The Local Rules of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California govern how civil and criminal matters are filed, briefed, served, and argued in the Sacramento and Fresno divisions. The current version took effect on January 1, 2025, and applies to all pending and newly filed actions.1United States District Court Eastern District of California. Local Rules of the United States District Court Eastern District of California The rules draw their authority from 28 U.S.C. § 2071 and Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 83, which let district courts supplement the national procedural framework with local practice.
Treat every requirement as mandatory. Local Rule 110 authorizes “any and all sanctions authorized by statute or Rule or within the inherent power of the Court” for failing to follow the local rules or any court order.2United States District Court Eastern District of California. Eastern District of California Local Rules – Section: Rule 110 That can mean stricken filings, monetary sanctions, dismissal, or default judgment, depending on the violation.
How the Rules Are Organized
The rules are grouped by subject in numbered series. The 100 series covers general administrative matters, including attorney admission, document formatting, electronic filing, and sanctions. Civil procedure sits in the 200 series, from case management through post-trial motions. Criminal matters are in the 400 series. Admiralty and maritime claims are in the 500 series, and habeas petitions are in the 600 series. Bankruptcy has a separate but coordinated set of local rules.3United States District Court Eastern District of California. Eastern District of California Local Rules
Civil Motion Deadlines Under Rule 230
Local Rule 230 sets the schedule for most civil motions, and the clock is rigid.
- The notice of motion, the motion, supporting briefs, affidavits, and all documentary evidence must be filed and served at least 28 days before the hearing.
- Any opposition must be filed and served no later than 14 days before the hearing.
- A reply may be filed no later than 7 days before the hearing.
The hearing date must be chosen from the assigned judge’s available motion calendar.4United States District Court Eastern District of California. Eastern District of California Local Rules – Section: Rule 230 Short notice can get the motion taken off calendar. Many judges also impose page limits through individual standing orders, so check those before you file.
Criminal Motions
Under Local Rule 430.1, criminal motions must be filed at least 14 days before the hearing. Opposition and reply deadlines follow the schedule set by the assigned judge or magistrate judge rather than the fixed civil timeline.5United States District Court Eastern District of California. Eastern District of California Local Rules – Section: Rule 430.1
Summary Judgment: Rule 260’s Extra Requirements
Local Rule 260 adds specific requirements on top of Federal Rule 56. The moving party must file a Statement of Undisputed Facts that separately lists each material fact relied upon and cites the specific evidence supporting it, whether a pleading, deposition excerpt, interrogatory answer, or exhibit. The moving party must also file all cited evidentiary documents.6United States District Court Eastern District of California. Eastern District of California Local Rules – Section: Rule 260
The party opposing summary judgment must reproduce the moving party’s itemized facts, admit those that are undisputed, and deny those that are contested, with each denial supported by a pinpoint citation to specific evidence. The opposing party may also file a separate Statement of Disputed Facts listing additional material facts. All cited evidence must be filed with the opposition papers. A blanket denial without record citations will not create a triable issue.6United States District Court Eastern District of California. Eastern District of California Local Rules – Section: Rule 260
Discovery Disputes and the Joint Statement
You cannot file a discovery motion in this district without first trying to resolve it. Local Rule 251 requires the parties to meet and confer in good faith, with the moving party responsible for arranging the conference.7United States District Court Eastern District of California. Eastern District of California Local Rules – Section: Rule 251
If the conference fails, the parties must prepare a Joint Statement re Discovery Disagreement instead of filing a traditional motion with a separate opposition. The Joint Statement must describe when and how the parties conferred, give the case context and the factual disputes relevant to the discovery issue, and set out each party’s specific contentions and legal authorities together rather than in separate briefs. Each disputed interrogatory, deposition question, or document request must be reproduced in full, with each side’s arguments immediately after the objection. No separate briefing is permitted. If one side refuses to cooperate in preparing the Joint Statement, the other party may file an affidavit explaining the failed effort.7United States District Court Eastern District of California. Eastern District of California Local Rules – Section: Rule 251
Electronic Filing and Service
The Eastern District is an electronic filing district. Under Local Rule 133, attorneys must file all documents through the CM/ECF system in PDF format unless excused by the court. Complaints, motions, briefs, and exhibits all go through CM/ECF.8United States District Court Eastern District of California. General Order No. 526 – Adoption of Amended Local Rule 133 and Local Rule 160 Starting a new civil action requires a filing fee; the base statutory fee is $350 under 28 U.S.C. § 1914, plus an administrative fee set by the Judicial Conference.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1914 – District Court Filing and Miscellaneous Fees
Local Rule 135 makes CM/ECF the primary method of service after the initial complaint. When a document is filed, the system generates a Notice of Electronic Filing that is sent to all registered parties, and that notice is valid legal service. The notice includes the filing time, document type, docket entry text, and a hyperlink to retrieve the document.10United States District Court Eastern District of California. Local Rule Amendments 2022 – Section: Rule 135
Watch for parties who are not registered. Pro se litigants and prisoners typically are not on CM/ECF, and the Notice of Electronic Filing will identify them as persons who were not electronically served. The filing party must then serve those individuals by conventional means under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.10United States District Court Eastern District of California. Local Rule Amendments 2022 – Section: Rule 135 If you file electronically but a pro se defendant is on the case, you still need to mail a copy.
Document Formatting Under Rule 130
Local Rule 130 sets detailed formatting standards. Conventionally filed documents and courtesy copies must be printed on white, unglazed, 8½-by-11-inch paper with numbered lines in the left margin. The paper must be flat, unfolded (except for exhibits), and bound at the top-left corner with two pre-punched holes.11United States District Court Eastern District of California. Eastern District of California Local Rules – Section: Rule 130
Text must be double-spaced throughout, except for counsel identification, case captions, headings, footnotes, quotations, and property descriptions. Quotations longer than fifty words must be indented. Each page must be numbered consecutively at the bottom with a brief description of the document on the same line.11United States District Court Eastern District of California. Eastern District of California Local Rules – Section: Rule 130 The court’s website provides standardized templates that help with caption formatting and judge assignment notation.
Signatures and the Original-Retention Rule
Local Rule 131 defines an electronic signature as the person’s representative signature on the signature line (formatted as “/s/ John M. Barrister, Esquire”) combined with the successful filing of the document through that person’s CM/ECF login and password.12United States District Court Eastern District of California. Eastern District of California Local Rules – Section: Rule 131 The electronic mark has the same legal weight as a handwritten signature.
When a document requires the signature of someone other than the filing attorney, such as a verified pleading or affidavit, it may be filed electronically with “/s/” and the person’s name on the signature line, along with a statement that counsel has retained the signed original. Counsel must keep the ink-signed original for one year after all appeals have been exhausted.12United States District Court Eastern District of California. Eastern District of California Local Rules – Section: Rule 131 If the original disappears before appeals conclude, the filing attorney can face sanctions.
Pro Se Litigants
Local Rule 183 holds self-represented parties to the same procedural standards as attorneys. Every obligation these rules place on “counsel” applies to a pro se party as well, and failure to comply can result in dismissal or default judgment.13United States District Court Eastern District of California. Eastern District of California Local Rules – Section: Rule 183
Pro se parties must appear personally and cannot delegate court appearances to a spouse or another unrepresented person. Corporations and other entities cannot appear pro se and must be represented by an attorney. One concession runs the other way: pro se litigants are exempt from the electronic filing requirement and must file conventionally unless the assigned judge grants permission to use CM/ECF.13United States District Court Eastern District of California. Eastern District of California Local Rules – Section: Rule 183
Address changes carry real consequences. A pro se party must keep the court and all opposing parties informed of any change in address. If mail from the Clerk is returned as undeliverable and the pro se plaintiff does not provide a current address within 63 days, the court may dismiss the action for failure to prosecute.13United States District Court Eastern District of California. Eastern District of California Local Rules – Section: Rule 183
Attorney Admission and Pro Hac Vice
Under Local Rule 180, only attorneys who are active members in good standing of the State Bar of California may be admitted to the bar of this court. Applicants submit a petition to the Clerk with proof of California bar membership, sign the prescribed oath, and pay the required admission fee.
Out-of-state attorneys may apply for pro hac vice admission for a specific case. The applicant must be a member in good standing of any U.S. court bar or the highest court of any state, but is ineligible if they reside in California, are regularly employed in California, or regularly practice in California. The application must be filed electronically with a certificate of good standing from the attorney’s primary state of practice, and every pro hac vice attorney must designate a local member of the court’s bar as co-counsel.
Magistrate Judge Consent and Voluntary Dispute Resolution
Under Local Rule 305 and 28 U.S.C. § 636(c), magistrate judges in both divisions can handle full case-dispositive proceedings, including motions to dismiss, summary judgment, jury and bench trials, and entry of final judgment, but only if every party voluntarily consents by filing the required form. A party may withhold consent without any adverse consequences, and the court will not inform the judges about any party’s response unless all parties consent.14United States District Court Eastern District of California. Consent to Proceed Before a Magistrate Judge
Local Rule 271 establishes a Voluntary Dispute Resolution Program for most civil actions, with exemptions for prisoner petitions, pro se cases, voting rights actions, Social Security cases, deportation actions, FOIA cases, and constitutional challenges to statutes. Participation requires a stipulation from all parties; the court will not force a case into the program over objection, though it retains authority to compel participation in other appropriate ADR proceedings.15United States District Court Eastern District of California. Voluntary Dispute Resolution Program
Always Check Your Judge’s Standing Orders
The local rules are the starting point. Each judge in the Eastern District maintains individual standing orders that supplement, and sometimes modify, the general procedures. These orders commonly address page limits for briefs, courtesy copy requirements, telephonic appearance procedures, and exhibit organization. The court publishes them on its website and directs practitioners to check each judge’s individual page before filing.16United States District Court Eastern District of California. Standing Orders Skipping that step is the single most common source of avoidable procedural errors in this district.