# California Citation Format — California Style Manual (CSM)

California court filings follow the **California Style Manual**
(CSM), published by the Judicial Council of California and the
California Supreme Court. The CSM diverges from Bluebook in
notation, comma placement, statute format, and reporter
abbreviations. Match the CSM, not Bluebook.

Authoritative source:
https://www.courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index.cfm?title=ten

The most recent edition is the 4th edition (2000, with periodic
updates). California appellate courts and superior courts expect
CSM format; Bluebook format is a common tell that a document
was drafted without California formatting.

## Case citations

### California Supreme Court

```
Aguilar v. Atlantic Richfield Co. (2001) 25 Cal.4th 826
```

- Case name: italicized (or underlined in older practice); `v.`
  lowercase with period
- Year: in **parentheses immediately before** the volume number
  (this differs fundamentally from Bluebook, which puts the
  year at the end)
- Reporter: `Cal.` (1st series), `Cal.2d` (2nd series), `Cal.3d`
  (3rd series), `Cal.4th` (4th series, current), `Cal.5th`
  (5th series, 2016-present) — note periods retained in
  California style
- No parallel cite required in most contexts

### California Court of Appeal

```
Riverisland Cold Storage, Inc. v. Fresno-Madera Production
Credit Assn. (2013) 55 Cal.4th 1169
```

Wait — *Riverisland* was decided by the California Supreme Court
(review granted). Court of Appeal example:

```
Blank v. Kirwan (1985) 39 Cal.3d 311
                      [Supreme Court — 3d series]

Serrano v. Priest (1977) 20 Cal.3d 25
                         [Supreme Court — 3d series]

Romo v. Ford Motor Co. (2002) 99 Cal.App.4th 1115
                              [Court of Appeal — 4th series]
```

- Court of Appeal reporter: `Cal.App.` (1st), `Cal.App.2d`
  (2nd), `Cal.App.3d` (3d), `Cal.App.4th` (4th), `Cal.App.5th`
  (5th, current)

### California Appellate Reports (Cal.Rptr.)

The unofficial California Reporter publishes both Supreme Court
and Court of Appeal decisions:

```
Reid v. Google, Inc. (2010) 50 Cal.4th 512 [113 Cal.Rptr.3d 327]
```

Parallel cites to `Cal.Rptr.` or `Cal.Rptr.2d` / `Cal.Rptr.3d`
are common in trial court filings but not required by the CSM.
When citing to both, place the Cal.Rptr. cite in brackets.

### Pin cite (page reference within case)

```
Aguilar v. Atlantic Richfield Co. (2001) 25 Cal.4th 826, 843
```

- Pin to the specific page; use a comma and the page number
  directly following the first page of the opinion
- Multiple pin pages: (2001) 25 Cal.4th 826, 843-845

### Short form (after first full cite)

```
Aguilar, supra, 25 Cal.4th at p. 843
```

Or, the preferred CSM short form for cases just cited:

```
Aguilar, supra, at p. 843   [if volume already established]
```

Or simply:

```
(Id. at p. 843.)   [only for the immediately preceding cite]
```

Note: California uses `at p.` and `at pp.` (not just "at") in
short forms — a key distinction from Bluebook's `at`.

### Unpublished opinions — CRC 8.1115

**Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.1115** provides that an opinion
of a California Court of Appeal that is not certified for
publication or ordered published **must not be cited or relied
upon** in any court proceeding. Unpublished opinions do not
create precedent.

Exception (CRC 8.1115(b)): An unpublished opinion may be cited
when it is relevant under the doctrines of law of the case,
res judicata, or collateral estoppel, or when the opinion is
relevant to a criminal or disciplinary action because it
describes the prior conduct of a party.

**Practical rule**: Before citing any California appellate
opinion, verify it is published (certified for publication or
ordered published) at:
https://www.courts.ca.gov/opinions.htm

## Statutes

### California Code of Civil Procedure

```
Code Civ. Proc., § 437c
Code Civ. Proc., § 437c, subd. (c)
Code Civ. Proc., §§ 2016.010-2036.050
```

Key features of California statute citation format:
- **The code name comes first**, followed by a **comma**
- The section symbol **§** is used (unlike Oregon's ORS style)
- Subsections: `subd. (a)`, `subd. (b)(1)` — using "subd."
  not parentheses in the primary citation (though parentheses
  may appear in short forms)
- For a range of sections: `§§` (double section symbol)

Common code abbreviations:

| Code | Abbreviation |
|------|-------------|
| Code of Civil Procedure | Code Civ. Proc. |
| Civil Code | Civ. Code |
| Evidence Code | Evid. Code |
| Business & Professions Code | Bus. & Prof. Code |
| Financial Code | Fin. Code |
| Government Code | Gov. Code |
| Health & Safety Code | Health & Saf. Code |
| Insurance Code | Ins. Code |
| Labor Code | Lab. Code |
| Penal Code | Pen. Code |
| Probate Code | Prob. Code |
| Revenue & Taxation Code | Rev. & Tax. Code |
| Welfare & Institutions Code | Welf. & Inst. Code |
| Commercial Code | Com. Code |
| Vehicle Code | Veh. Code |
| Water Code | Wat. Code |

**Examples**:

```
Civ. Code, § 1717
Civ. Code, §§ 1788-1788.33   [Rosenthal Act]
Bus. & Prof. Code, § 17200   [UCL]
Fin. Code, § 100000          [Debt Collection Licensing Act]
```

### California Constitution

```
Cal. Const., art. VI, § 6
Cal. Const., art. I, § 7   [due process]
```

### California Rules of Court

```
Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.1308
Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.1115
```

Note: CSM uses "rule" (lowercase) not "Rule"; the comma after
"Court" is required.

Abbreviated form (within the same document, after first full
cite):

```
Rule 3.1308
```

## Federal citations

### U.S. Code

```
15 U.S.C. § 1692k(a)(3)   [CSM format, with periods]
15 U.S.C. §§ 1692-1692p   [FDCPA range]
```

Note: California Style Manual uses periods in `U.S.C.` (unlike
Oregon Style Manual which omits periods). Either form is
accepted by California courts; the CSM form with periods is
more common in California appellate filings.

### Code of Federal Regulations

```
12 C.F.R. § 1006.30   [Reg F]
12 C.F.R. pt. 1006    [referring to the entire part]
```

### Federal cases

```
Henson v. Santander Consumer USA, Inc. (2017) 582 U.S. 79
```

Note: California style places the year before the volume number
for federal cases as well, consistent with the California
convention.

For circuit court decisions:

```
Clark v. Capital Credit & Collection Services, Inc.
  (9th Cir. 2006) 460 F.3d 1162
```

For district court decisions:

```
Gonzalez v. Arrow Financial Services, LLC
  (S.D. Cal. 2008) 489 F.Supp.2d 1140
```

## Court rules — California Rules of Court

```
Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.1300(a)
Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(b)
```

After first full citation in the document:
```
Rule 3.1300(a)
```

## Local rules

```
LASC Local Rules, rule 3.3
SFSC Local Rules, rule 13
```

Or abbreviated after first cite:
```
LASC rule 3.3
```

Each Superior Court publishes its local rules separately;
always verify current numbering from the court's website.

## Italicization

- **Case names** including `v.`: italicized (or underlined)
- **"supra"** and **"infra"**: italicized
- **"Id."**: italicized
- **"et seq."**: not italicized in California style (differs
  from Oregon, which italicizes)
- **Statutes and rules**: no italics
- **Latin phrases in common legal use** (e.g., "res judicata",
  "in pro per"): not italicized once they are "settled" legal
  terms; judgment call

## Short forms

### Case short form

```
First cite:   Aguilar v. Atlantic Richfield Co. (2001)
              25 Cal.4th 826, 843

Short form:   Aguilar, supra, 25 Cal.4th at p. 843

"Id."         (Id. at p. 843.)   — only for immediately
              preceding case
```

### Statute short form

```
First cite:   Code Civ. Proc., § 437c
Subsequent:   Section 437c   [if the code is already
              established in context]
Short:        § 437c         [in text after full citation]
```

## Quotations

- Short quotations (fewer than 50 words): inline with
  quotation marks; cite immediately following
- Long quotations (50 words or more): block quote, indented
  both margins, single-spaced, no quotation marks; cite on
  a separate line below

```
"The party moving for summary judgment bears the initial burden
of production to make a prima facie showing of the nonexistence
of any triable issue of material fact." (Aguilar v. Atlantic
Richfield Co. (2001) 25 Cal.4th 826, 850.)
```

Note: California style places citation in parentheses at the
end of the sentence, before the period if at the end — or inside
the quotation marks if the citation is at the end of a quoted
block.

## Parentheticals

```
Code Civ. Proc., § 998 (authorizing offers to compromise;
  plaintiff who fails to beat defendant's offer pays post-
  offer expert costs).
Civ. Code, § 1717 (reciprocal attorney fee clause in contract
  actions).
```

Short explanatory parentheticals are standard California
practice.

## Numbers

- Spell out one through nine; numerals for 10 and above
- Monetary amounts: $1,000 (no cents unless less than $1.00)
- Dates: "January 14, 2026" in motions

## Comparison to Bluebook and Oregon Style Manual

| Element | California CSM | Bluebook | Oregon OACSM |
|---------|---------------|----------|--------------|
| Year position | Before volume: (2001) 25 Cal.4th | After reporter: Cal.4th (2001) | After reporter: 350 Or 1 (2010) |
| CA Supreme Ct | Cal.4th (with periods) | Cal. 4th | n/a |
| CA Court of Appeal | Cal.App.5th | Cal. App. 5th | n/a |
| CCP cite | Code Civ. Proc., § 437c | Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 437c | n/a |
| USC | 15 U.S.C. § 1692k | 15 U.S.C. § 1692k | 15 USC § 1692k (no periods) |
| At page | "at p. 843" | "at 843" | n/a |
| Short form | "supra" | "Id." or short case name | "supra" or case name |
| Et seq. | not italicized | italicized | italicized |

The most common porting error from Oregon or federal practice
is placing the year at the end of the citation rather than
before the volume number.

## How to verify a citation

For California cases:
- **Westlaw / Lexis** (paid; authoritative)
- **Google Scholar** (free; generally reliable for opinions
  post-1950): https://scholar.google.com/
- **California courts opinions page**:
  https://www.courts.ca.gov/opinions.htm
- **CourtListener**: https://www.courtlistener.com/?court=cal

For CCP / CEC / Civ. Code:
- **leginfo.legislature.ca.gov**:
  https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codesTOCSelected.xhtml

For California Rules of Court:
- **courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/**:
  https://www.courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/

For unpublished opinions (to confirm they are NOT citable):
- **courts.ca.gov/opinions**

See `online-sources.md` for the full catalog and
`legal-data-apis.md` for programmatic access.