California Rules of Court 2.100 is the umbrella rule that governs how any document must look when you file it in a California trial court. It does two things: it declares that the Judicial Council has preempted all local formatting rules, and it points you to the companion rules in the same chapter, Rules 2.102 through 2.118, which spell out every specific requirement from paper weight 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
One Statewide Standard, No Local Variations
Before Rule 2.100, individual counties and even branches within the same courthouse could impose their own formatting preferences, so a document accepted in one county might be rejected in another. Rule 2.100 forbids that. No trial court, division, or branch may create or enforce its own local rule about paper format.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 specs once and you can file anywhere in the state.
Paper, Margins, and Font
If you file on paper, every page must be printed on one side only.2Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 2.102 – One-Sided Paper The paper 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 Standard office copy paper meets all of those requirements. Each page must also be hole-punched at the top so the clerk 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 effectively require about one inch at the top as well, because attorney information begins on line 1 one inch down from the top of the page.5Judicial Branch of California. Title 2 Trial Court Rules – Rule 2.111 Default word processor settings normally satisfy these minimums.
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 do not have to use those exact typefaces, but whatever you pick needs to be similarly conventional and legible; decorative or condensed fonts are out. The minimum font size is 12 points, and the font color must be black or blue-black.7Judicial Branch of California. Title 2 Trial Court Rules – Rules 2.104 and 2.106
Spacing, Line Numbers, and Page Numbers
Body text must be either one-and-a-half spaced or double-spaced. Quotations and footnotes may be single-spaced and have unnumbered lines, provided they generally comply with the first-page space requirements of Rule 2.111. Legal descriptions of real property, which often run many lines, may also be single-spaced.
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 body by a vertical space of at least one-fifth of an inch or by a single or double vertical line, with at least three line numbers for every vertical inch of text.8Judicial Branch of California. Title 2 Trial Court Rules – Rule 2.108 The numbering lets the judge, clerk, and opposing counsel point to an exact spot in a document during a hearing.
Pages are numbered consecutively at the bottom in Arabic numerals. The first page counts as page 1, but the number on that page may be suppressed; every page after it should display its number.9Judicial Branch of California. Title 2 Trial Court Rules – Rule 2.109
The First-Page Caption
The first page follows a rigid layout under Rule 2.111, and getting it wrong is one of the most common filing mistakes.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 represent yourself, your own name and contact information go in that same spot. The first two inches of space on the right side, between lines 1 and 7, must be left completely blank for the clerk.
At or below line 8 (roughly 3⅓ inches from the top), you place the name of the court. Under that, the left side holds the case title and the right side holds the case number, the type of document, the assigned judge and department if any, 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
Exhibits attached to your filing, such as contracts, photographs, or correspondence, do not need to meet the same formatting standards as the document itself. 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 exhibits clearly so the court can find each one.
Redact Personal Identifiers Before You File
A separate rule, California Rules of Court 1.201, requires you to redact certain personal identifiers from any document going into the public case file, whether on paper or electronic.11Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 1.201 – Protection of Privacy Two categories are covered specifically:
- Social Security numbers: if required, show only the last four digits.
- Financial account numbers: if required, show only the last four digits.
The responsibility is entirely on you. The clerk will not check your papers to see whether a full Social Security number slipped through.11Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 1.201 – Protection of Privacy If the case genuinely requires 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. The one-sided printing rule, the hole-punching requirement, and the paper specifications do not apply to electronic documents.2Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 2.102 – One-Sided Paper Everything else does: font, size, color, margins, spacing, line numbering, page numbering, and the first-page caption all apply equally to e-filed papers.
Whether e-filing is mandatory, optional, or unavailable depends on your county and your case type, so confirm with the specific Superior Court before you prepare your documents.12Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 2.250 – Construction and Definitions
What Happens If Your Filing Doesn’t Comply
The clerk reviews filings for compliance and may reject a document that substantially fails to meet the formatting rules. If that happens, you have to fix the problems and refile. The rules do 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 if the clerk accepts your document, a judge can address formatting violations later. 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 violator 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 Before imposing sanctions, the court must give written notice and an opportunity to be heard.
In practice, minor formatting problems rarely result in sanctions; clerks are more likely to reject the filing outright. The real danger is timing. If your paper gets kicked back the day a deadline falls, you may not have time to correct it and refile before the clock runs out, so prepare the format correctly the first time.