Overview

When electronically filing in California Superior Courts, compliance with statewide formatting rules is essential to minimize rejection risk. The Judicial Council has preempted local rules relating to form and format—no trial court may enforce local formatting rules (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 2.100(a)). These requirements apply uniformly across all California Superior Courts.

Electronic Filing Requirements

1. File Format and Text Searchability

PDF Format Required: All documents must be in PDF format (Rule 2.256(b)).

Text-Searchable: Documents must be text-searchable when technologically feasible (Rule 2.256(b)(3)).

• PDFs from Word/WordPerfect are typically text-searchable by default
• Scanned documents require Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
• Minimum scan resolution: 300 dpi
• Note: Judicial Council fillable forms must have all fillable fields inactivated before submission

2. Electronic Bookmarks for Exhibits

Required (unless filed by self-represented party): Electronic exhibits must include bookmarks linking to the first page of each exhibit (Rule 3.1110(f)(4)).

Bookmark Requirements:

• Link to first page of each exhibit
• Title must identify exhibit number/letter and briefly describe
• Example: "Exhibit A - Employment Contract dated 5/1/2024"

Items requiring bookmarks: Exhibits, declarations, deposition excerpts, points and authorities, supporting briefs.

3. Basic Document Formatting

Page Size: 8.5 x 11 inches (Rule 2.103)

Font (Rules 2.104, 2.105, 2.106):

• Size: At least 12 points
• Style: Essentially equivalent to Courier, Times New Roman, or Arial
• Color: Black or blue-black

Margins (Rule 2.107):

• Left: At least 1 inch
• Right: At least 1/2 inch

Line Spacing: Double or 1.5-spaced (Rule 2.108(1))

• Exceptions (may be single-spaced): Real property descriptions, footnotes, quotations, printed forms

4. Page Numbering

Consecutive pagination using only Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) starting with page 1 (Rule 2.109).

• No Roman numerals (I, II, III)
• Page number may be suppressed on first page, but it is still page 1
• PDF page numbers must match document page numbers
• Applies across all parts of filing, including exhibits

5. Footer

Each page (except exhibits) must have a footer with the document title or clear abbreviation (Rule 2.110).

• Must appear in bottom margin, below page number
• Divided from document by a printed line
• Footer font: At least 10 points

6. First Page Format

The first page must include (Rule 2.111):

Upper Left Corner (Lines 1-7):

• Attorney's name and State Bar number
• Office address (or residence/mailing address)
• Telephone number
• Fax number
• Email address (required)

Line 8: Title of the court (at or below 3 1/3 inches from top)

Below court title: Case title

• Initial complaints/cross-complaints: Each party name on separate line
• Subsequent pleadings: Short title acceptable (e.g., "Smith v. Jones")

Opposite case title: Case number

Below case number: Nature of paper; character of action (for complaints/petitions)

7. Electronic Signatures

General Documents (not under penalty of perjury): Deemed signed upon eFiling (Rule 2.257(c)).

• Recommended: Include "/s/ [Name]" on signature line

Documents Under Penalty of Perjury or Requiring Opposing Party Signatures (Rule 2.257(b), (d)):

Option 1: Physically sign printed document before filing; maintain original for inspection if requested

Option 2: Use valid electronic signature that is unique, verifiable, under sole control, and linked to data so changes invalidate it

8. Redaction of Personal Identifiers

Must exclude or redact from all public filings (Rule 1.201(a)):

1. Social Security Numbers: Only last 4 digits
2. Financial Account Numbers: Only last 4 digits
3. Driver's License Numbers: Only last 4 digits (if needed)
4. Birth Dates: Year only (if needed)
5. Minor Children's Names: Initials only (if needed)

Critical Notes:

• Responsibility rests solely with parties and attorneys—clerks will not review
• Must permanently redact (not just place black boxes)
• Remove all metadata from documents
• Failure may result in sanctions (Rule 2.30(b))
• Use Form MC-120 (Confidential Reference List) if court orders

9. Metadata Removal

Remove all hidden metadata before filing, including:

• Revision history and track changes
• Earlier drafts and comments
• Author information
• File paths and creation dates

Metadata can inadvertently disclose confidential information or redacted identifiers.

Party Name Consistency

Critical: Party names must be fully written and consistently written across all documents.

Guidelines:

• If you use a party's middle initial in one document, use it in all documents
• Maintain consistent formatting of entity names (punctuation, abbreviations, capitalization)
• Inconsistent party names cause filing errors and indexing problems

Example:

• ✓ Use "John M. Smith" in all filings
• ✗ Don't alternate between "John M. Smith" and "John Smith"

Judicial Council Forms

All California Judicial Council forms are available at: https://www.courts.ca.gov/forms

Key Points:

• Forms marked "Adopted for Mandatory Use" must be used
• Forms marked "Approved for Optional Use" are optional but must be accepted
• Always use current versions; check the lower left corner of first page
• When eFiling, ensure all fillable fields are inactivated
• Forms are NOT subject to Rules 2.100-2.119 formatting requirements

Helpful Form: MC-120 - Confidential Reference List of Identifiers

Common eFiling Rejection Reasons

1. Document not text-searchable (missing OCR)
2. Missing or improper bookmarks on exhibits
3. Incorrect page numbering (Roman numerals, non-consecutive)
4. Font size too small (less than 12 points)
5. Fillable fields active on Judicial Council forms
6. Missing attorney email, phone, or State Bar number
7. Inconsistent party names
8. Insufficient margins
9. File size too large
10. Improper or missing redactions

This article reflects California Rules of Court requirements as of January 2026. Rules may change—always verify current requirements before filing.