28 days rule

Under the disciplinary procedures of the United Grand Lodge of England, a direction by an Appeals Court that a brother be invited to resign takes effect as a penalty of suspension until he resigns; if he fails to resign within 28 days, the direction automatically becomes an order for his expulsion.

In the administration of regular lodge business, the related principle of a one-month waiting period—historically framed as 28 days or from one regular monthly communication to the next—applies to candidate petitions. Under the fifth of the General Regulations, a candidate's petition must be presented at one regular meeting and referred to an investigating committee, which may only report at the next regular meeting one month later 1. This required interval ensures sufficient time for due inquiry into the candidate's character and prevents a Master from rushing an unvetted candidate through at a special meeting with low attendance 12.