Scheduling a Chambers Hearing

Last Reviewed: October 2026 Reviewed by: Justice Education Society

Scheduling a Chambers Hearing

Usual Application Procedure

1

STEP
Serve application materials

The party wanting to make the application (the "applicant") first serves the application respondent with the notice of application and supporting affidavits before filing the materials with the courts. Personal service may be required for an order about changing an agreement or final order.

2

STEP
Serve the response

The application respondent must serve their application response and supporting affidavits. 

Depending on the type of application, the response materials need to be served within 5 days of  receiving the application materials for interim orders.

The response timeframe is within 14 days for Summary Trial applications or 21 business days for orders about changing final orders, agreements and certain other issues. Review Rule 10-6 (8.1) for full timelines.

3

STEP
Applicant may reply

An applicant who wishes to reply to any materials served in the response, must serve on each application respondent any reply affidavits as follows within either 3 or 5 business days after service of response material depending on the type of application. See Rule 10-6(12).

The applicant must file the original of every reply affidavit served no later than 4 p.m. on the business day that is 2 business days before the date set for the hearing.

4

STEP
Set the application hearing

The applicant can't file the materials or set a hearing date until the application respondent has sent their response and materials or the the time for the response has expired. 

Once either of the above happens, the applicant sets the application by filing

  • the notice of hearing of application in Form F31.1
  • the notice of application that had been served by the applicant
  • the original of any affidavit served for the application but not already filed
  • any other material served but not yet filed

5

STEP
Serve notice of hearing of application

The filed notice of hearing of application must then be served on the respondent.

Most applications under 2 hours:

Serve it at least 4 days before the hearing

Applications over 2 hours:

Serve it within 7 days after the registrar fixes the date and time of the hearing of the application and at least 14 days before the date set for the hearing of the application.

Applications for summary trial, about a final order or agreement and certain other issues 

Serve it at least 7 days before the date set for the hearing of the application (see Rule 10-8 (13.5))

6

STEP

Application respondent file documents

After the notice of hearing of application and before the hearing starts, the application respondent must file:

  • the application response that was served
  • the original of any affidavit served for this application but not yet filed
  • any other materials served but not yet filed

The application respondent must also bring copies of the field materials to the hearing of the application. 

7

STEP
File application record

The applicant must file the application record no earlier than 9 a.m. on the business day that is three full business days 5 business days before the date set for the hearing and no later than 4 p.m. on the business day that is one full business day 2 business days before the date set for the hearing, or if an earlier date is fixed by a registrar, on or before that date.

Learn More

For more in depth information go to Family Law in BC: Get an order in Supreme Court 

There are several steps to take in order to schedule your hearing.

Discuss with the other parties: You need to discuss two things with the other parties: (1) when they are available, and (2) how long they think the hearing will take.

It is important that you do not try to schedule a hearing for a day when another party is not available. If you do so, it is likely that the matter will simply be adjourned (postponed) and rescheduled. You could potentially even have a costs award made against you for wasting time.

Time Estimates: Once the other parties have told you how long they expect the matter to take, decide if you agree. How long you estimate your matter will take will impact what happens next.

  • If your matter is estimated to take less than two hours, you can set it down for any day that the Court will sit in Chambers.
  • If your matter is estimated to take more than two hours, you need to get Supreme Court Scheduling to reserve a date for you.

The process for reserving court dates varies for each registry. You can find the rules that apply in the registry where your case is going forward in by checking here.

Dates for lengthy chambers hearings go extremely fast. For example, in Vancouver, new chambers dates come available on the first Tuesday of the month at 8:30 am. The chambers dates are for the month after the next calendar month. So, for example, on the first Tuesday in January, dates for March become available. They go extremely fast. Often you will have to call multiple times to not get a busy signal. The new dates are generally all gone within an hour or so.

While it is inconvenient to set matters down for more than two hours, if you estimate too little time for your matter the Court may refuse to hear it. If the Court does hear the matter and it goes well over the time estimate the judge or associate judge may get very cross at everyone involved. If you are asking the Court to do something, the last thing you want is to annoy the decision maker. Estimate your time accurately.

 

Preparing for an Application

A large part of preparing for an application is preparing the evidence that will be considered by the judge or associate judge in deciding whether to grant the order requested in the application.

All the evidence in chambers is presented to the court by affidavit. See the Family Law Guidebook: Affidavits.

One of the most useful things you can do to prepare is to spend some time watching chambers hearings so you understand how applications are presented in court. In Vancouver and Victoria, chambers hearings are held every day or on set days throughout the week. At other courthouses they may be less frequent. You can contact the registry to find out when chambers hearings are scheduled in your location. Courtrooms, while in session, are open to the public and you are welcome to attend to observe the proceedings.