Chinese New Year is an official California state holiday, codified as Lunar New Year in Government Code Section 6700, but the designation does not close state offices, courts, or banks, and it does not require private employers to give you the day off. In 2026, the holiday falls on Tuesday, February 17. Whether you actually get time off depends on who you work for and what your employer, union contract, or school district has decided.
What State Employees Get
Being listed in Section 6700 does not work the way Christmas or Labor Day does. State offices do not close for Lunar New Year. Instead, eligible state employees can swap eight hours of their personal holiday credit for a Lunar New Year holiday credit, or use eight hours of vacation, annual leave, or compensating time off to observe the day.1California Legislative Information. AB-2596 Lunar New Year Holiday Either option is subject to departmental operating needs and any applicable collective bargaining agreement.
Lunar New Year sits in the same opt-in category as Genocide Remembrance Day, Juneteenth, and Native American Day.2California Department of Human Resources. CalHR Personal Holidays Guidance The holiday was added to Government Code Section 6700 by Assembly Bill 2596, which Governor Newsom signed on September 29, 2022. The code defines the date as the second new moon after the winter solstice, or the third if a leap month intervenes, so it moves each year between late January and mid-February.3California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 6700 – Holidays
Private Sector Workers
If you work for a private employer in California, the state holiday designation gives you nothing automatically. The Department of Industrial Relations is direct about this: state law does not require private employers to provide paid holidays, close on any holiday, or pay a premium for holiday work.4Department of Industrial Relations. Holidays The only overtime premium California mandates is the standard one for working more than eight hours in a day or forty in a week.
Your employer’s own policies can change that answer. If your handbook or employment contract promises paid time off for state-recognized holidays, that promise is enforceable. A union contract may do the same. And if your employer decides to close the office for Lunar New Year, a salaried exempt employee who is ready and willing to work cannot have their salary docked for the closure. Outside those situations, whether February 17 is a day off is your employer’s call.
Courts, the DMV, and Banks Stay Open
Courts operate normally on Lunar New Year. AB 2596 specifically excluded the holiday from the judicial holidays listed in Code of Civil Procedure Section 135.1California Legislative Information. AB-2596 Lunar New Year Holiday If you have a filing deadline or a court date on February 17, 2026, the courthouse will be open and your deadline will not shift.
The DMV also does not list Lunar New Year among its 2026 closures.5California DMV. DMV Holidays Banks follow the federal holiday calendar set by the Federal Reserve, and Lunar New Year is not on it, so expect regular banking hours.6Federal Reserve Board. Holidays Observed – K.8
Schools and Colleges
K-12 Public Schools
Lunar New Year is not on the mandatory or optional closure list in Education Code Section 37220.7, so there is no statewide authority for public K-12 schools to close for it. Individual districts set their own calendars, and some districts with large Asian American populations schedule non-instructional days or breaks around the holiday. Check your district’s academic calendar rather than assuming the day is off.
Community Colleges
Under AB 264, signed in 2023, a community college governing board can replace its Lincoln Day or Presidents’ Day closure with a Lunar New Year closure, provided the change is agreed to through a memorandum of understanding with employees.7California Legislative Information. AB-264 Community Colleges Lunar New Year Holiday If Lunar New Year falls on another holiday, the college must observe it on a nearby weekday instead. The decision is made campus by campus, so not every community college closes.
CSU and UC
AB 2883, signed on September 29, 2024, directs the California State University and the University of California to recognize Lunar New Year, with implementation left to each institution.8California Legislative Information. Bill History – AB-2883 California State University What that means in practice (class cancellation, excused absence, or something else) varies by campus, so check with your school.
Not a Federal Holiday
Lunar New Year has no federal recognition. Post offices, federal agencies, and federal courts operate on their normal schedules. The Lunar New Year Day Act (H.R. 794) was introduced in the 119th Congress during the 2025-2026 session but has not advanced beyond introduction as of early 2026.9Congress.gov. H.R.794 – 119th Congress – Lunar New Year Day Act