Michigan’s counting rule is MCR 1.108, and it is shorter than most. The first day is excluded and the last day included; every calendar day counts, however short the period; and a last day that is a Saturday, Sunday, legal holiday or “day on which the court is closed pursuant to court order” runs to the next day that is none of those. What makes Michigan deadlines distinctive is not the arithmetic but the inputs: a holiday list set by court rule rather than statute, and periods that already build in the manner of service instead of adding days for it.
No short-period rule, no mail days
Unlike Ohio, Florida or Georgia, Michigan skips no intermediate days in short periods: a three-day period that starts on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving ends on Saturday and moves to Monday only because the last day is a weekend day. And unlike the federal rule, Michigan adds nothing after service by mail. Service by mail is complete on mailing (MCR 2.107(C)(3)), e-service on transmission, and a paper served electronically by 11:59 p.m. is served that day. Where the drafters wanted to allow for the post, they lengthened the period itself: 28 days instead of 21 to answer a complaint served by mail, nine days’ notice of a motion instead of seven, five days for a response instead of three (MCR 2.108(A), 2.119(C)). Picking the right named deadline above applies the right length.
Date of service: · 3 days · Service of a paper (mailing, transmission or delivery date)
- Count 3 calendar days after (that day is not counted): .
- is not a court day (Saturday), so the deadline moves forward to , passing (Sunday).
Deadline: — E-filings submitted by 11:59 p.m. on a business day are filed that day; a weekend or holiday submission is filed the next business day (MCR 1.109(G)(5)(b)).
Thirteen court holidays under MCR 8.110
The holiday list is Rule 8.110(D)(2) of the court rules, not the public-holiday statute. It has thirteen days: the federal holidays except Columbus Day, plus the Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Its observance rules are its own. A Saturday New Year’s Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Veterans’ Day or Christmas is observed on the Friday before and a Sunday one on the Monday after; Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve move to the Thursday before when they fall on a Friday and to the Friday before when they fall on a weekend. In 2027 that closes the courts on December 23, 24, 30 and 31. The 2026 and 2027 lists here match the Wayne County and Grand Traverse court orders date for date.
Date of service: · 7 days · Service of a paper (mailing, transmission or delivery date)
- Count 7 calendar days after (that day is not counted): .
- is not a court day (Christmas Eve (observed)), so the deadline moves forward to , passing (Christmas Day (observed)), (Saturday), (Sunday).
Deadline: — E-filings submitted by 11:59 p.m. on a business day are filed that day; a weekend or holiday submission is filed the next business day (MCR 1.109(G)(5)(b)).
Statutory holidays and county closures
MCL 435.101 declares Lincoln’s Birthday and Columbus Day public holidays, but the court rule leaves them out and most courts are open. Whether a deadline that lands on one is extended under Rule 1.108 has not been decided, so the calculator shows the open-court date first and the next day as an alternative. A county may change the list by administrative order under MCR 8.112(B): Wayne and Macomb close on Columbus Day, Macomb on Election Day, and Wayne adds “swing day” closures between Christmas and New Year’s. A day the court is closed by such an order moves a deadline under the rule’s own words; enter it as a closed day.
Date of service: · 28 days · Entry, filing, notice or another event
- Count 28 calendar days after (that day is not counted): .
Deadline: — E-filings submitted by 11:59 p.m. on a business day are filed that day; a weekend or holiday submission is filed the next business day (MCR 1.109(G)(5)(b)).
Other reading: (Lincoln's Birthday and Columbus Day (MCL 435.101) also count as legal holidays, although courts are open)
Motion deadlines measured from the hearing
Motion practice runs backward from the hearing date: a summary-disposition motion 21 days before, the response seven days before and a reply four (MCR 2.116(G)); an ordinary motion nine days before by mail or seven by delivery, and its response five or three (MCR 2.119(C)). Rule 1.108 says nothing about which way a weekend moves a date counted backward, and the one reported decision, Magnuson v. Zadrozny (1992), moved it later, to the next business day after the weekend, which shortens the notice the other side gets. The calculator shows the earlier business day as the deadline, since serving early can never be late, and lists the Magnuson date beside it.
Hearing date: · 7 days
- Count 7 calendar days before (that day is not counted): .
- is not a court day (Thanksgiving Day), so the deadline moves back to .
Deadline:
Other reading: (A weekend or holiday result moves to the next business day (Magnuson v. Zadrozny))
Appeals in 21 and 42 days
A claim of appeal of right to the Court of Appeals is due 21 days after entry of the judgment or order, or 21 days after the order deciding a timely post-judgment motion (MCR 7.204(A)(1)); a cross-appeal 21 days after the claim of appeal is filed or served; a motion for reconsideration in the Court of Appeals 21 days after the decision (MCR 7.215(I)); and an application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court 42 days after the Court of Appeals’ decision in a civil case (MCR 7.305(C)). Entry means the date the judgment is signed or entered in the register of actions. The new-trial and judgment-notwithstanding-the-verdict motions that can restart the appeal period are themselves due 21 days after entry (MCR 2.610, 2.611).
Hearing date: · 3 days
- Count 3 calendar days before (that day is not counted): .
- is not a court day (Saturday), so the deadline moves back to , passing (New Year's Day), (New Year's Eve).
Deadline:
Other reading: (A weekend or holiday result moves to the next business day (Magnuson v. Zadrozny))
What the Michigan calculator does not know
Every court rule on this page was checked against the Michigan Supreme Court’s own rule books on courts.michigan.gov, and MCL 435.101 against legislature.mi.gov, on , and the counting rules and named deadlines were reviewed by an attorney; the landlord-tenant, medical-malpractice and administrative-appeal statutes behind nine named deadlines (MCL 600.5714 to 600.5744, 600.2912b and 24.304) were read on legislature.mi.gov the next day. The calculator does not know a county’s local administrative orders beyond the ones noted, a judge’s scheduling order, or the periods counted in months and years, such as the one-year limit on relief from judgment under MCR 2.612.
Questions about Michigan deadlines
How many days do you have to answer a complaint in Michigan?
Twenty-one days after personal service of the summons and complaint within Michigan, or 28 days after service by registered or certified mail or outside the state. A pre-answer motion under MCR 2.115 or 2.116 that is denied gives 21 days after notice of the denial (MCR 2.108(A), (C)).
Does service by mail add days to a Michigan deadline?
No. Service by mail is complete at the time of mailing and the court rules add no days for it (MCR 2.107(C)(3)). Where the method matters, the rule sets a longer period: a motion must be served nine days before the hearing by mail but seven by delivery or e-service (MCR 2.119(C)).
Are Michigan courts closed on Christmas Eve?
Yes. Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are among the thirteen court holidays of MCR 8.110(D)(2). When either falls on a Friday the Thursday before is the holiday, and when either falls on a weekend the Friday before is, which is why December 23 and 24, 2027 and December 30 and 31, 2027 are all closed.
Is Columbus Day a court holiday in Michigan?
Not under the court rule: MCR 8.110(D)(2) leaves it out, although MCL 435.101 makes it a public holiday and Wayne and Macomb Counties close by local order. Whether a deadline landing on it is extended is undecided, so the calculator shows the Columbus Day date first and the next day as the alternative.
What is the deadline to appeal to the Michigan Court of Appeals?
Twenty-one days after entry of the judgment or order for a claim of appeal of right, or 21 days after the order deciding a timely post-judgment motion (MCR 7.204(A)(1)). A cross-appeal is due 21 days after the claim of appeal is filed or served, and an application for leave to the Supreme Court 42 days after the Court of Appeals’ decision in a civil case (MCR 7.207, 7.305).
What happens when a Michigan deadline counted back from a hearing lands on a weekend?
The rule does not say, and the one decision on the point, Magnuson v. Zadrozny, 195 Mich. App. 581 (1992), moved the date later to the next business day. The calculator shows the earlier business day first, which can never be late, and the Magnuson date as the alternative.