CA · deed-of-trust state · 7 rules quoted · reviewed October 5, 2026
California runs on the notice of default: three months must pass before a notice of sale, a borrower can reinstate until five business days before the auction, and no deficiency can follow a trustee's sale.
Three months must pass after the notice of default is recorded
“Not less than three months shall elapse from the filing of the notice of default.”Cal. Civ. Code § 2924(a)(2)
Between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on a business day
“shall be made at auction, to the highest bidder, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on any business day, Monday through Friday”Cal. Civ. Code § 2924g(a)(1)
Cash or equivalent, proved before bidding; the lender may bid the debt itself
“Every bidder to show evidence of the bidder’s ability to deposit with the trustee the full amount of their final bid in cash, a cashier’s check drawn on a state or national bank”Cal. Civ. Code § 2924h(b)(1)
“The present beneficiary of the deed of trust under foreclosure shall have the right to offset their bid or bids only to the extent of the total amount due the beneficiary including the trustee’s fees and expenses.”Cal. Civ. Code § 2924h(b)
Until five business days before the date set in the first notice of sale
“until five business days prior to the date of sale set forth in the initial recorded notice of sale”Cal. Civ. Code § 2924c(e)
Up to 365 days in total, announced at the sale; a new notice after that
“at any time prior to the completion of the sale for any period of time not to exceed a total of 365 days from the date set forth in the notice of sale”Cal. Civ. Code § 2924g(c)(1)
“The notice of each postponement and the reason therefor shall be given by public declaration by the trustee at the time and place last appointed for sale. A public declaration of postponement shall also set forth the new date, time, and place of sale”Cal. Civ. Code § 2924g(d)(1)
“In the event that the sale proceedings are postponed for a period or periods totaling more than 365 days, the scheduling of any further sale proceedings shall be preceded by giving a new notice of sale”Cal. Civ. Code § 2924g(c)(2)
A sale of a 1–4 unit home is not final for 15 days, and up to 45 for an eligible bidder
“on real property containing one to four residential units pursuant to Section 2924g shall not be deemed final until the earliest of the following”Cal. Civ. Code § 2924m(c)
“Be received by the trustee no later than 5 p.m. on the 15th day after the trustee’s sale”Cal. Civ. Code § 2924m(c)(2)
“Forty-five days after the trustee’s sale, except that during the 45-day period, an eligible bidder may submit to the trustee a bid in an amount that exceeds the last and highest bid at the trustee’s sale”Cal. Civ. Code § 2924m(c)(4)
None after a sale under the power of sale
“no deficiency shall be owed or collected, and no deficiency judgment shall be rendered”Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 580d(a)
Quoted from the California code and re-checked by script. Statutes carry exceptions a table cannot — read the section before relying on it.
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Three months must pass after the notice of default is recorded, under Cal. Civ. Code § 2924(a)(2). In practice, a notice we hold in California first appears in a newspaper a median of 22 days before the sale it announces, across 1,102 sales.
California allows reinstatement: until five business days before the date set in the first notice of sale, under Cal. Civ. Code § 2924c(e). The amount due is the arrears and the costs allowed, not the entire loan.
None after a sale under the power of sale, under Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 580d(a).
A sale of a 1–4 unit home is not final for 15 days, and up to 45 for an eligible bidder, under Cal. Civ. Code § 2924m(c).
TrusteeSaleData. "California foreclosure laws." Reviewed October 5, 2026. https://www.trusteesaledata.com/trustee-sale-laws/california
Cite the statute itself where you can — every rule above names its section and links to the state’s own page. Corrections to a rule, with the section that contradicts it, are welcome at support@trusteesaledata.com. Nothing here is legal advice: TrusteeSaleData is not a law firm, a trustee, or a government agency.
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