Hong Kong · civil procedure
What period applies to district court discovery lists?
14 days after pairwise closure. Make and serve the relevant document list on the other party. Ordinary automatic discovery is not universal in every District Court action.
- Period
- 14 days after pairwise closure
- Trigger
- Deemed close of pleadings as between the relevant parties
- Rule
- Rules of the District Court (Cap. 336H), Order 24, rule 2(1)
Official verified English consolidated chapter 336H, version March 28,2025. Acquired October 9, 2026, with the official current register and immutable verified PDF. Current verified official English consolidated chapter PDFs acquired October 9, 2026. Version dates retained per chapter register. No claim that a calendar proves future gale, black-rainstorm or emergency office closures.
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What period applies to district court discovery lists?
14 days after pairwise closure. Make and serve the relevant document list on the other party. Ordinary automatic discovery is not universal in every District Court action.
Responsible actor. Party subject to District Court automatic discovery.
Deemed close of pleadings as between the relevant parties
14 days after pairwise closure
Party subject to District Court automatic discovery. Pairwise closure established; No third-party exclusion; No vehicle or penalty exclusion; No contrary discovery order. Cap. 336H Order 24 rule 2(6) to (8) permits restricted or no discovery and requires a timely summons for that relief.
Rules of the District Court (Cap. 336H), Order 24, rule 2(1)How does this provision count time?
- Make and serve the relevant document list on the other party
- Party subject to District Court automatic discovery uses the established deemed close of pleadings as between the relevant parties. 14 days after pairwise closure. Exclude the effective event day. Ordinary intervening weekends remain counted unless an applicable source provision excludes them. District Court Order3 has no High Court pleading summer-omission rule. Do not transfer the August omission merely because the procedures have similar names.
- Make and serve the relevant document list on the other party. An office calendar does not automatically change this service, deemed-event, minimum-interval or status boundary. The source and the actual completion route control. Ordinary automatic discovery is not universal in every District Court action.
- Ordinary automatic discovery is not universal in every District Court action.
- A closed interparty or combined endpoint needs separate source qualification. An ordinary weekday calculation does not certify this boundary.
Party subject to District Court automatic discovery uses the established deemed close of pleadings as between the relevant parties. 14 days after pairwise closure. Exclude the effective event day. Ordinary intervening weekends remain counted unless an applicable source provision excludes them. District Court Order3 has no High Court pleading summer-omission rule. Do not transfer the August omission merely because the procedures have similar names.
Make and serve the relevant document list on the other party. An office calendar does not automatically change this service, deemed-event, minimum-interval or status boundary. The source and the actual completion route control. Ordinary automatic discovery is not universal in every District Court action. This closed interparty or combined filing and service boundary is withheld pending separate qualification of section71 and the applicable Court procedure. The calculator refuses that boundary.
Rules of the District Court (Cap. 336H), Order 24, rule 2(1)What do independently checked examples show?
Fictitious example
Party subject to District Court automatic discovery. Deemed close of pleadings as between the relevant parties occurs on Friday, October 9, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply.
| Step | What is counted | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Example 1. Ordinary established facts | Party subject to District Court automatic discovery. Deemed close of pleadings as between the relevant parties occurs on Friday, October 9, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply. 14 days after pairwise closure. Ordinary automatic discovery is not universal in every District Court action. | Friday, October 23, 2026 |
| Example 2. Closed-day boundary | Party subject to District Court automatic discovery. Deemed close of pleadings as between the relevant parties occurs on Monday, October 5, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply. 14 days after pairwise closure. Ordinary automatic discovery is not universal in every District Court action. | A closed interparty completion requires separate Cap.1 section71 and applicable Rules qualification. No unverified service carry is inferred. |
| Example 3. Material procedural branch | Party subject to District Court automatic discovery. Deemed close of pleadings as between the relevant parties occurs on Friday, October 9, 2026. The complete eligibility and procedural facts are not established. This actual branch must be established independently before any ordinary endpoint can be used. Pairwise closure established | Cap. 336H Order 24 rule 2(6) to (8) permits restricted or no discovery and requires a timely summons for that relief. |
Fictitious established facts. These examples do not establish eligibility, effective service, relief or a direction.
Try these dates in the calculatorWhich conditions and exceptions apply?
- Pairwise closure established
- Pairwise closure established
- No third-party exclusion
- No third-party exclusion
- No vehicle or penalty exclusion
- No vehicle or penalty exclusion
- No contrary discovery order
- No contrary discovery order
- Correct source counting and completion route
- Party subject to District Court automatic discovery uses the established deemed close of pleadings as between the relevant parties. 14 days after pairwise closure. Exclude the effective event day. Ordinary intervening weekends remain counted unless an applicable source provision excludes them. District Court Order3 has no High Court pleading summer-omission rule. Do not transfer the August omission merely because the procedures have similar names. Make and serve the relevant document list on the other party. An office calendar does not automatically change this service, deemed-event, minimum-interval or status boundary. The source and the actual completion route control. Ordinary automatic discovery is not universal in every District Court action.
- Party subject to District Court automatic discovery. Pairwise closure established; No third-party exclusion; No vehicle or penalty exclusion; No contrary discovery order. Cap. 336H Order 24 rule 2(6) to (8) permits restricted or no discovery and requires a timely summons for that relief.
- Cap. 336H Order 24 rule 2(6) to (8) permits restricted or no discovery and requires a timely summons for that relief.
What must the responsible actor complete?
Questions about this procedure
What period applies to district court discovery lists?
Does District Court automatic discovery include third parties?
Rule 2(2) excludes third-party and further-party proceedings.
Rules of the District Court (Cap. 336H), Order 24, rule 2(1)Must vehicle-collision defendants automatically disclose to plaintiffs?
Paragraph (3) excludes that ordinary obligation unless the Court otherwise orders.
Rules of the District Court (Cap. 336H), Order 24, rule 2(1)What documents belong in the list?
Documents which are or have been in possession, custody or power relating to matters in question.
Rules of the District Court (Cap. 336H), Order 24, rule 2(1)Can the Court restrict the discovery classes?
Yes. Paragraph (6) permits restriction or no discovery where justified.
Rules of the District Court (Cap. 336H), Order 24, rule 2(1)When is a restriction summons taken out?
Paragraph (8) requires it before the ordinary discovery period expires.
Rules of the District Court (Cap. 336H), Order 24, rule 2(1)Does the High Court numbering control District Court exceptions?
No. The operative District Court paragraph numbers differ. Use Cap. 336H Order 24 rule 2.
Rules of the District Court (Cap. 336H), Order 24, rule 2(1)Official sources and review
Provisions used (4)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Rules of the District Court (Cap. 336H), Order 24, rule 2(1) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| Rules of the District Court (Cap.336H), Order3 rules1,2,4 and5 | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance (Cap.1), section71(1)–(2) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| General Holidays Ordinance (Cap.149), section3 and Schedule | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |