Illinois courts
What is the deadline for complaint and issuance of summons to review a final administrative decision (Administrative Review Law)?
The period for complaint and issuance of summons to review a final administrative decision (Administrative Review Law) normally runs 35 calendar days from the date a copy of the decision sought to be reviewed was served upon the party affected, under 735 ILCS 5/3-103. If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday in the Illinois calendar, the computation rule carries it to the next open day.
Calculate my deadline- Period
- 35 calendar days
- Trigger
- The date a copy of the decision sought to be reviewed was served upon the party affected
- Rule
- 735 ILCS 5/3-103
Illinois rules as encoded, holiday calendar verified
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Calculate your deadline
Enter the date of the date a copy of the decision sought to be reviewed was served upon the party affected. See the date, cited rule and counting steps.
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Which date starts the 35-day period?
The period runs from the date a copy of the decision sought to be reviewed was served upon the party affected.
Count forward from the trigger event. Confirm the event on the docket or in the service record before entering a date.
Read Illinois Supreme Court RulesEvery action to review a final administrative decision shall be commenced by the filing of a complaint and the issuance of summons within 35 days from the date that a copy of the decision sought to be reviewed was served upon the party affected by the decision.
735 ILCS 5/3-103
This period runs from the specific event in the cited rule. Do not substitute a nearby date such as a hearing, a courtesy copy or the day you first learned of it.
Which date do I enter?How are the 35 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 Illinois legal holiday, continue to the next day that is not one of those.
Exclude the trigger day and count calendar days under 5 ILCS 70/1.11 (Statute on Statutes, Computation of time).
If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday in the Illinois calendar, the computation rule carries it to the next open day.
Illinois computes time under 5 ILCS 70/1.11 (Statute on Statutes, Computation of time). The applied calendar bundles the state legal holidays for the covered years; court-specific closures and emergency orders are not bundled.
Read 5 ILCS 70/1.11 (Statute on Statutes, Computation of time)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 date a copy of the decision sought to be reviewed was served upon the party affected on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 (the date a copy of the decision sought to be reviewed was served upon the party affected 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 5 ILCS 70/1.11 (Statute on Statutes, Computation of time). The example assumes no local rule, order or closure changes the default period.
| Step | What is counted | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Do not count this day | September 1, 2026 |
| Day 1 | Start counting calendar days | September 2, 2026 |
| Day 35 | Ordinary deadline in this example | October 6, 2026 |
Can an order, motion or extension change the deadline?
- Extensions
- This is jurisdictional in Illinois administrative review practice and there is no general power to extend. Do not compute any extension.
- 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.
- This is jurisdictional in Illinois administrative review practice and there is no general power to extend. Do not compute any extension.
- 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 35-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 date a copy of the decision sought to be reviewed was served upon the party affected, or when I first learned of it?
The period runs from the date a copy of the decision sought to be reviewed was served upon the party affected 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.
Counting days and filing
Is it 35 calendar days or business days?
Calendar days. Count intermediate weekends and holidays. If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, 5 ILCS 70/1.11 (Statute on Statutes, Computation of time) carries it forward to the next day that is not one of those.
5 ILCS 70/1.11 (Statute on Statutes, Computation of time)Which time zone and filing cutoff apply?
Illinois filing rules and the court’s electronic filing system set the cutoff. This calculator does not verify filing hours or system availability.
5 ILCS 70/1.11 (Statute on Statutes, Computation of time)What if the court is inaccessible on the last day?
5 ILCS 70/1.11 (Statute on Statutes, Computation of time) and the court’s administrative orders govern an inaccessible clerk’s office. Check the court’s notices. This calculator does not predict a closure.
5 ILCS 70/1.11 (Statute on Statutes, Computation of time)Extensions and local rules
Can the court extend this deadline?
This is jurisdictional in Illinois administrative review practice and there is no general power to extend. Do not compute any extension. A request does not itself extend the period, and no discretionary extension is calculated here.
Do 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 |
|---|---|
| 735 ILCS 5/3-103 | Trigger and period |
| 5 ILCS 70/1.11 (Statute on Statutes, Computation of time) | Counting, 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.