months for a government claim in California?
Leave out the day of the injury and count calendar months, so the deadline is the same date number six months later. If that date does not exist, such as February 31, the deadline is the last day of that month. An injury on August 31, 2026 has a deadline of February 28, 2027.
Does the two-year statute of limitations apply to a claim against the City of Los Angeles?
No. The two-year rule in Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 does not replace the six-month claim deadline. You must file a government claim with the City Clerk within six months first. After a written rejection, you generally have six months from the date it was mailed to sue.
What if my deadline falls on a weekend?
File before it. A general California statute extends many weekend and holiday deadlines to the next business day, but no published court decision we found applies it to presenting a government claim. Treat the calculated date as the last day.
Can I still file a claim against the City after six months?
Possibly. You can apply to the City for permission to file a late claim within a reasonable time and no later than one year after the injury, explaining the delay and attaching the proposed claim. If the City denies the application, you have six months to petition the Superior Court.
How long does the City of Los Angeles have to respond to a claim?
45 days after the claim is filed. If the City does not act within 45 days, the claim is treated as rejected. If the City sends no written rejection notice, the time to sue is generally two years from when the claim accrued; if it does, it is six months from the date the notice was mailed or delivered.
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Sources
- Cal. Gov. Code § 901
- Cal. Gov. Code § 910.8
- Cal. Gov. Code § 911.2
- Cal. Gov. Code § 911.3
- Cal. Gov. Code § 911.4
- Cal. Gov. Code § 911.6
- Cal. Gov. Code § 912.4
- Cal. Gov. Code § 915.2
- Cal. Gov. Code § 945.6
- Cal. Gov. Code § 946.6
- Cal. Gov. Code § 950.6
- Cal. Gov. Code § 6804
- Cal. Civ. Code § 10
- Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 12a
- Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1
- Shirk v. Vista Unified School Dist. (2007) 42 Cal.4th 201
- J.M. v. Huntington Beach Union High School Dist. (2017) 2 Cal.5th 648
- City of Los Angeles claims portal
- Los Angeles City Attorney, Claims
Important: This page is general information, not legal or medical advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different; talk to a lawyer about yours. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. Last reviewed: November 6, 2026.