British Columbia · Supreme Court family

When do I need to respond?

Choose the papers you received and enter the date they were legally served. This gives a preliminary response-date benchmark—never a confirmed court deadline.

Includes October 1, 2026 Rule 10-6 changes

Find your response date

This planner covers some ordinary response periods only. If you were served with urgent or unusual documents, an order changes the timing, or you do not know which document you have, check with the registry or a lawyer immediately.

1. What did you receive?The October 2026 response periods are generally 5 business days for ordinary applications, 14 calendar days for the four listed special categories, and 21 calendar days for summary-trial applications. The 14-day categories apply only when the order, agreement, determination or award has the status described in Rule 10-6(8.1)(c). Other applications may need special rules.

2. What date were you legally served?Use the legally effective service date. It may differ from the day an email was sent, a document arrived, or a document was delivered after 4 p.m. Service methods and court orders can change the date.

I checked that this is the legally effective service date, not merely the sending date.

Don't wait for this date if you can respond earlier. Weekends, court closures, unusual service, extensions and special court directions can change the time. Nothing is filed or sent by this tool.

Official sources: Supreme Court Family Rules, Rules 4-3 and 4-4 (F4/F6 response periods) · Rule 17-1 (petitions), Rule 21-2 (time) and Part 6 (service) · B.C. Reg. 105/2026 Schedule 2 (Rule 10-6 response periods effective October 1, 2026) · BC Supreme Court 2026 and 2027 court calendars.

This planning tool counts business days using a list of regular 2026–2027 registry closures. When a calendar-day count ends on a closure, it shows an earlier open-registry planning target and explains any possible later adjustment. Do not depend on an extension unless confirmed for your case. It cannot check the actual registry, statutory holidays in every special circumstance, the service method or court orders. The date may be wrong for your circumstances. Independent information only, not a government service or legal advice.