San Bernardino County requires mandatory electronic filing and service in General Civil cases as defined in California Rules of Court, rule 1.6(4), including:

• Unlimited civil cases
• Limited civil cases
• Complex civil cases
• Specific civil petitions under rule 1.6(5): petitions to prevent civil harassment, prevent workplace violence, name change, electronic contest, and relief from late claims

Exemptions:

• Self-represented parties are exempt from mandatory eFiling but are encouraged and permitted to eFile
• Parties may seek a court-ordered exemption for undue hardship, significant prejudice, or other good cause

Authority: General Order entitled Electronic Filing and Electronic Service in Cases; Local Rule 1810.B

Other Case Types:

• Probate: Mandatory eFiling effective June 16, 2025 (same exemptions apply)
• Family Law: Voluntary eFiling.
• Landlord Tenant: Voluntary eFiling.

In addition to statewide exceptions under CRC 2.251, San Bernardino County requires paper filing for:

Documents Ineligible for eFiling:

• Documents to be filed under seal or conditionally under seal (California Rules of Court, rules 2.550-2.551)
• Note: Motions or applications to file under seal MAY be eFiled, along with redacted versions of documents. The unredacted document must be lodged conditionally under seal directly at the clerk's office with a conformed copy of the electronically filed motion/application attached.

Authority: Civil eFiling Requirements; Civil Ineligible List

In addition to California Rules of Court requirements for eFiling (rules 2.250-2.261), San Bernardino County requires:

PDF Format:

• Adobe Acrobat version 7 or higher
• Text-searchable (OCR - optical character recognition)
• Non-editable format

Prohibited Characteristics:

• Forms with fillable fields (fields must be inactivated before submission)
• Negative images
• Images saved as objects on the filed document

Exhibits - Electronic Bookmarks (CRITICAL):

Unless submitted by a self-represented party, electronic exhibits must include electronic bookmarks with:

• Links to the first page of each exhibit
• Titles that identify the exhibit number or letter and briefly describe the exhibit

Authority: Civil eFiling Requirements; California Rules of Court, rule 3.1110(f)(4); California Rules of Court, rule 2.256(b)

Additional Encouraged Bookmarks: The court encourages electronic bookmarks in documents for:

• Each heading and subheading
• Document components such as table of contents, table of authorities, declarations, and proof of service

San Bernardino County Requirement:

General civil motion hearing dates and times MUST be reserved before eFiling. This applies to:

• All general civil motions
• Ex parte motions

Consequences: A general civil motion eFiled without a reserved motion hearing date and time will be rejected.

Exception: This requirement does NOT apply to Unlawful Detainer (LLT) cases.

Also Exempt from Reservation Requirement:

• Motions pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure Section 128.7
• Motions for Summary Judgment/Summary Adjudication

Authority: Civil eFiling Requirements; Civil eFiling FAQ; Local Rule 520

Reservation Process:

• Motion dates can only be reserved Monday through Thursday
• Response provided within 72 hours after email request
• After confirmation, moving papers must be filed within 5 court days
• Filing fees must be paid within 5 days of reserving date
• Failure to comply results in automatic cancellation of reservation

Reservation Contact: Civil Motion Reservation Information

San Bernardino County Superior Court does not require special local cover sheets or addendums beyond standard Judicial Council forms.

Standard Requirements:

• Use standard Judicial Council forms (e.g., CM-010 Civil Case Cover Sheet, CM-100 for Complex cases)
• Follow statewide California Rules of Court requirements
• For Civil Unlimited Complaints, one extra copy must be submitted with the original (Local Rule 421)
• Certificate of Assignment form required for new cases

Specific Case Designations:

• Complex Cases: Must be designated on Civil Case Cover Sheet (Form CM-100)
• PAGA Cases: The first page must specify immediately below the case number that the case is filed under the Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 (PAGA) (Local Rule 412.1)
• CEQA Cases: The first page must specify immediately below the case number that the case is filed under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (Local Rule 800)

Authority: Civil FAQ; Local Rules 412.1, 800, 421

San Bernardino County Superior Court does not have formal local rules requiring courtesy copies for eFiled documents. However, according to guidance provided by the court:

General Rule: Courtesy copies are NOT required as a standard practice.

Exceptions:

• Individual judges or departments may request or order courtesy copies to be delivered
• Parties should comply if a specific judge or department requests courtesy copies

Best Practice Recommendation: Consider providing a courtesy copy of hearing documents if the hearing is scheduled within 5 days, unless you have been specifically told by the department that courtesy copies are not required.

Authority: Court guidance as reported by legal filing services; no formal local rule requirement exists.

Verification: Contact the specific department where your hearing is scheduled at (909) 384-1888 to confirm whether that department requires or prefers courtesy copies.

In addition to statewide requirements for filing sealed documents under California Rules of Court (rules 2.550-2.551), San Bernardino County has specific procedures:

eFiling Limitations:

• Documents to be filed under seal or conditionally under seal MAY NOT be eFiled
• Motions/applications to file under seal MAY be eFiled

Procedure for Sealed Documents:

1. eFile the motion or application to file under seal
2. eFile the redacted version of the document
3. Lodge the unredacted document directly at the clerk's office (in person or via appropriate method)
4. Attach a conformed copy of the electronically filed motion/application to the unredacted document

eFiler Responsibilities:

• Properly assign filing code and document security level
• Ensure redactions are correctly applied to eFiled versions
• Remove all metadata before submission
• The court does NOT audit or review eFiled documents to determine proper security designation
• The court is NOT responsible for improperly designated eFiled documents

Authority: Civil eFiling Requirements; Civil eFiling FAQ; California Rules of Court, rules 2.550-2.551

Format: PDF format only is required. An editable word-processing version pursuant to California Rules of Court, rule 3.1312(c)(2), is NOT required.

Filing Method: Proposed orders should be eFiled as a separate document.

Proof of Service: Do NOT attach proof of service to the proposed order. The proof of service should be submitted electronically as a separate document.

After Hearing Submission: If a proposed order is submitted after a hearing, include a "Message to Clerk" with information about the previous hearing date.

Security Setting: When eFiling a proposed order, the document filing name and security setting will indicate the proposed order/judgment is "confidential" so it will not appear as filed unless signed by the Judge.

Local Rule on Orders: Local Rule 591 provides: "Unless otherwise provided by the Court, statute or Rule of Court, a minute order granting, denying, sustaining, overruling, or ordering off calendar, will be all that is required and no signed order is necessary."

Sealed Orders Exception: If an order or judgment is to be filed under seal, do NOT eFile. Documents to be filed under seal or conditionally under seal are ineligible for eFiling.

Authority: Civil eFiling FAQ; Landlord Tenant eFiling FAQ; Local Rule 591

Redaction Responsibility: Exclusion or redaction of confidential information (Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, etc.) is the responsibility of the eFiler, NOT the Clerk of the Court. Failure to comply may result in monetary sanctions pursuant to California Rules of Court, rule 2.30(b).

Metadata Removal: The submitting party MUST remove all metadata before filing. Metadata is hidden information embedded within a document that may reveal:

• Document revision history and earlier drafts
• Information about the document's author
• File name and file path
• Date of creation

This information remains accessible even if the document was converted to PDF.

Authority: Civil eFiling Requirements

Filing Timestamps: Any document received electronically by the court between 12:00 a.m. and 11:59:59 p.m. on a court day is deemed to have been filed on that court day if accepted for filing. Any document received electronically on a non-court day is deemed to have been filed on the next court day if accepted for filing.

"Received Electronically" Definition: A document is "received electronically" on the date and time a confirmation of the court's receipt of the electronic transmission is created.

Tentative Rulings: A judicial officer may provide tentative rulings on law and motion matters. Tentative rulings may be obtained:

• Via the court's website at https://sanbernardino.courts.ca.gov/ after 3:00 p.m. on the court day before the hearing
• By telephoning the court's Administrative Assistants

Any party who wishes to orally argue the motion may appear on the date and time set for hearing. Failure to appear shall be deemed a waiver of oral argument. All posted tentative rulings shall become the final ruling of the Court if no party appears.

Authority: Local Rule 561

Continuances: The court will entertain a written stipulation by all parties to continue the first set trial date if filed at least 15 days prior to the trial date (without ex parte application).

Authority: Local Rule 416