Rule 6.Computing and Extending Time; Time for Motion Papers

Group II: Commencing an Action; Service of Process, Pleadings, Motions, and Orders · Last amended 2024 · Last verified July 14, 2026

In one sentenceRule 6 sets the method for computing any deadline under the civil rules, a court order, or a statute — counting days or hours, handling weekends, legal holidays, and an inaccessible clerk's office — and separately governs how and when a court may extend time, including limits on post-trial motion deadlines.

Full Text of Rule 6

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(a) COMPUTING TIME. The following rules apply in computing any time period specified in these rules, in any court order, or in any statute that does not specify a method of computing time.

(1) Period Stated in Days or a Longer Unit. When the period is stated in days or a longer unit of time:

(A) exclude the day of the event that triggers the period;

(B) count every day, including intermediate Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays; and

(C) include the last day of the period, but if the last day is a Saturday, Sunday, or a legal holiday, the period continues to run until the end of the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday.

(2) Period Stated in Hours. When the period is stated in hours:

(A) begin counting immediately on the occurrence of the event that triggers the period;

(B) count every hour, including hours during intermediate Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays; and

(C) if the period would end on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the period continues to run until the same time on the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday.

(3) Inaccessibility of the Clerk's Office. Unless the court orders otherwise, if the clerk's office is inaccessible:

(A) on the last day for filing under Rule 6(a)(1), then the time for filing is extended to the first accessible day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday; or

(B) during the last hour for filing under Rule 6(a)(2), then the time for filing is extended to the same time on the first accessible day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday.

(4) "Last Day" Defined. Unless a different time is set by a statute or court order, the last day ends:

(A) for electronic filing, at midnight in the court's time zone; and

(B) for filing by other means, when the clerk's office is scheduled to close.

(5) "Next Day" Defined. The "next day" is determined by continuing to count forward when the period is measured after an event and backward when measured before an event.

(6) “Legal Holiday” Defined. “Legal holiday” means:

(A) the day set aside by statute for observing New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, Washington’s Birthday, District of Columbia Emancipation Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans’ Day, Thanksgiving Day, or Christmas Day; and

(B) any day declared a holiday by the President or Congress, or observed as a holiday by the court.

(b) EXTENDING TIME.

(1) In General. When an act may or must be done within a specified time, the court may, for good cause, extend the time:

(A) with or without motion or notice if the court acts, or if the request is made, before the original time or its extension expires; or

(B) on motion made after the time has expired if the party failed to act because of excusable neglect.

(2) Exceptions. A court must not extend the time to act under Rules 50(b) and (d), 52(b), 59(b), (d), and (e), and 60(b).

(3) Emergency Declaration. Notwithstanding Rule 6(b)(2), the Court may, by order, extend the time to act under Rules 50(b) and (d), 52(b), 59(b), (d), and (e), and 60(b), to the extent authorized by emergency order of the Chief Judge pursuant to D.C. Code § 11-947.

(c) TIME FOR SERVING AFFIDAVITS. Any affidavit supporting a motion or opposition must be served with the motion or opposition unless the court orders otherwise.

(d) ADDITIONAL TIME AFTER CERTAIN KINDS OF SERVICE. When a party may or must act within a specified time after being served and service is made under Rule 5(b)(2)(C) (mail), (D) (leaving with the clerk), or (F) (other means consented to), 3 days are added after the period would otherwise expire under Rule 6(a).

Comments

2024 Amendments:

Subsection (a)(6)(A) has been amended to add the full title of the Juneteenth holiday consistent with the 2023 amendments to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 6(a)(6)(A). New subsection (b)(3) has been added in response to subsection (c)(2)(A) of new Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 87. The new federal rule permits an extension of no more than 30 days; this new Rule 6(b)(3), consistent with D.C. Code § 11-947, contains no such limitation.

2022 Amendments:

Subsection (a)(6)(A) has been amended to include District of Columbia Emancipation Day and Juneteenth in the definition of legal holiday.

2017 Amendments:

This rule is identical to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 6, as amended in 2007, 2009, and 2016, except for 1) deletion of reference to local rules; 2) modification of subsection (a)(6)(B) to include holidays observed by the court, which made federal subsection (a)(6)(C) inapplicable; and 3) in section (c) (formerly section (d)), retention of language reflecting District of Columbia practice for service of affidavits in support of a motion or opposition. As explained in the Advisory Committee Notes to the federal rule, the 2009 federal amendments were intended to simplify and clarify the process for computing deadlines.

Comment:

Rule 6 identical to Fed. Rule of Civil Procedure 6 except for deletion from section (a) of reference to local rules of district courts and states in which district courts are held, deletion from section (b) of reference to Federal Rule 74(a), which prescribes the method of appeal from a judgment of a magistrate, and revision of section (d) in accordance with local practice respecting service of motions and affidavits. In addition, section (a) of the Superior Court Rule, like Superior Court Criminal Rule 45(a), has been modified to permit an extra day for the computation of time for the filing of legal papers only when the office of the clerk has been ordered closed.

Plain-English Summary

Rule 6(a) supplies the counting method for every deadline the civil rules, a court order, or an applicable statute impose, unless that source specifies its own method. For a period stated in days or a longer unit, skip the day of the triggering event, count every day after that including weekends and holidays, and if the last day lands on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, push the deadline to the next day that is not one of those. A period stated in hours works differently — counting begins immediately when the triggering event occurs, and a deadline that would fall on a weekend or holiday moves to the same time the next available day. Rule 6(a) also defines what counts as a legal holiday, a list that includes New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday, Washington's Birthday, District of Columbia Emancipation Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day, plus any day the President, Congress, or the court itself declares a holiday.

The rule also protects filers against an inaccessible clerk's office: if the clerk's office is closed on what would otherwise be the last day to file, the deadline moves to the first accessible day that is not a weekend or holiday. And it pins down exactly when the "last day" of a period ends — midnight in the court's time zone for electronic filing, or whenever the clerk's office is scheduled to close for filing by other means.

Rule 6(b) turns from counting deadlines to changing them. For good cause, the court may extend a deadline, either before it expires (with or without a motion) or after it has already expired if the party's delay was the product of excusable neglect. But several post-trial deadlines are off-limits to ordinary extension under Rule 6(b)(2) — the timelines for renewing a motion for judgment as a matter of law, for a motion to amend findings, and for motions for a new trial or relief from judgment cannot be extended. Rule 6(b)(3) carves out one exception: during an emergency declared by the Chief Judge under D.C. Code § 11-947, the court may extend even those otherwise fixed deadlines. Rounding out the rule, affidavits supporting a motion or opposition must generally be served along with it, and when a party is served by mail, by being left with the clerk, or by another method the party consented to, Rule 6(d) adds three days to whatever deadline would otherwise apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I count a deadline that is measured in days under the civil rules?

Rule 6(a)(1) tells you to exclude the day of the event that starts the clock, count every day afterward including intermediate Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, and include the last day of the period unless it falls on a weekend or legal holiday, in which case the deadline runs until the next day that is not one of those.

What counts as a legal holiday for purposes of extending a deadline?

Rule 6(a)(6) lists New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday, Washington's Birthday, District of Columbia Emancipation Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day, along with any day declared a holiday by the President, Congress, or observed as a holiday by the court.

What happens if the clerk's office is closed on the day my filing is due?

Rule 6(a)(3) extends your deadline to the first accessible day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, whether the closure falls on the last day for a period measured in days or during the last hour for a period measured in hours.

Can the court always extend a filing deadline for good cause?

Usually, but not always. Rule 6(b)(2) bars extending the deadlines tied to renewed motions for judgment as a matter of law, motions to amend findings, motions for a new trial or to alter a judgment, and motions for relief from judgment. Rule 6(b)(3) allows the court to extend even those deadlines during an emergency declared by the Chief Judge under D.C. Code § 11-947.

Do I get extra time to respond if I was served by mail instead of in person?

Yes. Rule 6(d) adds three days to the response period when service was made by mail, by leaving the paper with the clerk, or by another method the party consented to under Rule 5(b)(2), on top of whatever period Rule 6(a) would otherwise compute.

Source & verification. Rule text and official Comments are reproduced verbatim from the District of Columbia Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure, adopted by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Last verified July 14, 2026. · Official source

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