The court must rule on a petition for writ of habeas corpus within 60 days after the petition is filed. Is There a Time Limit for Filing a Petition?Unlike capital cases, there is no prescribed, fixed time period in which to seek state habeas corpus relief in a non-capital criminal case. Petitioner therefore had until October 22, 2014 to file a federal habeas petition within the oneyear limitation period. Refer to the Alameda County Superior Court website for the times filings may be made at each courthouse. The judge may take several months to make a decision.