The Local Rules of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (DDC) supplement the Federal Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure with court-specific requirements covering document formatting, motion deadlines, meet-and-confer obligations, sealed filings, scheduling, and emergency relief. The current version was updated in August 2025 and is split into Local Civil Rules (LCvR) and Local Criminal Rules (LCrR), each numbered to mirror the federal rule on the same subject. The full text is posted as a downloadable PDF on the court’s website, and paper copies are available at the Clerk’s Office at 333 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001, Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.1United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Local Rules2United States District Court for the District of Columbia. United States District Court for the District of Columbia Rule amendments are announced on the same page, so it’s worth checking before a major filing.
Document Formatting Every Filing Must Follow
LCvR 5.1(d) requires 8½-by-11-inch paper, 12-point font, and double spacing throughout the body text. Footnotes also run in 12-point and shouldn’t be excessive. Electronic filings go to the court as PDFs; paper filings must be on opaque white paper with a clean black image and submitted unfolded.3United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Local Rules of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia – LCvR 5.1(d)
Every document needs a heading under the caption describing what it is, and the case number must carry the assigned judge’s initials (plus the magistrate judge’s initials, if one is assigned).
Signature Blocks
Under LCvR 5.1(c), every document signed by an attorney must include the attorney’s name, address, telephone number, and D.C. Bar identification number. Every attorney listed on the filing who holds D.C. Bar membership must include a bar number, even if they didn’t personally sign. By signing, the attorney certifies that everyone listed is admitted to the DDC bar, has an application pending, or has complied with the pro hac vice rules.4United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Local Rules of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia – LCvR 5.1(c)
Privacy Redactions
Before any document is filed, sensitive personal data must be redacted under Federal Rule 5.2 in civil cases and Federal Rule 49.1 in criminal cases: Social Security and taxpayer ID numbers reduced to the last four digits, only the year of birth for individuals, minors identified by initials, financial account numbers truncated to the last four digits, and in criminal filings home addresses limited to city and state.5Cornell Law School. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 5.2 – Privacy Protection For Filings Made with the Court6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC Appendix Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 49.1 – Privacy Protection For Filings Made with the Court The redactions must be in place before the document leaves your office.
Electronic Filing Through CM/ECF
The DDC’s primary filing method is CM/ECF, the federal judiciary’s Case Management/Electronic Case Files system.7United States Courts. Electronic Filing (CM/ECF) The DDC’s implementation allows registered users to open new civil cases and file civil, criminal, and miscellaneous pleadings electronically, around the clock.8United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Electronic Case Filing and Court Records
Registration requires an individual PACER account; shared accounts are not permitted. Any PACER account created before August 2014 must be upgraded and then linked to CM/ECF before it will work in the DDC’s NextGen environment.9United States District Court for the District of Columbia. ECF Forms, Instructions, and Other Information Each successful filing produces a Notice of Electronic Filing (NEF), which serves as the official receipt and notifies opposing counsel.
Filers who are exempt from electronic filing, typically unrepresented parties without CM/ECF access, submit paper documents at the Clerk’s Office during business hours. A paper filing is complete when the Clerk stamps it received, so arriving minutes before 4:00 p.m. on a deadline day is a bad plan.
Filing Under Seal
You can’t simply mark a document sealed and file it. Sealing requires statutory authority or a court order. The mechanics: file a motion for leave to file under seal through the dedicated sealed-event menu in CM/ECF, attaching the proposed sealed document as an exhibit. The motion’s docket entry is public; the attachment is not.10United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Sealed Civil Documents
Because opposing counsel can’t retrieve the sealed attachment through the NEF, the filing party must serve sealed materials by other means and include a certificate of service. If technical problems block electronic filing of a sealed document, take it to the Clerk’s Office in person. Don’t use the overnight drop box, and don’t email it to the court.10United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Sealed Civil Documents
Motion Practice Under LCvR 7
The DDC’s motion rules are detailed and enforced strictly. Small procedural misses can end a strong motion before the merits are read.
The Meet-and-Confer Certification
Before filing any nondispositive motion, counsel must contact opposing counsel in person or by phone in a good-faith effort to resolve the dispute. The motion must then include a statement confirming the discussion took place and whether the motion is opposed. If the conference couldn’t happen, the movant must explain, with specifics, what efforts were made to arrange it.11United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Local Rules of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia – LCvR 7(m) Judges take this seriously. A motion filed without the certification can be summarily denied.
Response Deadlines, Page Limits, Proposed Orders
Once a motion is filed, opposing parties have 14 days to serve and file a memorandum in opposition. Silence has a real cost: the court may treat an unopposed motion as conceded. The moving party then has 7 days after service of the opposition to file a reply.12United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Local Rules of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia – LCvR 7(b) and 7(d)
Memoranda supporting or opposing a motion are capped at 45 pages. Reply memoranda are capped at 25 pages. Without prior approval from the presiding judge, the Clerk will not accept a filing that exceeds the limit. Every motion and every opposition must include a proposed order.13United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Local Rules of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia – LCvR 7(c)
Oral Argument
Oral argument is not automatic. To get a hearing, request one in the motion itself or in the opposition, and explain why argument would help resolve the issue. The court decides at its discretion, and many motions are resolved on the papers alone.14United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Local Rules of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia – LCvR 7(f)
Scheduling and Case Management
Under LCvR 16.3, once a defendant appears, counsel for all parties (and any non-prisoner unrepresented party) must meet and confer at least 21 days before a scheduling conference or the due date of a scheduling order. The conference covers initial disclosures under Federal Rule 26(a)(1) and produces a proposed discovery plan.15United States District Court for the District of Columbia. LCvR 16.1 Scheduling and Continuances
Within 14 days of the conference, the parties file a joint report outlining the discovery plan, listing agreements, describing unresolved disputes, and attaching a proposed scheduling order. Plaintiffs carry the responsibility for getting the report filed on time. If the defendant hasn’t engaged, the plaintiff must certify what was done to bring them in.15United States District Court for the District of Columbia. LCvR 16.1 Scheduling and Continuances
The court then holds a scheduling conference unless it decides one isn’t needed and issues a scheduling order governing discovery cutoffs, dispositive motion deadlines, and the pretrial conference. Pretrial statements are due at least 14 days before the final pretrial conference, and trial usually follows 30 to 60 days later.
Emergency Motions and Injunctions
LCvR 65.1 governs TROs and preliminary injunctions. A TRO application must be filed as a separate motion, not folded into the complaint, and must include counsel’s certificate confirming that the opposing party has actual notice and copies of all relevant papers, or explaining what efforts were made to give notice. Ex parte applications will not be considered outside genuine emergencies.16United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Local Rules of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia – LCvR 65.1(a)
If an emergency comes up outside business hours, notify the Clerk during business hours whenever possible so arrangements can be made. If you couldn’t give advance notice, the application must include an affidavit explaining why, and the court may refuse to treat the matter as an emergency if the explanation is thin.17United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Local Rules of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia – LCvR 65.1(b)
Preliminary injunction applications must include every affidavit the plaintiff intends to rely on. The opposition is due within 7 days and must attach its own affidavits. The default is a paper record: any party wanting live testimony or cross-examination of an affiant must submit a written request at least 72 hours before the hearing, along with a witness list and time estimates.18United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Local Rules of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia – LCvR 65.1(c) and (d)
Mediation Referrals
The DDC runs a mediation program that district judges (and magistrate judges in consent cases) can tap at any point in a civil case. A judge may encourage voluntary mediation through a consent order or require it after giving parties an opportunity to argue against referral.19United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Mediation Rules
Counsel screen mediation early. Under LCvR 16.3, attorneys must meet within 15 days after the defendant appears to discuss whether mediation makes sense, then report to the court within 10 days of that meeting, including whether they discussed mediation with their clients. Once a case is referred and a session scheduled, each party submits a confidential mediation statement to the mediator at least 7 days before the first session. Cases involving a pro se party are generally not eligible unless the pro se party has counsel for the mediation.19United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Mediation Rules
If You’re Representing Yourself
Pro se litigants have to give the court reliable contact information. Your first filing must list your full name, residence address, and telephone number in the caption. Any change of address or phone number must be reported within 14 days. If you don’t update it and the court can’t reach you at the last address on file, your case can be dismissed.4United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Local Rules of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia – LCvR 5.1(c)
The court’s Pro Se Help page provides a Pro Se Handbook and change-of-address forms.20United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Pro Se Help Unrepresented parties typically file paper documents with wet signatures at the Clerk’s Office unless they’ve been granted permission to register for CM/ECF.
Fees and Attorney Admission
Filing a new civil case at the DDC costs $405: a $350 statutory filing fee under 28 U.S.C. § 1914 plus a $55 administrative fee.21United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Fee Schedule22Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1914 – District Court; Filing and Miscellaneous Fees If you can’t afford it, apply to proceed in forma pauperis using the standard federal judiciary forms available from the Clerk’s Office or the court’s website. General admission to the DDC bar costs $350, with a separate fee for pro hac vice appearances; the fee schedule page lists current amounts for other common filings and record retrieval.23United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Attorney Admissions and E-Filing Registration
Attorneys who are D.C. Bar members apply for general DDC admission through the court’s registration process. Attorneys admitted elsewhere appear case by case under LCvR 83.2(d): a sponsoring DDC-admitted attorney files a written motion on the visiting lawyer’s behalf, the applicant must show good standing in their home jurisdiction, and once the motion is granted the pro hac vice attorney registers for electronic filing through PACER, selecting “Pro Hac Vice” as the registration type.23United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Attorney Admissions and E-Filing Registration Law students may practice in limited circumstances under LCvR 83.4, subject to that rule’s eligibility requirements and supervision by admitted counsel.