United States · Civil lawsuits

Summons response deadline by state.

Pick a court system, enter the date you were served, and see the response date the court rule gives. Not legal advice; deadlines are short.

Short answer: It depends on the court. Federal court gives 21 days, California and Illinois 30, Minnesota 21, and Florida, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington 20 in the ordinary case. Texas sets the Monday after 20 days. Count from the day after service and get legal help early.

Source: court rules and formsRetrieved October 2026Unofficial guide

Find the response date

Result

Choose a court system, enter your service date and press Find response date.

Why the number of days differs

Each court system sets its own clock for answering a civil complaint, and the summons you are handed usually states it. Federal court uses 21 days under Rule 12(a). California’s Judicial Council summons form says 30 calendar days. Illinois requires an answer or appearance within 30 days of service, not counting the day of service. Minnesota gives 21 days. Florida, Washington, New York and Pennsylvania use 20 days in the ordinary case. Texas does not use a plain number: the citation tells the defendant to answer by 10:00 a.m. on the Monday next after twenty days have passed.

The courts side by side

Court system	Time to respond	Rule
Federal court (US district courts)	Served with the summons and complaint: 21 days; Service was timely waived under Rule 4(d): 60 days	Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(a)(1)(A)
California	Superior court civil summons (form SUM-100): 30 days	Judicial Council form SUM-100
Florida	Ordinary defendant: 20 days	Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.140(a)(1)
Illinois	Summons requiring appearance within 30 days: 30 days	Ill. S. Ct. Rule 101(d)
Minnesota	District court: 21 days	Minn. R. Civ. P. 12.01
New York	Appearance after ordinary service: 20 days; Service on a state official or by a method where service is "complete" later (CPLR 303, 308, 313-315): 30 days	CPLR 320(a)
Pennsylvania	Complaint with a notice to defend: 20 days; Served outside the United States: 60 days	Pa.R.C.P. 1026
Texas	District or county court citation: Monday after day 20	Tex. R. Civ. P. 99(b)-(c)
Washington	Served in Washington: 20 days; Served personally out of state, or on the Secretary of State: 60 days; Served in a jail, detention or prison facility: 60 days	Superior Court CR 12(a)

The rules also carry longer periods for special service. New York gives 30 days where service is complete later, Washington 60 days for out-of-state and Secretary of State service, Pennsylvania 60 days outside the United States, and federal court 60 days after a timely waived service request. Evictions, small claims, and debt cases can use shorter, different clocks, and this page covers none of them.

Worked example (real dates)

Say you were served on Thursday, November 12, 2026. Under the federal rule the answer is due Thursday, December 3. In Florida, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, 20 days reaches Wednesday, December 2. Minnesota’s 21 days is December 3. California and Illinois give 30 days, which reaches Saturday, December 12; this page does not assume the deadline rolls to Monday, so plan to file by Friday, December 11. In Texas, day 20 is Wednesday, December 2, and the citation says the Monday next after that, December 7, by 10:00 a.m.

Method

The tool counts day 1 as the day after service, adds the number of days the rule gives, and shows the date that falls on. Texas then moves forward to the next Monday, and flags the one edge case where day 20 is itself a Monday. If the result lands on a weekend it says so rather than assuming the court rolls it forward. Dates stay in your browser and nothing is sent to our servers.

What this does not cover

Local rules, holidays and weekend roll-forward rules for the specific court, which this page did not read.
Extensions, stipulations, motions that pause the clock, and defendants such as governments that get longer periods.
Justice, municipal and small claims courts, evictions, family court, protective orders and debt collection cases.
Other states, and any rule changed after October 2026. Read your summons and call the clerk or a lawyer.

Sources

Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 12(a) (uscourts.gov, December 1, 2024 edition) (retrieved October 2026)
California Judicial Council, Summons (form SUM-100) (retrieved October 2026)
Texas Supreme Court, Misc. Docket No. 20-9153 (Rule 99 as amended) (retrieved October 2026)
New York CPLR 320, NY Senate (retrieved October 2026)
Florida Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 1.140 (October 1, 2026 edition), The Florida Bar (retrieved October 2026)
Illinois Supreme Court Rule 101 and forms appendix (retrieved October 2026)
Washington Superior Court Civil Rule 12 (retrieved October 2026)
Minnesota Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 12 (retrieved October 2026)
Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 1026 (retrieved October 2026)

Common mix-ups

Often assumedFederal court gives the same 20 days as many state courts.

What the source saysFederal Rule 12(a)(1)(A)(i) says a defendant must serve an answer within 21 days after being served with the summons and complaint, or 60 days if service was timely waived under Rule 4(d). ^[1]
Often assumedCalifornia gives thirty business days to respond to a summons.

What the source saysThe California summons form says you have 30 calendar days after the summons and legal papers are served to file a written response, and that a letter or phone call will not protect you. ^[2]
Often assumedA Texas citation simply gives twenty days to answer.

What the source saysTexas Rule 99 has the citation direct the defendant to answer by 10:00 a.m. on the Monday next after the expiration of twenty days after the date of service. ^[3]
Often assumedIn Illinois the 30 days include the day I was served.

What the source saysThe Illinois summons form requires an answer or appearance within 30 days after service of the summons, not counting the day of service. ^[4]

Checked against these sources on 2026-10-26.

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to respond to a summons?

It depends on the court. Federal court gives 21 days, California and Illinois 30, Minnesota 21, and Florida, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington 20 in the ordinary case. Texas sets the Monday after 20 days.

Are the days calendar days or business days?

California’s summons form says 30 calendar days. The other rules here also count days on the calendar, so weekends are included. Check whether your court rolls a weekend deadline forward before relying on it.

Does the clock start on the day I am served?

The Illinois rule and Washington’s CR 12 count the days exclusive of the day of service, so day 1 is the next day. The tool counts the same way for every court.

What happens if I miss the deadline?

The summons forms warn that the court may decide against you without hearing from you. California’s says you may lose by default and your wages, money and property may be taken; Texas’s says a default judgment may be taken.

Is a letter or phone call enough to respond?

No. California’s summons says a letter or phone call will not protect you and the response must be in proper legal form, filed with the court.

Why is New York 20 or 30 days?

CPLR 320(a) gives twenty days after service, and thirty days after service is complete where the summons was served on a state official or by the other methods the rule lists.

Does this cover eviction or small claims cases?

No. Those cases can have shorter or different deadlines and a court date instead. Follow the date on your papers.

Is this legal advice?

No. It counts days under the rules quoted. Your summons controls, so read it and contact the clerk, a legal aid office or a lawyer as soon as you are served.

Not legal advice

This page counts days under the court rules it cites and is an unofficial guide, not run by any court. Nothing you type is transmitted anywhere. A missed deadline can mean a default judgment, so read your summons, follow the date it states, and contact the court clerk, a legal aid office or a lawyer right away.