Who Decides Your Deadlines — Where Family Court Dates Actually Come From
This guide is about New York Family Court. Other states run on different rules.
Many parents look for one master schedule. They expect it to list every deadline in their case. In New York Family Court, there is no such document. Dates come from four different places instead.
1. The judge's conference order
Under 22 NYCRR 205.12, the court holds a conference. It happens as soon as practicable after a case is assigned. At that conference, the judge can set several dates. That includes a date for discovery, for motions, and for the fact-finding and dispositional hearings. This is where a case's real schedule usually gets made.
2. Statutes that count forward from an event
Some deadlines are set by a statute instead of a judge. A statute says something must happen within a set number of days. The clock starts on the day the triggering event happens. It does not wait for you to notice it.
3. Response windows that start when you are served
Other deadlines start the moment a paper is served on you. The clock runs from the date of service. It does not run from the day you read the papers. It also does not wait for your next court date.
4. What the judge says out loud
Many dates are only ever announced in the courtroom. The judge states a date, and nothing is written down for you. That date is still real. Often, it is the only place that date exists at all.
Why this matters
A parent who watches only one of these sources will miss the others. Write down every date you hear, no matter where it comes from. See what to write down at every appearance.
How Virginia does it differently
Some states work very differently from New York. In Virginia, for example, one pretrial scheduling order counts every deadline backward from the trial date. One piece of paper tells you everything.
New York does not work that way. This is the mental model most people arrive with. It is also the model that causes them to stop looking once they find one date.
Sources
- 22 NYCRR 205.12 — the rule on Family Court conferences, including setting a date for the fact-finding and dispositional hearings.
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