Date of Filing

The day a petition is filed. The significance of this date is generally limited to being the date the case is initiated. That can become important if there is more than one filing, as in that situation, the earlier-filed petition generally (but not always) is the one that will be effective. For dissolution cases, the date of service tends to be the more significant date, as that is the date the marital community ends and the 60-day waiting period begins. However, for summary consent decrees, the waiting period begins on the date of filing.