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New York courts

What is the deadline for response or objection to a notice or subpoena duces tecum under CPLR 3120?

The period for response or objection to a notice or subpoena duces tecum under CPLR 3120 normally runs 20 calendar days from service of the notice or subpoena duces tecum under CPLR 3120 or CPLR 3121, under CPLR 3122(a)(1). If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday in the New York calendar, the computation rule carries it to the next open day.

Calculate my deadline
Period
20 calendar days
Trigger
Service of the notice or subpoena duces tecum under CPLR 3120 or CPLR 3121
Rule
CPLR 3122(a)(1)
New York Courts rules and legislation

New York rules as encoded, holiday calendar verified

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Calculate your deadline

Enter the date of service of the notice or subpoena duces tecum under CPLR 3120 or CPLR 3121. See the date, cited rule and counting steps.

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Which date starts the 20-day period?

The period runs from the service of the notice or subpoena duces tecum under CPLR 3120 or CPLR 3121.

Count forward from the trigger event. Confirm the event on the docket or in the service record before entering a date.

"Within twenty days of service of a notice or subpoena duces tecum under rule 3120 or section 3121, the party or person to whom the notice or subpoena duces tecum is directed, if that party or person objects to the disclosure, inspection or examination, shall serve a response which shall state with reasonable particularity the reasons for each objection."

CPLR 3122(a)(1)
Read New York Courts rules and legislation
Service, filing and receipt are different events.

This period runs from service as the rule defines it. Do not substitute the filing date, the day a courtesy copy arrived or the day you first read the paper.

Which date do I enter?

How are the 20 calendar days counted?

  1. Exclude the day of the trigger event.
  2. Count every following day, including intermediate Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays.
  3. If the last day is a Saturday, Sunday or New York legal holiday, continue to the next day that is not one of those.

Exclude the trigger day and count calendar days under General Construction Law 20 (days).

If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday in the New York calendar, the computation rule carries it to the next open day.

New York computes time under General Construction Law 20 (days). The applied calendar bundles the state legal holidays for the covered years; court-specific closures and emergency orders are not bundled.

Read General Construction Law 20 (days)
National rules do not establish local facts.

The calculation gives the ordinary national-rule date. Check relevant holidays, the court’s accessibility and its filing cutoff separately.

Review the filing checklist

What does a worked calculation look like?

Fictitious example

Assume the service of the notice or subpoena duces tecum under CPLR 3120 or CPLR 3121 on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 (service of the notice or subpoena duces tecum under CPLR 3120 or CPLR 3121 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 General Construction Law 20 (days). The example assumes no local rule, order or closure changes the default period.

Example counting steps
StepWhat is countedDate
ServiceDo not count this daySeptember 1, 2026
Day 1Start counting calendar daysSeptember 2, 2026
Day 20Ordinary deadline in this exampleSeptember 21, 2026
Example resultMonday, September 21, 2026
Try these dates using the worked-example button

Can an order, motion or extension change the deadline?

Extensions
CPLR 2004; CPLR 3103 protective orders. A party who fails to object timely may forfeit all but privilege and palpable-impropriety objections.
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.
  • CPLR 2004; CPLR 3103 protective orders. A party who fails to object timely may forfeit all but privilege and palpable-impropriety objections.
  • 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 20-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 service of the notice or subpoena duces tecum under CPLR 3120 or CPLR 3121, or when I first learned of it?

The period runs from the service of the notice or subpoena duces tecum under CPLR 3120 or CPLR 3121 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 20 calendar days or business days?

Calendar days. Count intermediate weekends and holidays. If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, General Construction Law 20 (days) carries it forward to the next day that is not one of those.

General Construction Law 20 (days)

Which time zone and filing cutoff apply?

New York filing rules and the court’s electronic filing system set the cutoff. This calculator does not verify filing hours or system availability.

General Construction Law 20 (days)

What if the court is inaccessible on the last day?

General Construction Law 20 (days) and the court’s administrative orders govern an inaccessible clerk’s office. Check the court’s notices. This calculator does not predict a closure.

General Construction Law 20 (days)

Extensions and local rules

Can the court extend this deadline?

CPLR 2004; CPLR 3103 protective orders. A party who fails to object timely may forfeit all but privilege and palpable-impropriety objections. 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.

Provisions used in this guide
ProvisionPurpose
CPLR 3122(a)(1)Trigger and period
General Construction Law 20 (days)Counting, holidays and the last day
Read the official New York Courts rules and legislation

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.

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