{
  "section": "5950",
  "code": "California Civil Code",
  "law_code": "CIV",
  "citation": "California Civil Code § 5950",
  "heading": "The Certificate Filed With the Initial Pleading",
  "heading_is_editorial": true,
  "effective": "2013-01-01",
  "amended_by": "Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 180, Sec. 2. (AB 805) Effective January 1, 2013. Operative January 1, 2014, by Sec. 3 of Ch. 180.",
  "official_credit_line": "Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 180, Sec. 2. (AB 805) Effective January 1, 2013. Operative January 1, 2014, by Sec. 3 of Ch. 180.",
  "official_url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&sectionNum=5950.",
  "page_url": "https://quoroom.org/law/dispute-resolution",
  "pending_amendment": null,
  "version_history": [],
  "verified": "two sources agree",
  "last_checked": "2026-11-03",
  "verification_note": "Text taken verbatim from the Legislative Counsel of California official code database and checked word for word against an independent publisher.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "url": "https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zip",
      "accessed": "2026-10-12",
      "name": "leginfo (Legislative Counsel official bulk code database, LAW_SECTION_TBL)",
      "note": "Authoritative. Retrieved with tools/fetch.py, which reads the archive's central directory by HTTP range request and fetches only this section's member. The leginfo.legislature.ca.gov HTML page sits behind a bot challenge; this is the same database that backs it."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://california.public.law/codes/civil_code_section_5950",
      "accessed": "2026-10-12",
      "name": "California Public Law (Public.Law)",
      "note": "Independent publisher, used to check the text word for word.",
      "edition": "2025"
    }
  ],
  "subdivisions": [
    {
      "id": "a",
      "label": "(a)",
      "text": "At the time of commencement of an enforcement action, the party commencing the action shall file with the initial pleading a certificate stating that one or more of the following conditions are satisfied:",
      "anchor": "https://quoroom.org/law/dispute-resolution#s5950-a"
    },
    {
      "id": "a-1",
      "label": "(a)(1)",
      "text": "Alternative dispute resolution has been completed in compliance with this article.",
      "anchor": "https://quoroom.org/law/dispute-resolution#s5950-a-1"
    },
    {
      "id": "a-2",
      "label": "(a)(2)",
      "text": "One of the other parties to the dispute did not accept the terms offered for alternative dispute resolution.",
      "anchor": "https://quoroom.org/law/dispute-resolution#s5950-a-2"
    },
    {
      "id": "a-3",
      "label": "(a)(3)",
      "text": "Preliminary or temporary injunctive relief is necessary.",
      "anchor": "https://quoroom.org/law/dispute-resolution#s5950-a-3"
    },
    {
      "id": "b",
      "label": "(b)",
      "text": "Failure to file a certificate pursuant to subdivision (a) is grounds for a demurrer or a motion to strike unless the court finds that dismissal of the action for failure to comply with this article would result in substantial prejudice to one of the parties.",
      "anchor": "https://quoroom.org/law/dispute-resolution#s5950-b"
    }
  ]
}