Use this as an early-warning list, not a deadline calculator. The triggering event, service method, calendar rules, exceptions, exact defendant, and claim type matter. A shorter notice deadline can expire long before a lawsuit period. If a date is close or already passed, seek legal help promptly rather than deciding on your own that there is no remedy.
| Issue | Screening rule or action | What must be checked |
|---|---|---|
| Any summons, motion, hearing, or administrative notice | Read and calendar immediately. | Actual document, service, local rules, extensions, and required form of response. |
| NY divorce response | Response can be due in 20 or 30 days. | Method/location/completion of service, paper type, and applicable procedural rule. NY Courts — The Defendant’s Response |
| NJ foreclosure answer | Court packet describes 35 days after receipt of summons and complaint. | Proper service, case stage, extension, and any default. NJ Courts — Answering a Foreclosure Complaint |
| Covered collector validation notice | CFPB describes a 30-day dispute period. | Notice content, when received, written dispute procedure, and FDCPA coverage. Does not replace a lawsuit answer. CFPB — Required Debt-Collection Information |
| NY no-fault injury notice | Generally as soon as practicable and within 30 calendar days. | Coverage, recipient, written notice, justification exception, and separate benefit submissions. NY DFS — No-Fault FAQs |
| NJ public-entity tort notice | Commonly 90 days. | Accrual, defendant, recipient, form, delivery, exceptions, late-notice application, and separate lawsuit deadline. NJ Treasury — Tort and Contract Notice |
| NY municipal tort notice | Generally 90 days under GML § 50-e when required. | Entity, claim, accrual, service, statutory exceptions, and separate action period. NY state and federal claims use different systems. NY Legislature — General Municipal Law § 50-e |
| Covered injury claim against DC | Specified written notice generally within six months under § 12-309. | Defendant, damages type, content, recipient, accrual, and whether a qualifying official report meets the statute. Do not assume any report suffices. DC Code § 12-309 |
| Ordinary personal injury screening | NJ general court guide: two years; NY ordinary negligence: three years; DC general residual period: three years. | Specific claim, accrual, age, tolling, discovery, public defendant, wrongful death, intentional tort, malpractice, and other special rules. NJ Courts — Statute of Limitations FAQ, NY Courts — Statute of Limitations Timetable, DC Code § 12-301 |
| NY workplace injury | WCB generally describes employer notice within 30 days and C-3 filing within two years. | Accident versus occupational disease, knowledge dates, exceptions, and applicable employment system. NY WCB — File a Claim |
| DC private-sector workplace injury | DOES describes distinct 30-day notice and generally one-year claim requirements. | Correct forms and recipients, knowledge/payment dates, exceptions; government/federal employment differs. DC DOES — Employee Rights and Obligations |
| NJ workplace injury | Report promptly; investigate claim filing immediately. | Authorized treatment, accident/disease dates, benefits, and formal claim requirements; do not assume employer reporting preserves everything. NJ Labor — Injured Worker Protections |
| DC parking/photo contest | Receipt within 30 calendar days avoids additional penalties. | Ticket issue/mailing date, later contest/default-relief procedure, and outer limits. DC DMV — Contest Parking and Photo Tickets, DC DMV — How to Contest a Ticket |
| DC ticket reconsideration | Generally received within 30 calendar days of hearing record. | Current instructions, correct filing, and whether further review or a stay is needed. DC DMV — Request Reconsideration |
| NYC parking/camera hearing | DOF describes a 30-day hearing request to avoid late fees. | Notice date, default/judgment status, eligibility for later relief, and actual current instructions. NYC DOF — Dispute a Ticket FAQs |
| NJ security deposit | Covered tenancies generally use 30 days after tenancy termination. | Coverage, lawful deductions, delivery, special displacement cases, and available remedies. NJ DCA — Security Deposit Bulletin |
| NY security deposit | AG guide describes 14-day return/itemization for non-regulated units. | Unit regulation, tenancy facts, deductions, and different rules for regulated housing. NY Attorney General — Residential Tenants’ Rights Guide |
| DC security deposit | Within 45 days after vacating: return or notice; further 30-day balance-return framework. | Current regulations, length of tenancy for interest, deductions, and proof. DC OTA — Tenant Bill of Rights, September 25, 2026 |
| Covered mortgage Closing Disclosure | Generally received at least three business days before closing. | Loan coverage, business-day definition, revised disclosures, and qualifying changes. CFPB — What Is a Closing Disclosure? |
| Bankruptcy counseling and education | Prefiling counseling and separate postfiling education. | Approved provider, course type, timing, certificate filing, and limited exceptions. DOJ — Credit Counseling and Debtor Education, US Courts — Counseling and Education Courses |
| Appeal, reconsideration, modification, protection-order hearing | Check immediately; no universal cross-topic deadline. | Order entry/service, proceeding type, court rules, and stay requirements. |
Recent-law cautions built into this edition
- DC divorce: Current court guidance and § 16-904 supersede older separation-period descriptions. Do not reintroduce them from an old PDF. DC Courts — Divorce, DC Code § 16-904 — Grounds for divorce and legal separation
- NY auto fault: The current CPLR 1411 text includes an Article 51 subsection (b). Any article about comparative negligence must account for the 2026 changes and confirm effective-date applicability. NY Legislature — CPLR 1411, NY Governor — Auto Insurance Reforms, May 27, 2026
- NY points: The February 16, 2026 changes affect specified points and the persistent-violator lookback. DMV’s DRA page separately describes its own assessment criteria; do not assume every reference to an 18-month period became a 24-month rule. NY DMV — Updated Point Values, February 2026, NY DMV — Driver Responsibility Assessment
- DC housing: Use the September 25, 2026 Tenant Bill of Rights and current underlying law. Revised document-disclosure implementation and each substantive law’s effective date are separate questions. DC OTA — Tenant Bill of Rights, September 25, 2026, DC OTA — Revised Tenant Bill of Rights Announcement
- NY Good Cause: Coverage depends on municipality and exemptions. Avoid freezing a municipality list into evergreen public copy. NY Attorney General — Good Cause Eviction Law
- Bankruptcy means test: Use the DOJ data period covering the actual filing date. Do not embed a permanent income threshold in a visitor answer. DOJ — Means Testing