California Rules of Court 2.100 is the umbrella rule that gives the Judicial Council statewide control over how filed documents must look in any California trial court. It does two things: it preempts all local formatting rules, and it points to the companion rules in the same chapter, Rules 2.102 through 2.118, which set out every specific requirement from paper size to page numbering.1Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court 2.100 – Form and Format of Papers Presented for Filing in the Trial Courts Learn the statewide standards once and you can file in any Superior Court in the state without worrying about surprise requirements unique to that courthouse.
Paper, Margins, Font, and Color
Paper filings must be printed on one side only.2Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 2.102 – One-Sided Paper The paper itself must be standard letter size (8½ by 11 inches), opaque, unglazed, white or unbleached, and at least 20-pound weight.3Judicial Branch of California. Title 2 Trial Court Rules Ordinary office copy paper meets these requirements. Each page must be hole-punched at the top so the court can bind it into the case file.
The left margin must be at least one inch from the left edge, and the right margin at least half an inch from the right edge.4Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 2.107 – Margins The first-page rules also require about an inch of clearance at the top, because the attorney information block begins on line 1, one inch down.5Judicial Branch of California. Title 2 Trial Court Rules – Rule 2.111 Most word processors default to one-inch margins on all sides, which is safe.
Your font must be essentially equivalent to Courier, Times New Roman, or Arial.6Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 2.105 – Font Style You are not locked into those three exact typefaces, but whatever you pick must be similarly conventional and legible. Decorative and condensed fonts do not qualify. The minimum size is 12 points, and the color must be black or blue-black.7Judicial Branch of California. Title 2 Trial Court Rules – Rules 2.104 and 2.106
Line Spacing, Line Numbers, and Page Numbers
Body text must be either one-and-a-half spaced or double-spaced. Two things may be single-spaced instead:
- Quotations and footnotes, which may also use unnumbered lines, as long as they generally comply with the first-page space requirements of Rule 2.111.
- Legal descriptions of real property, which often run many lines.
Every line of body text must be numbered consecutively, starting at 1 on each page. Line numbers run down the left margin and must be separated from the text by a vertical space at least one-fifth of an inch wide, or by a single or double vertical line. The rules require at least three line numbers for every vertical inch of page.8Judicial Branch of California. Title 2 Trial Court Rules – Rule 2.108 Line numbers let judges, clerks, and opposing counsel point to an exact location during hearings.
Pages must be numbered consecutively at the bottom of each page using Arabic numerals. Counting begins with the first page, but the number on that first page may be suppressed, meaning you count it as page 1 without printing “1” on it.9Judicial Branch of California. Title 2 Trial Court Rules – Rule 2.109 Every page after that shows its number.
The First Page (Caption)
Rule 2.111 sets a rigid layout for the caption page, and getting it wrong is one of the most common mistakes for self-represented litigants.5Judicial Branch of California. Title 2 Trial Court Rules – Rule 2.111 Starting at line 1, the left side of the page carries the filing attorney’s name, office address, phone number, fax number, email address, and State Bar number. If you are representing yourself, your own name and contact information go in that block. The first two inches of the right side, between lines 1 and 7, must be left completely blank for the clerk’s use.
Beginning at or below line 8, roughly 3⅓ inches from the top, you place the name of the court. Below that, the case title goes on the left and the case number goes on the right, along with the type of document being filed, the assigned judge and department if applicable, and whether a referee is involved. In limited civil cases, the caption must also include the words “Limited Civil Case” and state whether the amount demanded exceeds or does not exceed $10,000.
Exhibits and Personal Information
Exhibits attached to a filing, such as contracts, photographs, or correspondence, do not have to meet the same formatting standards as the main document. You cannot reformat a contract someone else drafted or resize a photograph to fit court margins. Exhibits filed electronically must comply with the electronic exhibit requirements in Rule 2.256(b).10Judicial Branch of California. Title 2 Trial Court Rules – Rule 2.114 For paper filings, label or tab each exhibit clearly so the court can find it.
Rule 1.201 requires you to redact certain personal identifiers from any document going into the court’s public file, whether you file on paper or electronically.11Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 1.201 – Protection of Privacy Two categories are named:
- Social Security numbers: if required in the filing, include only the last four digits.
- Financial account numbers: if required, include only the last four digits.
The responsibility for redacting sits entirely on the filer. The clerk will not review your papers to catch a full Social Security number you left visible.11Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 1.201 – Protection of Privacy If a case requires you to provide the full identifier, you can ask the court for permission to file a confidential reference list alongside the redacted public version.
Electronic Filing
Many California Superior Courts now require or permit electronic filing. One-sided printing, hole-punching, and paper specifications do not apply to electronic documents.2Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 2.102 – One-Sided Paper Font, spacing, line numbering, margins, and caption requirements still apply.
Under Rule 2.250, electronic filing means transmitting a document in electronic form to the court, either directly or through an electronic filing service provider.12Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 2.250 – Construction and Definitions If your county requires e-filing, you will typically go through a third-party service provider. Check with the specific Superior Court to confirm whether e-filing is mandatory, optional, or unavailable for your case type.
What Happens if a Filing Does Not Comply
The clerk reviews filings for compliance and may reject a document that substantially fails the formatting rules. If a paper is kicked back, you have to fix and refile, which can cost you critical time when a deadline is close. The rules include a safety valve: for good cause, the court may permit the filing of papers that do not fully comply.13Judicial Branch of California. Title 2 Trial Court Rules – Rule 2.118
Even after the clerk accepts a document, a judge can still address formatting violations. Under Rule 2.30, a court may impose monetary sanctions on any party, attorney, or other person who fails without good cause to comply with the rules, and may order the violating side to pay the opposing side’s reasonable expenses, including attorney’s fees, connected to a sanctions motion.14Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 2.30 – Sanctions for Rules Violations in Civil Cases The court must give written notice and an opportunity to be heard first.
In practice, minor formatting problems rarely produce sanctions. Clerks are far more likely to reject the filing outright. The real risk is a blown deadline: if your document comes back on the day it is due, you may not have time to fix it and refile before the clock runs out.