California Code, Government Code - GOV § 66463.5

(a) When a tentative map is required, an approved or conditionally approved tentative map shall expire 24 months after its approval or conditional approval, or after any additional period of time as may be prescribed by local ordinance, not to exceed an additional 12 months.

(b) The expiration of the approved or conditionally approved tentative map shall terminate all proceedings, and no parcel map of all or any portion of the real property included within the tentative map shall be filed without first processing a new tentative map. Once a timely filing is made, subsequent actions of the local agency, including, but not limited to, processing, approving, and recording, may lawfully occur after the date of expiration of the tentative map. Delivery to the county surveyor or city engineer shall be deemed a timely filing for purposes of this section.

(c) Upon application of the subdivider filed prior to the expiration of the approved or conditionally approved tentative map, the time at which the map expires may be extended by the legislative body or by an advisory agency authorized to approve or conditionally approve tentative maps for a period or periods not exceeding a total of six years. Prior to the expiration of an approved or conditionally approved tentative map, upon the application by the subdivider to extend that map, the map shall automatically be extended for 60 days or until the application for the extension is approved, conditionally approved, or denied, whichever occurs first. If the advisory agency denies a subdivider's application for an extension, the subdivider may appeal to the legislative body within 15 days after the advisory agency has denied the extension.

(e) The period of time specified in subdivision (a), including any extension thereof granted pursuant to subdivision (c), shall not include the period of time during which a lawsuit involving the approval or conditional approval of the tentative map is, or was, pending in a court of competent jurisdiction, if the stay of the time period is approved by the local agency pursuant to this section. After service of the initial petition or complaint in the lawsuit upon the local agency, the subdivider may apply to the local agency for a stay pursuant to the local agency's adopted procedures. Within 40 days after receiving the application, the local agency shall either stay the time period for up to five years or deny the requested stay. The local agency may, by ordinance, establish procedures for reviewing the requests, including, but not limited to, notice and hearing requirements, appeal procedures, and other administrative requirements.

(f) For purposes of this section, a development moratorium shall include a water or sewer moratorium or a water and sewer moratorium, as well as other actions of public agencies that regulate land use, development, or the provision of services to the land, including the public agency with the authority to approve or conditionally approve the tentative map, which thereafter prevents, prohibits, or delays the approval of a parcel map.

(g) Notwithstanding subdivisions (a), (b), and (c), for the purposes of Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 66498.1), subdivisions (b), (c), and (d) of Section 66498.5 shall apply to vesting tentative maps prepared in connection with a parcel map except that, for purposes of this section, the time periods specified in subdivisions (b), (c), and (d) of Section 66498.5 shall be determined from the recordation of the parcel map instead of the final map.