Massachusetts law about time

Laws, regulations, cases and web sources on computation of time.

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Massachusetts laws

MGL c. 4, § 7 Definition of statutory terms; statutory construction
Clause Nineteenth: "'Month' shall mean a calendar month, except that, when used in a statute providing for punishment by imprisonment, one 'month' or a multiple thereof shall mean a period of thirty days or the corresponding multiple thereof; and 'year', a calendar year."

MGL c. 4, § 9 Time for performance of acts performable on Sunday or holiday
"Except as otherwise provided, when the day or the last day for the performance of any act, including the making of any payment or tender of payment, authorized or required by statute or by contract, falls on Sunday or a legal holiday, the act may, unless it is specifically authorized or required to be performed on Sunday or on a legal holiday, be performed on the next succeeding business day."

MGL c. 4, § 10 Daylight Saving Time
Clocks are set ahead one hour at 2 AM on the last Sunday in April each year and fall back one hour at 2 AM on the last Sunday in October each year.

MGL c. 220, § 6 Business days; exceptions
“The provisions of section 9 of chapter four shall apply in the case of the closing of a court on any Saturday to the same extent as if such Saturday were a legal holiday.”

MGL c. 260 Statutes of limitation; time after which civil claims cannot be filed

Federal laws

15 USC §§ 260-267 Standard Time
Federal law covering time zones and daylight saving time.

Court rules and time standards

Mass. Rules of Appellate Procedure Rule 14 Computation and extension of time

Mass. Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 6 Time

Mass. Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 46 Time

Mass. Rules of Domestic Relations Procedure Rule 6 Time

Time standards and case management
Time standards and case management for court cases ensure the timely attention necessary to secure a just and expeditious determination of each case or claim. Links to each court’s time standards and case management procedures.

Selected cases

Selected court cases on the topic of time

Web sources

Official U.S. time, National Institute of Standards and Technology and U.S. Naval Observatory.
Find out what time it is right now anywhere in the country.

Print sources

Appellate Practice and Procedure, 4^th ed. (Mass. Practice v. 41-41A), West Group, 2020 with supplement.
Chapter 26: Motions for extensions of time.

Computing Time in State Court Litigation (MA), Practical Law Litigation, Westlaw
“A Practice Note explaining how to compute time periods in Massachusetts civil litigation.”

Computing Time in State Court Litigation Checklist (MA), Practical Law Litigation, Westlaw
“A Checklist of steps to take when computing time periods under Massachusetts Rule of Civil Procedure 6 and the Massachusetts Rules of Electronic Filing.”

Criminal practice and procedure, 4^th ed. (Mass. Practice v. 30-30B), West Group, 2014 with supplement.
Chapter 58, Rule 46: Time.

Family law and practice, 4^th ed., (Mass. Practice v. 1-3), West Group, 2013 with supplement.
Section 9:17: Time table tracking the applicable rules governing domestic practice in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts statutes of limitation: A user’s guide, by Joseph W. Glannon, 19 Suffolk J. Trial & App. Advoc. 1 (2014)

Procedural forms annotated, 6^th ed. (Mass. Practice v.  10-10C), West Group, 2009 with supplement.
Chapter 8: Extension or enlargement of time.

Rules practice, 2^nd ed. (Mass. Practice v. 6-7), West Group, 2006 with supplement.
Section “Time table”: Time table for lawyers under Massachusetts Rules of Civil and Appellate Procedure; Chapter 6: Time.

Timetable for Massachusetts civil practice, LexisNexis, Annual.

Trial practice, 3^rd ed. (Mass. Practice v. 43-43B), West Group, 2017 with supplement.
Chapter 5. Part II.: Time standards and tracking orders.

Last updated:	July 29, 2025