How long are contingencies in California?

In the current C.A.R. Residential Purchase Agreement, the loan, appraisal, investigation and insurance contingencies all default to 17 days after acceptance. Review of seller documents, the preliminary title report, HOA disclosures and leased items default to 17 days or 5 days after delivery, whichever is later.

Does a California contingency expire automatically?

No. Under the current RPA, a contingency stays in place after its deadline until the buyer removes it in writing or the seller cancels. To cancel, the seller must first deliver a Notice to Buyer to Perform giving the buyer at least 2 days.

When is the earnest money deposit due in California?

The RPA defaults the initial deposit to 3 business days after acceptance, by wire, directly to the escrow holder. It is the only deadline in the form counted in business days; the rest are calendar days.

Who handles the closing in California?

California closings run through a neutral escrow holder, typically an independent escrow company or a title company, which follows the parties’ written escrow instructions. In the RPA, the contract itself serves as joint escrow instructions. Attorneys may act as escrow holders but are not typically involved.

California Real Estate Closing Timeline

How a California purchase moves through escrow under the C.A.R. Residential Purchase Agreement.

Last updated October 13, 2026 · Based on the C.A.R. Residential Purchase Agreement, Revised 6/26

Many California residential purchases use the California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.) Residential Purchase Agreement, Form RPA. The current version is Revised 6/26, released in June 2026; its default time periods are the same as the 12/25 version it replaced. The first two pages are a grid of the main deadlines with a default number of days that the parties can change, so the fastest way to read a California timeline is to read that grid.

Two things set California apart. Contingencies are removed actively, in writing, and contingencies are not removed just because a date passes. And everything runs through a neutral escrow holder, which is why California agents talk about “close of escrow” rather than “closing.”

The default California timeline

RPA 6/26 default periods, counted from Acceptance (Day 0). Close of escrow has no printed default; it is negotiated.
When	Milestone	What happens
Day 0	Acceptance	The signed acceptance or final counter offer is delivered to the other side. Signing alone doesn’t start the clock.
3 business days	Initial deposit	By wire, directly to the escrow holder. The only business-day deadline in the form.
Day 3	Buyer’s financial verifications	Proof of cash or down payment and closing costs, and the lender’s prequalification or preapproval letter, unless attached to the offer. Seller orders HOA documents.
Day 7	Seller delivers documents	Transfer disclosure statement or exemption, Seller Property Questionnaire, natural hazard disclosure and the other reports listed in the contract.
Day 17	Main contingencies	Remove in writing or cancel: loan, appraisal, investigation (inspections) and insurance.
Day 17 or later	Document contingencies	Seller documents, preliminary title report, HOA disclosures and leased or liened items: 17 days, or 5 days after delivery if later.
5 days prior to COE	Final verification of condition	The walk-through. The contract’s default is 5 days prior to close of escrow. Confirms maintenance and repairs; it is not a contingency.
Negotiated	Close of escrow	The date the deed is recorded.

1. Acceptance and the deposit

The timeline starts at Acceptance: when the offer or final counter offer is signed by the recipient and delivered to the other party or their agent. The form counts the day of Acceptance as Day 0 and the next calendar date as Day 1, with each day ending at 11:59 p.m.

The initial deposit is due within 3 business days after Acceptance, by wire, delivered directly to escrow. If it’s late, the seller can cancel, but only after first delivering a Notice to Buyer to Perform.

2. Seller disclosures and the buyer’s statutory exit

The seller has 7 days to deliver the required reports and disclosures, including the Transfer Disclosure Statement (or an exemption disclosure), the Seller Property Questionnaire and the natural hazard disclosure. The contract doesn’t allow the statutory disclosures to be waived.

On top of the contract’s review period, the buyer has a separate termination right. California Civil Code §1102.3 provides it for the Transfer Disclosure Statement: if the TDS, or a material amendment to it, is delivered after the buyer has signed the offer, the buyer may terminate within 3 days after delivery in person, or 5 days after delivery by mail or by electronic delivery where the parties have agreed to transact electronically. Paragraph 11H of the RPA applies the same 3- or 5-day right to the TDS and the other disclosures it lists. This right is triggered by each late or amended disclosure, so it can reopen an exit even after the related contingency has been removed.

3. Contingencies: 17 days, removed in writing

The loan, appraisal, investigation and insurance contingencies all default to 17 days after Acceptance. The document-based contingencies — review of seller documents, the preliminary (title) report, HOA disclosures, and leased or liened items such as solar panels — run 17 days or 5 days after delivery, whichever is later. A calendar that simply adds 17 days will be wrong whenever a document arrives late.

Before each deadline, the buyer delivers either a written removal (C.A.R. Form CR-B) or a cancellation (Form CC). Removing a contingency means the buyer is treated as having finished the related investigation and accepted the risk — for the loan contingency, the risk of not getting the loan.

The three money-related contingencies are independent. Removing the loan contingency doesn’t remove the appraisal contingency, and without an appraisal or insurance contingency, a low appraisal or a lender’s insurance requirement doesn’t let the buyer cancel under the loan contingency. The 6/26 revision also added an “Appraisal Gap” option, where the buyer agrees to cover a stated amount of any shortfall.

4. When a deadline passes: the Notice to Buyer to Perform

A missed removal deadline doesn’t end the contract and doesn’t waive the contingency. The buyer keeps it — and can still remove it or cancel on it — until the seller acts. To cancel, the seller must deliver a Notice to Buyer to Perform (NBP) that gives the buyer at least 2 days after delivery, or until the original deadline if that is later. An NBP can’t be delivered earlier than 2 days before the deadline it relates to — which works out to Day 15 for a 17-day contingency. An early or short NBP is void.

The same structure runs the other way: the buyer uses a Notice to Seller to Perform when the seller misses a delivery. And before either side can cancel because the other failed to close, it must deliver a Demand to Close Escrow giving at least 3 days.

5. Final verification and close of escrow

The final walk-through is called the final verification of condition. The contract’s default for it is 5 days prior to close of escrow. It confirms that the property was maintained, agreed repairs were done and the seller met its other obligations. It is not a contingency and doesn’t give the buyer a general right to walk away.

Close of escrow has no printed default: the parties write in a number of days or a date. It occurs when the deed is recorded. If the county recorder, the lender or the escrow holder is closed on that day, close of escrow moves to the next day all three are open.

Who handles a California closing

A neutral escrow holder carries out the parties’ written instructions and releases money and documents only when every condition is met; in the RPA, the contract serves as joint escrow instructions. Escrow holders are independent escrow companies licensed by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, or title companies and others exempt from that licensing. Attorneys may act as escrow holders but are not typically involved.

Regional custom differs, according to a Department of Real Estate consumer guide, and customs may vary within each region. In Northern California, title companies traditionally handle escrow and each party signs separate instructions near the end. In Southern California, a separate escrow company and title company are common, and the parties sign joint instructions when escrow opens. Who pays which fees follows local custom unless the contract’s cost-allocation section says otherwise.

How California counts days

Days are calendar days ending at 11:59 p.m., except the deposit, which is counted in business days.
If the last day for any act lands on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, performance is allowed on the next day that isn’t one. Legal holidays include optional bank holidays under the Civil Code.
The “no earlier than” limits on an NBP or a Demand to Close Escrow still count from the original deadline, even when it falls on a weekend.

California deadlines that trip agents up

Treating a passed contingency deadline as an automatic waiver — or as an automatic cancellation. It is neither until someone acts in writing.
Sending a Notice to Buyer to Perform too early, which makes it void.
Adding 17 days to every document contingency instead of applying “or 5 days after delivery, whichever is later.”
Forgetting that each late or amended disclosure starts a fresh 3- or 5-day statutory or contractual window.
Assuming removing the loan contingency also removes appraisal or insurance — each is separate, and the insurance contingency matters given California’s fire-insurance market.
Citing paragraph numbers from an old RPA. C.A.R. releases form revisions in June and December, and the RPA changes often, so numbers move.

Frequently asked questions

How long are contingencies in California?: In the current C.A.R. Residential Purchase Agreement, the loan, appraisal, investigation and insurance contingencies all default to 17 days after acceptance. Review of seller documents, the preliminary title report, HOA disclosures and leased items default to 17 days or 5 days after delivery, whichever is later.
Does a California contingency expire automatically?: No. Under the current RPA, a contingency stays in place after its deadline until the buyer removes it in writing or the seller cancels. To cancel, the seller must first deliver a Notice to Buyer to Perform giving the buyer at least 2 days.
When is the earnest money deposit due in California?: The RPA defaults the initial deposit to 3 business days after acceptance, by wire, directly to the escrow holder. It is the only deadline in the form counted in business days; the rest are calendar days.
Who handles the closing in California?: California closings run through a neutral escrow holder, typically an independent escrow company or a title company, which follows the parties’ written escrow instructions. In the RPA, the contract itself serves as joint escrow instructions. Attorneys may act as escrow holders but are not typically involved.