Transaction Coordination

California Contingency Removal Deadlines (RPA 2026)

How contingency removal works under the C.A.R. Residential Purchase Agreement: the 17-day default, active removal on CR-B, the Notice to Buyer to Perform, cancellation and the deposit, disclosure timing and how days are counted.

Ijharul Islam October 21, 2026 9 min read

California contingency removal, in short: in the C.A.R. Residential Purchase Agreement (RPA), the loan, appraisal, investigation, seller-document and title contingencies default to 17 days after Acceptance. They don't lapse on day 17; each stays until the buyer removes it in writing, or the seller cancels after a Notice to Buyer to Perform gives the buyer 2 days.

More on this topic: Contract deadlines by state, every guide in one place.

The RPA is a copyrighted C.A.R. form, so this guide relies on C.A.R.'s public quick guides and on California statutes, and leaves out paragraph numbers, which change between revisions. C.A.R. revised the RPA again in its June 2026 release, so check every default against the revision you're using. It's general information, not legal advice; the executed contract controls. Other states: Colorado contract deadlines and the deadlines in a purchase contract.

Key takeaways

The default removal deadline is 17 days after Acceptance; for contingencies that depend on documents, it's 17 days or 5 days after delivery, whichever is later.
Contingencies must be actively removed in writing; until then the buyer can still cancel in good faith, even after the deadline.
To enforce the deadline, the seller delivers a Notice to Buyer to Perform (NBP); after 2 days the seller may cancel, but must return the deposit.
The deposit is due within 3 business days after Acceptance; everything else counts calendar days unless the form says otherwise.
A late Transfer Disclosure Statement gives the buyer 3 days (in person) or 5 days (mail or electronic) to terminate under Civil Code § 1102.3.

What are the contingency removal deadlines in California?

C.A.R.'s 2023 guide lists five to seven standard RPA contingencies, each with a default removal deadline of 17 days after Acceptance. The parties can write in a different number for any of them.

Contingency	Default removal deadline (C.A.R. guides)
Loan	17 days after Acceptance
Appraisal	17 days after Acceptance
Investigation of property	17 days after Acceptance
Review of seller documents	Later of 17 days after Acceptance or 5 days after delivery
Preliminary (title) report	Later of 17 days after Acceptance or 5 days after delivery
Common interest disclosures, if applicable	Later of 17 days after Acceptance or 5 days after delivery
Review of leased or liened items, if applicable	Later of 17 days after Acceptance or 5 days after delivery

The June 2024 revision added a stand-alone insurance contingency; check its period in your form. The investigation contingency covers more than the home inspection: C.A.R. lists neighborhood, crime, schools, the availability and cost of insurance, permits and zoning.

How do you remove contingencies in California?

In writing, signed by the buyer. C.A.R. calls this active removal: contingencies don't go away automatically, and even after the deadline the buyer keeps the right to cancel based on the good-faith exercise of any contingency not yet removed in writing. The buyer's removal form is CR-B, one of the form codes in C.A.R.'s June 2024 release. To waive the investigation contingency up front, C.A.R.'s guide says a Contingency Removal form is attached to the offer or counteroffer.

Removal is final: once removed, a contingency can't be exercised if the buyer learns something new. Repair negotiations run on a Request for Repair (RR), Seller's Response and Buyer's Reply to Request for Repairs (RRRR) or an Amendment of Existing Agreement Terms (AEA), and C.A.R. stresses that the contingency period is the outside time to reach agreement. See the repair request process.

What happens if the buyer misses the 17-day deadline?

Nothing happens automatically. The buyer can still cancel in good faith on any contingency not removed in writing, and the seller can't simply walk away. A seller who wants to enforce the deadline must first deliver a Notice to Buyer to Perform; only after its 2 days have passed may the seller cancel, using a Cancellation of Contract (Form CC).

C.A.R.'s 2022 timeline guide puts the earliest NBP for the 17-day items at 15 days after Acceptance. The seller should be in full compliance first: a seller who hasn't allowed access for inspections can't cancel because the investigation contingency wasn't removed. And if the seller cancels after an NBP, the RPA requires the seller to return the buyer's deposit. See what happens when a contingency deadline is missed.

How does the Notice to Buyer to Perform differ from a Demand to Close Escrow?

The NBP (2 days) is for contingencies and other buyer obligations before closing; the Demand to Close Escrow (DCE, 3 days) is for a party that doesn't close on schedule. C.A.R.'s timeline guide puts the earliest DCE at 3 days before close of escrow. After a DCE, the RPA doesn't automatically require the seller to return the deposit, and C.A.R. tells sellers to get legal advice before deciding.

Either way, cancelling the contract and releasing the deposit are two steps. Release requires mutually signed escrow instructions, a court judgment or an arbitration award, and C.A.R. notes a civil penalty of up to $1,000 for refusing to sign cancellation instructions when there's no good-faith dispute.

When is the deposit due, and how much is at risk?

C.A.R.'s timeline guide puts the buyer's deposit at 3 business days after Acceptance. Under Civil Code § 1675, for a home of up to four units the buyer intends to live in, a liquidated damages clause that meets the statute's other requirements is valid for a payment of no more than 3% of the price unless the buyer shows it's unreasonable; above 3%, the seller must show it's reasonable. See the earnest money deadline.

How do disclosure deadlines affect contingency removal?

C.A.R.'s timeline guide has the seller delivering disclosures and reports, including the Transfer Disclosure Statement (TDS) and Seller Property Questionnaire (SPQ), and the preliminary report, within 7 days after Acceptance; the buyer returns signed disclosures by day 17. Because document-review contingencies run 5 days after delivery if that's later than day 17, late disclosures push removal back.

The statute adds its own clock. Under Civil Code § 1102.3, if a required disclosure, or a material amendment, is delivered after the offer is executed, the buyer has 3 days after delivery in person, or 5 days after delivery by mail or electronically, to terminate by written notice.

How are days counted in a California purchase agreement?

C.A.R.'s timeline guide: days are calendar days unless otherwise specified, DAA means days after Acceptance, and DBC means days before close of escrow. The deposit is the common exception, counted in business days. The RPA's definitions also say what happens when a deadline lands on a weekend or holiday; read that in the revision you're using rather than assuming.

Item	Default	Acceptance Monday, October 5, 2026
Deposit to escrow	3 business days	Thursday, October 8
Seller disclosures and preliminary report	7 DAA	Monday, October 12
Earliest NBP for 17-day items	15 DAA	Tuesday, October 20
Contingency removal	17 DAA	Thursday, October 22

The dates are illustrative; see calendar days vs business days.

For your own file, the free real estate deadline calculator lists every date at once from the Acceptance date, with the deposit row in business days and the rest in calendar days, and flags any that land on a weekend or federal holiday.

Which C.A.R. forms go with contingency deadlines?

CR-B: the buyer's contingency removal.
NBP: Notice to Buyer to Perform (2 days).
DCE: Demand to Close Escrow (3 days).
CC: Cancellation of Contract, with release of deposit and escrow instructions.
RR, RRRR, AEA: repair requests, responses and amendments.

How do you track California contingency deadlines?

Enter Acceptance and every contingency period from the RPA, using the numbers actually written in, not the defaults.
Log the delivery date of each seller document, disclosure and the preliminary report; recalculate the 5-days-after-delivery deadlines.
Two days before day 17, ask the buyer's agent which contingencies will be removed and get the signed removal.
If you represent the seller, diary the earliest NBP date and the date cancellation becomes possible.
Update every date when an amendment is signed.

Closingbird reads the executed contract and fills in the dates it finds, which you check and edit, then reminds each deadline owner every morning. It counts calendar days, or business days that skip weekends and US federal holidays only; if the RPA's definition of business days or its weekend rule gives a different date, set the deadline to the fixed date. See deadline tracking.

Frequently asked questions

Do contingencies expire automatically after 17 days in California?

No. Under the RPA they stay in place until the buyer removes them in writing; the seller's remedy is a Notice to Buyer to Perform, then cancellation.

How long does a buyer have after a Notice to Buyer to Perform?

2 days after delivery. Only after that time passes may the seller cancel, and C.A.R.'s guides put the earliest NBP for 17-day items at 15 days after Acceptance.

Can the seller keep the deposit after cancelling for failure to remove contingencies?

No. If the seller cancels after a Notice to Buyer to Perform, the RPA requires the seller to return the buyer's deposit.

What is the CR-B form?

C.A.R.'s form code for the buyer's contingency removal, the signed writing that removes one or more contingencies.

Are California contract days calendar days or business days?

Calendar days unless the form says otherwise. The deposit, due within 3 business days after Acceptance, is the usual exception.

Can a buyer cancel after receiving a late TDS?

Yes. Civil Code § 1102.3 gives 3 days after delivery in person, or 5 days after delivery by mail or electronically, to terminate in writing.

Run it in Closingbird

Upload a California purchase agreement and check the dates Closingbird fills in against your contingency periods, with a morning reminder for every deadline owner. Start a free trial (14-day free trial, no credit card required) or see pricing.

Sources

Checked in October 2026. Rules and prices change, and many vary by state, so confirm with the source, your state's real estate commission or your broker before you rely on them.

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