US courts of appeals
What is the deadline for statutory time for civil appeal to a court of appeals?
The period for statutory time for civil appeal to a court of appeals normally runs 30 calendar days from entry of the judgment, order or decree, under 28 U.S.C. 2107(a). If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, FRAP 26(a) carries it to the next open day.
Calculate my deadline- Period
- 30 calendar days
- Trigger
- Entry of the judgment, order or decree
- Rule
- 28 U.S.C. 2107(a)
Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure amended through 2025
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Calculate your deadline
Enter the date of entry of the judgment, order or decree. See the date, cited rule and counting steps.
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Which date starts the 30-day period?
The period runs from the entry of the judgment, order or decree.
Count forward from the trigger event. Confirm the event on the docket or in the service record before entering a date.
Read 28 USC 2107"Except as otherwise provided in this section, no appeal shall bring any judgment, order or decree in an action, suit or proceeding of a civil nature before a court of appeals for review unless notice of appeal is filed, within thirty days after the entry of such judgment, order or decree."
28 U.S.C. 2107(a)
This is a docket-entry calculation. Do not substitute the day an email arrived, the day you read the order or the day of the hearing.
Which date do I enter?How are the 30 calendar days counted?
- Exclude the day of the trigger event.
- Count every following day, including intermediate Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays.
- If the last day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, continue to the next day that is not one of those.
Exclude the trigger day and count calendar days under FRAP 26(a).
If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, FRAP 26(a) carries it to the next open day.
FRAP 26(a) also treats a day on which the clerk’s office is inaccessible as excluded from the last day, and sets the electronic filing cutoff at midnight in the time zone of the circuit clerk’s principal office. Circuit local rules and briefing orders often control; the national calculation does not read them.
Read FRAP 26(a)The calculation gives the ordinary national-rule date. Check relevant holidays, the court’s accessibility and its filing cutoff separately.
Review the filing checklistWhat does a worked calculation look like?
Fictitious example
Assume the entry of the judgment, order or decree on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 (entry of the judgment, order or decree on this date, with no order, motion or extension affecting the period), with no order, motion, extension or local closure affecting the result. Exclude the trigger day and count calendar days under FRAP 26(a). The example assumes no local rule, order or closure changes the default period.
| Step | What is counted | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Do not count this day | September 1, 2026 |
| Day 1 | Start counting calendar days | September 2, 2026 |
| Day 30 | Ordinary deadline in this example | October 1, 2026 |
Can an order, motion or extension change the deadline?
- Extensions
- Statutory and therefore jurisdictional: Bowles v. Russell, 551 U.S. 205 (2007). Extension only as 28 U.S.C. 2107(c) allows. No equitable exception.
- Orders and local rules
- A scheduling order, stipulation approved by the court, standing order or local rule can set a different period and controls over the national default.
- Statutory and therefore jurisdictional: Bowles v. Russell, 551 U.S. 205 (2007). Extension only as 28 U.S.C. 2107(c) allows. No equitable exception.
- A stipulation, scheduling order, standing order or local rule can set a different period and controls over the national default.
What should I check before filing?
These checks help you review the result. They do not activate a calendar date or certify that the deadline applies.
Common questions
Find answers about when this 30-day period starts, how it is counted, what can change it and how to keep your calculation.
Starting the clock
Does the clock start on the entry of the judgment, order or decree, or when I first learned of it?
The period runs from the entry of the judgment, order or decree as the rule defines it, not from the day you read about it, received a courtesy copy or attended a hearing. Use the date shown on the docket or in the service record.
Read 28 USC 2107Do I add three days because the document arrived by mail?
Not to this period. FRAP 26(c) concerns periods measured after service. This period runs from the entry of the judgment, order or decree, so no mailing days are added.
FRAP 26(c)Counting days and filing
Is it 30 calendar days or business days?
Calendar days. Count intermediate weekends and holidays. If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, FRAP 26(a) carries it forward to the next day that is not one of those.
FRAP 26(a)Which time zone and filing cutoff apply?
Under FRAP 26(a)(4), electronic filing ends at midnight in the time zone of the circuit clerk’s principal office unless a different time is set. Paper filing ends when the clerk’s office is scheduled to close. This calculator does not verify either fact.
FRAP 26(a)What if the court is inaccessible on the last day?
FRAP 26(a)(3) extends the period to the first accessible day that is not a weekend or legal holiday when the clerk’s office is inaccessible on the last day. Check the circuit’s closure notices and orders.
FRAP 26(a)Extensions and local rules
Can the court extend this deadline?
Statutory and therefore jurisdictional: Bowles v. Russell, 551 U.S. 205 (2007). Extension only as 28 U.S.C. 2107(c) allows. No equitable exception. A request does not itself extend the period, and no discretionary extension is calculated here.
Read 28 USC 2107Do local rules, standing orders or a scheduling order change the date?
They can. Many courts set their own periods by local rule, standing order or case-specific order, and those control over the national default. This calculator gives the national-rule date only; compare it with any order in the case before relying on it.
Choosing the right calculator
Does this calculator decide whether the rule applies to my case?
No. It calculates a period from the date you provide under the cited rule. It does not decide whether the rule governs your filing, whether an exception applies, or whether the filing has merit. Those questions need separate review.
Can I calculate the deadline without an account?
Yes. Enter the trigger date to see the free national-rule calculation, citation, counting steps and warnings. You can add court context after the result. Missing court review keeps the result provisional.
Results, records and your case
What is included in an Evidence Record?
The retained inputs, result, cited rule, calculation working, warnings and review state. The PDF includes a payload digest and retained-data appendix, and the record can be verified against its fingerprint later. It records the calculation, not a guarantee of legal correctness.
Does saving to a case activate the calendar?
Not automatically. Provisional records remain subject to review. A separately labeled manual date does not alter the original calculation.
Official sources and review
The period and the counting method come from different provisions. The official source is the court’s published rules; the reading links open the rule text at the Legal Information Institute.
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 28 U.S.C. 2107(a) | Trigger and period |
| FRAP 26(a) | Counting, legal holidays and the last day |
Rule record reviewed . Guide sources checked . Next source check .
Published by Deadline Engine. This tool calculates the ordinary period under the cited rule. It does not decide whether the rule applies, obtain an extension or file anything for you.