California Legal Codes and Statutes

§ 1638

The language of a contract is to govern its interpretation, if the language is clear and explicit, and does not involve an absurdity.

Cite this section

Cal. Civ. Code § 1638 (2026)
https://ca.codecond.com/codes/civ/division-3-obligations/part-2-contracts/title-3-interpretation-of-contracts/section-1638

Other sections in Title 3 - INTERPRETATION OF CONTRACTS

§ 1635§ 1636§ 1637§ 1638§ 1639§ 1640§ 1641§ 1642§ 1643§ 1644…§ 1656§ 1656.1§ 1656.5§ 1657§ 1657.1§ 1659§ 1660§ 1661§ 1662§ 1663

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