California IEP requirements: the timelines, the SELPA, and what's stricter here
Two translations up front. California statute says assessment where federal law says evaluation — the "assessment plan" a parent signs is consent for what IDEA calls an initial evaluation. And services are organized through SELPAs — Special Education Local Plan Areas — regional consortia that supply the forms, program options, and procedural guidance your district follows. The IEP document itself is the federal one. What California adds is a set of deadlines counted in calendar days, several of them tighter than the federal floor, drawn from Education Code §56043 — the state's own one-stop timeline statute, summarized with citations by Disability Rights California. Those deadlines are what this page covers.
The California referral-to-IEP timeline
Unlike Texas's school-day clocks, California counts in calendar days — but pauses most clocks for breaks: days between regular school sessions or terms, and vacation days beyond five, don't count.
| Trigger | Clock | What's due |
|---|---|---|
| Referral for assessment received | 15 calendar days | The district must send parents a proposed assessment plan within 15 calendar days of the referral (EC 56043(a)). Days between school sessions/terms and vacations longer than five days don't count. |
| Parent receives the assessment plan | ≥ 15 calendar days | Parents have at least 15 calendar days from receipt to decide whether to consent (EC 56043(b)). Nothing runs until they sign — the big clock starts at consent, not at referral. |
| District receives signed consent | 60 calendar days | All assessments must be completed and the IEP meeting held to review them within 60 calendar days of consent (EC 56043(c), (f)(1)). A referral made 30 or fewer days before the end of the school year shifts the IEP deadline to within 30 days after the next school year starts (EC 56344(a)). |
| IEP meeting held, student eligible | Immediately | The IEP must be implemented as soon as possible after the meeting (EC 56043(i)) — California statute doesn't give a grace period for services to start. |
| IEP in effect | Annual + 3-year cycles | Review at least annually (EC 56043(d)) — every six months if the student is in residential placement (EC 56043(x)) — and reassess for eligibility every three years unless parent and district agree in writing it's unnecessary. |
Deadlines that keep running after the IEP exists
The initial timeline gets the attention, but the deadlines state monitors and due-process filings actually turn on are the recurring ones. All citations below are to the California Education Code as compiled in the DRC timelines publication:
- Parent requests an IEP meeting in writing → 30 days to hold it (EC 56043(l)). Oral requests don't start the clock; the district must direct the parent to write it down (EC 56343.5).
- Parent requests records → 5 working days to provide copies (EC 56043(n)) — and before any IEP meeting or resolution session. A receiving district must also get records within 5 working days of request when a student transfers (EC 56043(o)). This is far tighter than the federal 45-day ceiling.
- Procedural safeguards notice must be offered at every IEP meeting; a physical copy is required once per school year (EC 56500.1).
- Residential placement → 6-month reviews instead of annual (EC 56043(x)).
- Rights transfer at 18, and the IEP must document that the student was informed before turning 17 (EC 56043(g)(3)) — a line item that's easy to miss in the junior-year annual.
Transition planning: 16 here, unlike Texas or Florida
California follows the federal age: an individual transition plan must be in the IEP in effect when the student turns 16 and reviewed annually after that (EC 56043(g)(1)). If you case-manage across state lines — or inherit a transfer file from a state like Texas, where transition planning starts at 14, or Florida, where it starts at 12 — check which rule the incoming IEP was written under before you flag it as early or late.
Update — July 2026
On July 9, 2026, Governor Newsom signed AB 126, the education trailer bill adding $2.4 billion in special education funding — a 43% increase over the 2025 Budget Act — and raising the per-student special education rate to $1,340, paid to all local educational agencies at the same rate (per the Governor's office announcement). None of it changes the EC 56043 timelines or IEP requirements on this page — but the same budget funds the extraordinary cost pool, inclusive-practices grants, and alternative-pathways-to-diploma work your SELPA may roll out in 2026–27.
What California does NOT change
The required contents of the IEP are the federal list in 34 CFR §300.320 — present levels (PLAAFP), measurable annual goals, progress reporting, services, LRE. Our IEP compliance checklist applies to California IEPs without modification, and the goal-writing standard is the same one in how to write measurable IEP goals. For the recurring-deadline view of an entire caseload — annuals, triennials, transfers — the SPED compliance calendar works in California exactly as written; just swap in the EC deadlines above where they're tighter.
FAQ
How many days does a California school have to evaluate a student for special education?
Two clocks. First, the district must send parents a proposed assessment plan within 15 calendar days of the referral (EC 56043(a)), and parents get at least 15 calendar days to sign it (EC 56043(b)). Then, once signed consent is received, the district has 60 calendar days to complete the assessment and hold the IEP meeting that reviews it (EC 56043(c), (f)(1)). Both clocks pause for school vacations longer than five days.
What is a SELPA in California special education?
A Special Education Local Plan Area — the regional consortium through which California organizes special education services and funding. Small districts band together into one SELPA; large districts may be their own. Teachers mostly encounter the SELPA as the source of required IEP forms, procedural guidance, and program options that cross district lines. It does not change what the IEP must contain.
What does California call the evaluation and the IEP team?
California statute says "assessment" where federal law says "evaluation" — an assessment plan is the consent document for an evaluation. The team is simply the IEP team (unlike Texas's ARD committee). The document and the meeting carry the same names as federal law: IEP and IEP meeting.
How fast must a school hold an IEP meeting if a parent requests one in California?
Within 30 days of receiving the parent's written request, not counting school vacations longer than five days (EC 56043(l)). If the parent asks orally, the district must direct them to put it in writing — so the clock starts on the written request.
At what age does transition planning start in California?
By age 16, matching the federal requirement: an individual transition plan (ITP) must be part of the IEP in effect when the student turns 16, and it must be reviewed annually (EC 56043(g)(1)). Note the contrast with states like Texas, where state law moves this to 14.