Current through Register 1527, August 2, 2024
Section 77.03 - General Provisions(1)Filings. All papers shall be filed at the Division's principal office during regular business hours, addressed to the Docket Clerk, Hearings and Appeals. Unless otherwise specified in 211 CMR 77.00, the Presiding Officer shall determine how many copies of papers shall be filed. A party or participant filing papers in a proceeding shall serve a copy there of on all parties to the proceeding, by hand delivery or by United States mail, postage prepaid, sent to the address of record in the proceeding. In addition, a party or participant filing papers in a proceeding shall notify all participants that papers have been filed. Failure to comply with 211 CMR 77.03(1) shall be grounds for refusal by the Division to accept papers for filing.(2)Timely Filing. Papers filed in a proceeding must be filed at the Division's principal office within the specified time limits. The date of filing shall be determined as follows: (a) Papers hand-delivered during regular business hours shall be deemed filed on that day. Unless otherwise ordered by the Presiding Officer, papers hand-delivered at other times shall be deemed filed on the next regular business day.(b) Papers mailed to the Division's principal office shall be deemed filed on the day the Division receives them.(3)Computation of Time. Computation of a period of time referred to in 211 CMR 77.00 begins with the first day after the date of the initiating act. The last day of the period so computed is included unless it is a day when the principal office of the Division is closed, in which case the period shall run until the end of the next business day. When the time period is five days or fewer, Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays are excluded from the computation.(4)Modification of Time. The Presiding Officer may, in his or her discretion for good cause shown, modify a time limit prescribed or allowed by 211 CMR 77.00. A request for an extension shall be made before the expiration of the period originally prescribed or as previously extended.(5)Signatures. All papers shall be signed by the filing party, its authorized representative or its counsel.