Oregon Uniform Trial Court Rules: Filing, Format, and Service

The Oregon Uniform Trial Court Rules, usually called the UTCR, are the statewide procedural rulebook for every circuit court in Oregon. Issued by the Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, they govern how documents are formatted, how motions are briefed and heard, how people behave in the courtroom, and what happens when someone ignores the rules. They bind lawyers and self-represented parties alike across all 27 judicial districts covering Oregon’s 36 counties.¹²

Which Courts the UTCR Covers

The UTCR applies to proceedings in Oregon’s circuit courts, the trial-level courts that hear civil, criminal, family, and probate matters. It does not apply to the Oregon Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, or Tax Court, each of which has its own procedural rules. Municipal courts, justice courts, federal courts, and tribal courts also fall outside the UTCR because they are not part of the state-funded court system.³

If your matter is in circuit court, the UTCR governs. If it is anywhere else, check that court’s own rules first.

Document Format Requirements

Chapter 2 sets the physical and technical specifications for anything filed in circuit court. A rejected filing often traces back to one of these details.

Paper size: letter, 8½ by 11 inches, for everything except exhibits and wills.
Spacing: pleadings, motions, and requested jury instructions are double-spaced with numbered lines. Declarations, exhibits, and similar documents may be single-spaced without line numbers.
Margins: one inch on each side, with two inches of blank space at the top of the first page of a pleading.
Font size: no general minimum, though some specialized schedules such as probate accountings require at least 10-point type.
Binding: paper filings must be clipped, not stapled. Everything in a filing packet, including attachments, is held together with a paperclip or binder clip. Documents delivered directly to a judge’s chambers are the exception and should be stapled.

These specifications come from UTCR Chapter 2.²

What Every Filing Must Contain

UTCR 2.010 requires each document to carry identifying information so the clerk can route it and the other side can see who filed it.

Near the top of the first page, every filing needs a caption identifying the court, the parties and their roles, the case number, and a title describing the document. Paragraphs in pleadings and motions are numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals, with subdivisions in lowercase letters inside parentheses.

Filers must include their court contact information. Attorneys must also give their name, email address, and Oregon State Bar number, along with the name of the trial attorney assigned to try the case. Logos, watermarks, and similar images are not allowed on pleadings, motions, orders, judgments, or writs.

Signatures must be dated, and the signer’s name must be typed or printed directly below the signature line. For paper filings, an original, electronic, or authenticated signature is acceptable. When someone other than the filer signs, the filer certifies the signature is genuine and must keep the electronic version until final judgment.²

How to File: eFiling and Paper

Active members of the Oregon State Bar must file electronically through the OJD eFiling system. UTCR 21.140 makes eFiling mandatory for Oregon attorneys, with narrow exceptions for documents that must be filed conventionally or where the filer has a waiver.²

Self-represented litigants have more flexibility. They may file by mail, in person at the courthouse, or by registering with the electronic system.⁴ The eFiling system timestamps submissions when they are received, which matters when a deadline is close. The court can reject electronic submissions that fail to meet the formatting rules, so uploading a nonconforming document is not a shortcut around Chapter 2.

Serving the Other Parties

Filing with the court and serving the other side are two separate obligations. After filing, you must deliver a copy to every other party. Oregon Rule of Civil Procedure 9 governs how service is made and proved. Proof can come in the form of a written acknowledgment of service, an affidavit or declaration from the person who served the document, or a certificate from an attorney, and it can appear on the document itself or as a separate attachment.⁵

Any written communication to the court should reference the case title and case number. Without them, the clerk may not be able to match your filing to the right case.

Motion Practice in Civil Cases

Chapter 5 governs civil motions, and the single rule most likely to sink a motion is the conferring requirement. Before filing certain motions, the moving party must make a good-faith effort to confer with the other side about the disputed issues. This applies to motions under ORCP 21 and 23 (other than motions to dismiss for failure to state a claim or lack of jurisdiction) and to all discovery motions under ORCP 36 through 46. Skip the conferral and the court will deny the motion.⁶

A certificate of compliance must be filed with the motion, stating either that the parties conferred or explaining why conferral was not possible. If the motion is unopposed after conferral, it may be submitted at ex parte.⁷

Every motion must include a memorandum of law or statement of authority explaining why the cited authorities support the moving party. The opposing party has 14 days from service or filing (whichever is later) to respond. A reply, if any, is due within 7 days of the response.

Oral argument can be requested in the caption of the motion or the response. The first paragraph must estimate how long the argument will take and say whether official court reporting is requested. The court must allow oral argument unless it resolves the motion on the papers before the hearing date.⁶

Any proposed judgment or order submitted for a judge’s signature must be served on each attorney at least three days before submission, or come with a stipulation that no one objects. That gives the other side a chance to read the language before the judge signs it.

Courtroom Conduct and Electronic Devices

Chapter 3 sets behavioral expectations for everyone in the courtroom. All attendees must dress in a way that does not detract from the dignity of the proceedings, and attorneys and court officials are held to a higher standard of professional attire.⁸

During trial, attorneys and parties may not address adult witnesses, jurors, or opposing parties by their first names. Parties must stand when addressing the court or jury (except during voir dire), may not approach the bench without permission, and may otherwise move freely about the courtroom unless the judge says otherwise.

UTCR 3.180 restricts electronic devices tightly. Without the court’s express prior permission, no one may record audio or video, take photographs, or engage in electronic writing (texting, emailing, posting to social media) inside the courtroom during a proceeding. The prohibition includes transmitting any recording or writing from inside the courtroom while the proceeding is underway. Attorneys and their agents are exempt from the electronic writing restrictions, though not the recording restrictions, unless the court orders otherwise.

Anyone who wants to record must ask the court before the hearing begins. No fee can be charged for making the request. If permission is granted, the default limit is one video camera, one still camera, and one audio recorder in the courtroom, and artificial lighting is never allowed. The judge sets placement and operating conditions and can allow additional equipment.⁹

Remote Appearances

Civil motions that do not require testimony can be heard remotely at any party’s request. The request must appear in the caption of the motion or response, and the first paragraph must list the names, email addresses, and telephone numbers of all parties served. A request made in that form must be granted. Parties may also ask that civil case conferences be held remotely. In criminal cases, remote appearances are available for certain motions by agreement, particularly when an in-custody defendant is held outside the jurisdiction where the case is pending.⁶

The same decorum rules apply remotely. Anything visible on screen, including real or virtual backgrounds, must not detract from the dignity of the court, and recording a remote proceeding without permission is prohibited just as it would be in person.⁹

Computing Deadlines

UTCR 1.130 directs that all time periods under the rules follow ORCP 10, Oregon’s general deadline-computation rule. The day of the triggering event is excluded, the last day is included, and if the final day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the deadline rolls to the next business day. That is how the 14-day response and 7-day reply windows in civil motion practice are calculated.²

What Happens If You Don’t Comply

UTCR 1.090 spells out what the court can do when a filing is not in the required form, manner, or timeframe. At the low end, the court can strike the offending pleading or document, which removes it from the record as if it had never been filed.

For willful and prejudicial non-compliance, after giving the party a chance to be heard, the court can:

Order the non-compliant party, the attorney, or both to pay the reasonable costs, expenses, and attorney fees caused by the violation, whether incurred by the other side or the court.
Strike the offending pleading or document from the record.
Treat the opposing party’s allegations as established, which can effectively decide the case.

A formatting slip or a missed conferral can carry real cost.²

Local Rules on Top of the UTCR

Each circuit court may adopt Supplemental Local Rules (SLRs) under ORS 3.220 to handle local administrative needs. SLRs must be consistent with and supplementary to the UTCR, and they cannot duplicate or conflict with the state constitution, statutes, the Oregon Rules of Civil Procedure, UTCR, Chief Justice Orders, or Supreme Court Orders. If a statewide rule and a local rule conflict, the statewide rule controls, and UTCR 1.030(2) says any inconsistent SLR is superseded when the UTCR amendment takes effect.

A court cannot enforce an unwritten local practice. If a court expects parties to follow a procedure, it must put it in the SLR, and before imposing sanctions for a violation of an SLR, it must give the party a reasonable chance to cure. Each circuit’s current SLR is posted on the Oregon Judicial Department website by county.¹⁰ Check both the UTCR and the local SLR for the county where your case is pending.

When the Rules Change

The Chief Justice can amend the UTCR by order at any time, but the standard effective date for amendments is August 1 each year. Proposed changes are posted on the Oregon Judicial Department website for at least a 49-day public comment period, and the final approved version is posted at least 49 days before it takes effect.¹¹ If you are working from a printed copy, confirm it is the version in force on your filing date.

1
Oregon Judicial Department. Administrative Structure and Function – Oregon Judicial Department
2
Oregon Judicial Department. Oregon Uniform Trial Court Rules
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Oregon Judicial Department. Find a Court
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Oregon Judicial Department. File a Case
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Oregon Public Law. ORCP 9 – Service and Filing of Pleadings and Other Papers
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Oregon Judicial Department. Oregon Uniform Trial Court Rules – Chapter 5 Proceedings in Civil Cases
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Oregon Judicial Department. Oregon Uniform Trial Court Rules – Chapter 5 Proceedings in Civil Cases
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Oregon Judicial Department. Oregon Uniform Trial Court Rules – Chapter 3
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Oregon Judicial Department. Oregon Uniform Trial Court Rules – Chapter 3 Decorum in Proceedings
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Oregon Judicial Department. Supplementary Local Court Rules
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Oregon Judicial Department. UTCR Committee – Home