California Defamation Statute of Limitations: One Year Under CCP § 340(c)
Reviewed and current as of August 31, 2026. California law can change; verify against the current statute before relying on any date.
An action for libel or slander must generally be commenced within one year.
This is the shortest of the ordinary California tort periods — half the two-year period that governs personal injury.
Source: California Code of Civil Procedure section 340(c) (as of August 31, 2026).
What the statute says
Section 340 collects a set of one-year causes of action. Subdivision (c) covers an action for libel, slander, false imprisonment, and seduction of a person below the age of legal consent, together with actions against a bank for paying a forged or raised check and actions against a veterinarian for negligence causing injury or death to an animal.
The brevity of this period is the single most important practical fact about a California defamation matter: a claim that would still be comfortably timely as a negligence action is frequently already barred.
When the clock starts
California applies the single-publication rule: the period runs from the first general distribution of the statement, and each copy or subsequent sale of the same edition does not restart it. For material published online, the period generally runs from the date the statement was first made available to the public.
A genuine republication — a new edition, a substantive modification, or a distribution aimed at a new audience — can start a fresh period. Mere continued availability of an unchanged web page generally does not.
Key exceptions and tolling
- Republication.A substantive modification or a distribution directed at a new audience can constitute republication and restart the one-year period; continued accessibility of unchanged material generally does not.
- Discovery is narrow.California applies the discovery rule to defamation only in limited circumstances, typically where the publication was hidden or confidential and the plaintiff could not reasonably have learned of it.
- Public entity defendants.A defamation claim against a public entity or employee requires a Government Code section 911.2 claim, generally within six months — shorter still than the one-year period.
- Minors and incapacity.Code of Civil Procedure section 352 generally excludes the period of a plaintiff's minority or lack of legal capacity at accrual.
- Related theories differ.False light, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and interference claims arising from the same statement can carry different periods, though courts examine whether they are defamation claims repleaded to evade section 340(c).
Frequently asked
How long do you have to sue for defamation in California?
One year from publication under Code of Civil Procedure section 340(c), for both libel and slander. If the defendant is a public entity or employee, a written claim generally must be presented within six months under Government Code section 911.2. This is general information, not legal advice.
Does the one-year defamation clock restart for an online post in California?
Generally no. Under the single-publication rule the period runs from first publication, and continued availability of unchanged material does not restart it. A substantive modification or distribution to a new audience may constitute republication and start a fresh period.
Track this deadline in Demole
Demole is a practice-management platform for U.S. lawyers: matter management, deadline and statute-of-limitations tracking, document drafting, an AI legal assistant, and a public lawyer directory. Plans are flat monthly pricing — Pro (monthly) $25/mo, Team (monthly) $49/mo, Ultra (monthly) $149/mo — not per-seat.
No card required to sign up. Using this page or Demole does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Not legal advice. This page is general information for licensed attorneys and is not a substitute for independent legal research or professional judgment. It does not address the facts of any specific matter. Statutes, case law, and court rules change; tolling, the discovery rule, equitable estoppel, and claims involving minors, government entities, or out-of-state defendants can all change the applicable deadline. Confirm every date against the current text of California Code of Civil Procedure section 340 and controlling case law. Using this page does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Statutory citations current as of August 31, 2026.