California recognizes roughly 20 official state holidays under Government Code Section 6700, but the list you find in the statute is not the same as the days state offices close, courts shut, schools go dark, or private workers get paid to stay home.1California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 6700 – Holidays Each of those groups follows its own calendar, and the differences are where most confusion starts.
State Office Holidays in 2026
State government offices in California will be closed on these days in 2026:2CalHR. State Holidays
- Thursday, January 1 — New Year’s Day
- Monday, January 19 — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- Monday, February 16 — Presidents’ Day
- Tuesday, March 31 — Cesar Chavez Day
- Monday, May 25 — Memorial Day
- Saturday, July 4 — Independence Day (holiday credit only; offices open Friday)
- Monday, September 7 — Labor Day
- Wednesday, November 11 — Veterans Day
- Thursday, November 26 — Thanksgiving Day
- Friday, November 27 — Day after Thanksgiving
- Friday, December 25 — Christmas Day
Independence Day is the one to watch. Because July 4 falls on a Saturday in 2026, state offices do not shift the closure to Friday. Employees receive holiday credit instead.2CalHR. State Holidays
The Full List Under Government Code Section 6700
The statute recognizes more holidays than the state observes as office closures. The complete Section 6700 list:1California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 6700 – Holidays
- Every Sunday
- January 1 — New Year’s Day
- Third Monday in January — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- Lunar New Year — the second new moon after the winter solstice (or the third, if a leap month intervenes)
- February 12 — Lincoln Day
- Third Monday in February — Presidents’ Day
- March 31 — Cesar Chavez Day
- April 24 — Genocide Remembrance Day
- Diwali — the 15th day of Kartik in the Hindu lunar calendar
- Last Monday in May — Memorial Day
- June 19 — Juneteenth
- July 4 — Independence Day
- First Monday in September — Labor Day
- September 9 — Admission Day
- Fourth Friday in September — Native American Day
- Second Monday in October — Columbus Day
- November 11 — Veterans Day
- December 25 — Christmas Day
- Good Friday — from 12 noon to 3 p.m. only
- Thanksgiving Day, plus any day the President or Governor declares a public holiday
Three of these do not automatically bind cities, counties, or special districts: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Lunar New Year, and Cesar Chavez Day. A local government has to adopt them by charter, ordinance, or resolution.1California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 6700 – Holidays Your county courthouse or city hall may be open on those dates.
What Happens When a Holiday Falls on a Weekend
The rules are not uniform. They depend on which holiday, and which weekend day.
Sunday
When New Year’s Day, Lincoln Day, Cesar Chavez Day, Independence Day, Admission Day, Veterans Day, or Christmas falls on a Sunday, the state observes it the following Monday.3Public.law. California Code Government Code 6701 – Holidays State employees follow the same rule under their pay statute.4California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 19853 – Days and Hours of Work
Saturday
Only Veterans Day automatically shifts to the preceding Friday when it lands on a Saturday.3Public.law. California Code Government Code 6701 – Holidays For every other Saturday holiday, state employees get holiday credit rather than a replacement day off.2CalHR. State Holidays Counties can designate alternate days by ordinance, but there is no statewide default.
Cesar Chavez Day
Cesar Chavez Day has its own flexibility rule. When March 31 lands on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, the Legislature can move the observance to the nearest Monday or Friday.3Public.law. California Code Government Code 6701 – Holidays In 2026 that means the Legislature could observe it Monday, March 30 or Friday, March 27.
Which Holidays State Employees Actually Get Paid For
Government Code Section 19853 sets a shorter list of paid holidays for state workers: New Year’s Day, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Cesar Chavez Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas, one personal holiday, and any day the Governor declares a public holiday.4California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 19853 – Days and Hours of Work
Missing from the paid list: Lunar New Year, Genocide Remembrance Day, Diwali, Juneteenth, and Native American Day. State workers can trade their personal holiday for eight hours of holiday credit to observe any one of those five days.4California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 19853 – Days and Hours of Work The personal holiday can also be used for any date tied to the employee’s own religion, culture, or heritage.5CalHR. 2110 – Personal Holidays
State employees required to work on a paid holiday get their regular pay plus eight hours of holiday credit to use later.4California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 19853 – Days and Hours of Work
Court Closures and Filing Deadlines
Courts follow their own calendar. Under the Code of Civil Procedure, every full-day Section 6700 holiday is a judicial holiday except Lunar New Year, Genocide Remembrance Day, Admission Day, and Columbus Day. Every Saturday and the day after Thanksgiving are also judicial holidays.6California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 135 – Judicial Holidays
The deadline rule matters more than the closure list for most court users. If the last day to file a document or take a required legal action lands on a Saturday or judicial holiday, the deadline extends to the next non-holiday.7California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 12a – Holiday Deadline Extensions This covers any deadline set by statute, ordinance, rule, or regulation. Count carefully near holiday weekends, and remember Saturdays count as excluded days.
Public School Closures
California public schools have to close on a list set by the Education Code: New Year’s Day, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Lincoln Day, Washington Day (Presidents’ Day), Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.8California Legislative Information. California Code EDC 37220 – School Holidays
Schools handle weekend holidays differently from state offices. A Saturday holiday shifts to the preceding Friday; a Sunday holiday shifts to the following Monday.8California Legislative Information. California Code EDC 37220 – School Holidays So in 2026, districts will close Friday, July 3 even though state offices stay open.
School boards can move most closure dates by resolution, but not Veterans Day. Districts cannot obtain a waiver from closing on November 11.8California Legislative Information. California Code EDC 37220 – School Holidays
Private Sector Workers
No California law requires private employers to close on any state holiday, give employees the day off, or pay a premium for holiday work.9Department of Industrial Relations. Holidays If you are scheduled on Thanksgiving or Christmas, you are owed your regular rate plus any overtime premium for hours over eight in a day or 40 in a week. There is no holiday multiplier under state law.
Any holiday pay, premium rate, or paid time off comes from your employer’s policy, your contract, or a collective bargaining agreement.9Department of Industrial Relations. Holidays Check the employee handbook. Many private employers voluntarily give paid time off on the major dates, but nothing in state law compels it.
Religious Observances
Private employers do have to accommodate employees’ religious practices. Under the Fair Employment and Housing Act, an employer must explore reasonable alternatives when religious observance conflicts with a work schedule, including time off for holy days and religious travel.10California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 12940 – Unlawful Employment Practices The employer can refuse only by showing significant difficulty or expense. Retaliating against an employee for making the request is illegal.