The 2027 calendar,
date by date.

Dates already set.

These come from the California Constitution, so they are fixed before any calendar is adopted.

Date	What happens	Source
Dec 7, 2026	The 2027-28 Regular Session convenes at noon for its organizational session	Art. IV, Sec. 3(a)
Jan 1, 2027	Statutes enacted on or before Oct 2, 2026 take effect	Art. IV, Sec. 8(c)
Jan 10, 2027	Governor must submit the budget	Art. IV, Sec. 12(a)
Jun 15, 2027	Budget Bill must be passed by midnight	Art. IV, Sec. 12(c)(3)

Deadlines to expect in 2027.

Every other deadline is set by the Legislature's joint rules and published in its calendar for the year. The 2027 calendar is not out yet. The first year of a session always runs in the same order, so this is when each deadline falls. We add the exact 2027 dates the day the Legislature publishes them.

Deadline	When to expect it	Rule
Legislature reconvenes	Early January	J.R. 51(a)(1)
Last day to submit bill requests to Legislative Counsel	Late January
Last day for bills to be introduced	Mid to late February	J.R. 61(a)(1), J.R. 54(a)
Spring Recess	April	J.R. 51(a)(2)
Last day for policy committees to report fiscal bills to fiscal committees	Early May	J.R. 61(a)(2)
Last day for policy committees to report nonfiscal bills to the Floor	One week later	J.R. 61(a)(3)
Last day for fiscal committees to report bills to the Floor	Late May	J.R. 61(a)(5)
Floor session only	First week of June	J.R. 61(a)(7)
Last day for each house to pass bills introduced in that house	Early June	J.R. 61(a)(8)
Budget Bill must be passed by midnight	June 15, 2027	Art. IV, Sec. 12(c)(3)
Last day for policy committees to meet and report bills; Summer Recess begins	Mid-July	J.R. 61(a)(10), J.R. 51(a)(3)
Legislature reconvenes from Summer Recess	Mid-August	J.R. 51(a)(3)
Last day for fiscal committees to report bills to the Floor	Late August	J.R. 61(a)(11)
Last day to amend bills on the Floor	Early September	J.R. 61(a)(13)
Last day for each house to pass bills; Interim Study Recess begins	Mid-September	J.R. 61(a)(14), J.R. 51(a)(4)
Last day for the Governor to sign or veto bills	Mid-October	Art. IV, Sec. 10(b)(1)

How the year runs.

A California session lasts two years. In the first year bills are introduced, heard in policy committees, then in fiscal committees if they cost money, and must pass their house of origin by early June. Over the summer they work through the second house. Everything that passes both houses goes to the Governor by mid-September, and the Governor has about a month to sign or veto. A bill that stalls in the first year can still move in the second, until January 31 for bills still in their house of origin.

Deadlines are when bills die quietly. A bill that misses a committee deadline is usually done for the year, so teams watch the hearing calendar in the Daily File as closely as the deadlines themselves. Real Time Gov puts every hearing, floor vote and Governor's deadline for the bills you track in one place, with floor votes on your phone within minutes.

Questions.

When does the 2027-28 California legislative session start?

The 2027-28 Regular Session convenes on Monday, December 7, 2026, at noon, for its organizational session (California Constitution, Article IV, Section 3(a)). The Legislature then reconvenes in January 2027 to begin regular business.

What is the deadline to introduce a bill in California in 2027?

The exact 2027 date is set in the joint legislative calendar, which the Legislature has not yet published. In the first year of a session the deadline falls in mid to late February.

When must the California budget pass in 2027?

The Governor must submit a budget by January 10, 2027, and the Legislature must pass the Budget Bill by midnight on June 15, 2027 (California Constitution, Article IV, Section 12).

When does the Governor have to sign or veto bills in 2027?

In the first year of a session the Governor has until mid-October, about a month after the last day for each house to pass bills (California Constitution, Article IV, Section 10(b)). The exact 2027 date is set in the joint legislative calendar.

When do new California laws take effect?

Most new laws take effect on January 1 of the following year (Article IV, Section 8(c)). Bills enacted on or before October 2, 2026 take effect January 1, 2027. Urgency measures, budget bills and some others take effect as soon as they are signed.