Short answer. In general it is prohibited. Motions for extension of time to file pleadings, affidavits or any other papers are on the list of motions that shall not be allowed. There is one express exception: a motion for extension to file an answer.
What the law says
(e) Motion for extension of time to file pleadings, affidavits or any other papers, except a motion for extension to file an answer as provided by Section 11, Rule 11
Rule 15, Section 12 — Prohibited motions. Read the full provision →
The default is that extensions are not available
The rule lists motions that shall not be allowed, and a motion for extension of time to file pleadings, affidavits or any other papers is among them. This reverses what many litigants assume. The prohibition is broadly worded — pleadings, affidavits, or any other papers — so it is not confined to pleadings in the technical sense. Judicial affidavits and position papers fall naturally within that language.
The single exception
The rule carves out one motion by name: a motion for extension to file an answer, as provided in the rule governing when to file responsive pleadings. That exception exists because a defendant who has just been served has the least control over their own timetable. It is expressly tied to the answer, so it should not be read as a general licence to seek more time for whatever comes afterwards.
What to do instead when you genuinely need time
Because the extension route is closed for most filings, the realistic planning shifts earlier. Periods should be diarised from the date of service rather than the date a document is noticed, and drafting should start on the assumption that the deadline is the deadline. Where a filing genuinely cannot be completed — a witness is unreachable, a document is held by a third party — the honest course is to explain the position to the court promptly and let it decide, rather than to file a motion the rule does not permit.
Related prohibitions worth knowing about
The same list closes off several other familiar motions: a motion to dismiss except on three specified grounds, a motion to hear affirmative defenses, a motion for reconsideration of the court's action on affirmative defenses, and a motion to suspend proceedings without a restraining order or injunction from a higher court. Read together, these are aimed at the same thing — removing the motions that most often stalled cases before they reached trial.
Who the prohibition binds, and what happens if you file anyway
The prohibition is addressed to the motion itself, so it applies to every party equally and there is no distinction between plaintiff and defendant. A motion filed in the teeth of it does not stop the period from expiring while it is pending — which is the trap, because a party who files and waits may discover the deadline passed with no filing made and no extension ever available. The safer assumption is that the period is fixed. Note too that a motion for postponement of a hearing is governed separately, and carries its own receipt requirement.