The research covered laws in effect as of June 30, 1997, and aimed to provide a baseline for further analyses. Study information came from the laws, a mailed questionnaire asking specific questions about the State laws, and lengthy telephone interviews to elicit information on actual practice in a variety of areas related to case processing in each State. The analysis focused on time lines and issues related to the filing of the petition, the emergency hearing, pre-adjudicatory conferences, the adjudicatory hearing, reports and plans, the disposition hearing, court and agency reviews, and permanency reviews and deadlines. Results revealed that States used different triggering events to set time lines for mandated procedures and that the time lines for the adjudicatory hearing, as measured from the time the child was removed from parental custody, varied considerably from State to State. Each State had specific laws governing appeals, although some States had laws that applied specifically in child abuse and neglect cases. Figures and appended charts displaying each State’s laws and procedures