Rule 326.Time for Filing Record on Appeal

Article III. Civil Appeals Rules · Part C. Record on Appeal · Last amended 2017 · Last verified July 20, 2026

In one sentenceRule 326 gives the circuit clerk 63 days from the notice of appeal to file the record on appeal with the reviewing court, with a further safety-valve extension available for good reason.

Full Text of Ill. S. Ct. R. 326

Text size

Except as provided in Rules 306, 307, 308 and 335, the record on appeal shall be filed in the reviewing court within 63 days after the filing of the notice of appeal, or the last notice of appeal if more than one appeal is taken, or, if the time for filing a report of proceedings has been extended, within 14 days after the expiration of the extended time. Extensions of time for filing the record may be granted by the reviewing court or a judge thereof on motion made before the expiration of the original or extended time or on motion filed within 35 days thereafter supported by a showing of reasonable excuse for failure to file the motion earlier. The movant shall serve any motion for extension of time on the clerk preparing the record on appeal.

End

Plain-English Summary

Rule 326 sets the deadline for getting the assembled record on appeal into the reviewing court's hands: 63 days after the notice of appeal is filed, or after the last notice of appeal if more than one was filed in the same case. If the deadline for filing the report of proceedings was extended, the record deadline moves with it — 14 days after that extended time runs out.

Extensions are available beyond the 63 days, but they have to be requested from the reviewing court or a judge, either before the deadline passes or within 35 days after it does, with a showing of reasonable excuse if the request comes late. The rule doesn't apply to appeals under Rules 306, 307, 308, and 335, which have their own record-filing timetables suited to their faster procedures.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the circuit clerk have to file the record on appeal?

63 days after the notice of appeal is filed, or after the last notice of appeal if the case has more than one.

What happens if the deadline for the report of proceedings was extended?

The record on appeal is then due 14 days after that extended deadline expires.

Can the 63-day deadline be extended?

Yes, on motion to the reviewing court or a judge, filed before the deadline or within 35 days after, with a showing of reasonable excuse for a late motion.

Does Rule 326 apply to every kind of appeal?

No. It excludes appeals under Rules 306, 307, 308, and 335, which follow their own record-filing schedules.

Who is responsible for meeting the 63-day deadline?

The circuit clerk, who is preparing and transmitting the record on appeal.

Committee Comments

(Revised October 1969) This rule is based on former Rules 36(2)(d) and (e). Provision is made for the certificate procedure. Time periods are in multiples of seven. The 35-day “safety-valve” provision is similar to the one applicable to the report of proceedings in Rule 323(e). The insertion in 1969 of the words “or the last notice of appeal if more than one appeal is taken” in the first sentence is based upon Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 11(a). The 1969 amendment to the rule also requires the delivery of the record to the reviewing court at the time the reply brief is due rather than 14 days thereafter, as formerly.

Amendment History

Amended October 21, 1969, effective January 1, 1970; amended December 17, 1993, effective February 1, 1994; amended June 22, 2017, eff. July 1, 2017.

Source & verification. Rule text, official Committee Comments, and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Illinois Supreme Court Rules, promulgated by the Supreme Court of Illinois. Last verified July 20, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: record on appeal deadline63 day rule Illinois appealextension of time record on appealappellate record filing deadline