Attorneys admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania handle Eastern District of Pennsylvania ECF filing through the court’s Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) system, which Local Civil Rule 5.1.2 requires for nearly every pleading after the initial complaint or indictment.1United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Rule 5.1.2 Electronic Case Filing You register through PACER and the Clerk’s Office, upload PDFs through the portal, and the Notice of Electronic Filing the system generates proves both filing and service on registered parties. The details below cover who the requirement reaches, how to get credentials, and the formatting and procedural rules that most often trip filers up.
Who Has to File Electronically
Every attorney admitted to practice in the Eastern District must file through CM/ECF unless a judge orders otherwise. The court can excuse an attorney from ECF registration under Section 3 of the ECF Procedures, but that exception is rarely granted.1United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Rule 5.1.2 Electronic Case Filing Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5(d)(3) reinforces the point: represented parties file electronically unless the court allows otherwise for good cause.2Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 5
Pro se litigants are the main group outside the mandate. They file on paper by mail or in person at 601 Market Street, Room 2609 in Philadelphia or 504 W. Hamilton Street in Allentown.3United States District Court. How Do I File Documents in the Eastern District The court also runs an Electronic Document Submission portal that works like a drop box the Clerk’s Office processes on the filer’s behalf; it is not the same as CM/ECF.4United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Electronic Document Submission A pro se party who wants direct CM/ECF access must file a motion with the assigned judge under Local Rule 5.1.2(4)(b).
How to Register for CM/ECF
Registration has two gates: bar admission and the ECF account itself.
First, you must be admitted to the Eastern District’s bar. Admission applications now run through PACER, so you need an upgraded individual PACER account before you can apply. If you don’t already have one, create it at pacer.uscourts.gov.5PACER: Federal Court Records. Register for an Account Once the court accepts your admission application, you’ll receive instructions to pay the $224 admission fee.6United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. For Attorneys
After admission, complete the ECF Account Registration Form, which asks for your bar ID, firm name, address, phone, fax, and email, and mail it to the Clerk of Court at 601 Market Street, Room 2609, Philadelphia, PA 19106.7United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Electronic Case Filing (ECF) Account Registration Form The Clerk’s Office will email you a login and password. Those credentials are your electronic signature on every document you file, and no one other than you or your authorized agent may use them.8United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Rule 5.1.2 Electronic Case Filing – Section: 9. Signature
Keep the account current. If your email changes, update it in PACER under Manage My Account → Maintenance → Update E-Filer Email Noticing and Frequency, and then file a Notice of Change of Email in each of your pending cases. The Clerk’s Office will not do it for you.
Filing a Document Step by Step
The workflow is short once you have credentials, though the docketing menu takes a few filings to learn.
- Log in to the CM/ECF portal with your assigned login and password.
- Pick the case type (Civil, Criminal, or Bankruptcy) from the top menu so the system routes the filing correctly.
- Choose the docketing event that matches what you’re filing, such as Motion for Summary Judgment or Response to Motion. Picking the wrong event is one of the most common new-filer mistakes and forces the Clerk’s Office to clean it up.
- Upload your document as a PDF. Attachments and exhibits upload as separate PDFs.
- Add brief docket text summarizing the filing.
- Review the confirmation screen and submit. Once you hit final submit, you cannot undo the filing.
The system then generates a Notice of Electronic Filing and sends it to every registered party. That NEF is both your proof of filing and service on registered parties under the Federal Rules and the local rules.9United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Rule 5.1.2 Electronic Case Filing – Section: 8. Service of Documents Any party who hasn’t consented to electronic service still needs to be served by traditional means.
Complaints, Summonses, and Proposed Orders
Initial papers in civil cases, including the complaint and summons, go in on paper rather than through CM/ECF. You also hand the Clerk’s Office a computer disk with PDF copies of those documents at filing.10United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Rule 5.1.2 Electronic Case Filing – Section: 2. Scope The Clerk’s Office issues the summons electronically and emails it to counsel. If service fails and you need a new one, file a Praecipe to Issue Alias Summons naming the defendants.11United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Case Processing FAQs The filing fee is $405 for a new civil complaint or notice of removal and $605 for a notice of appeal; the court accepts major credit cards and checks payable to the Clerk, United States District Court.12United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Fees
When a filing needs a proposed order, submit it with your electronic filing and also email it to ecf_clerksoffice@paed.uscourts.gov, per Local Rule 7.1.
Format, Signature, and Redaction Rules
Every document must be in PDF, and files are capped at 50 MB. Split anything larger into separate PDFs and note the split in the filing description.13United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Procedures for Filing Documents
Your login and password act as your Rule 11 signature, but the document itself still needs a signature block with your name, address, phone, and bar ID. Where a handwritten signature would go, type your name preceded by “s/” (for example, s/ Jane Smith). For documents that need multiple signatures, you can upload a scanned copy with original signatures, represent the other parties’ consent on the face of the document, or file it and have the other parties submit a notice of endorsement within seven days.8United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Rule 5.1.2 Electronic Case Filing – Section: 9. Signature
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 puts redaction on you. Include only the last four digits of Social Security and taxpayer ID numbers, only the year of a person’s birth, only a minor’s initials, and only the last four digits of financial account numbers.14Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 5.2 It applies to paper and electronic filings alike, and the Clerk’s Office won’t screen for you.
What Can’t Be Filed Electronically
Section 16 of the ECF Procedures carves out document types and whole case categories that must be filed on paper.15United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Rule 5.1.2 Electronic Case Filing – Section: 16 The most common ones:
- Entire case types: grand jury matters, qui tam cases, and sealed cases.
- Civil documents: administrative records, bankruptcy appeal records, discovery materials (interrogatories, deposition notices, requests for production and admission, and responses), praecipes for writs of execution or garnishment, ex parte motions, and civil jury verdict sheets.
- Criminal documents: anything requiring a defendant’s signature such as plea agreements, waivers of indictment, and appearance bonds; presentence reports and objections; criminal jury verdict sheets; judgment and commitment orders; and ex parte motions.
- All filings by pro se litigants and prisoners.
The discovery exclusion is the one that catches people off guard. Interrogatories, requests for production, deposition notices, and the responses to them are filed on paper in this district.
Sealed and Highly Sensitive Documents
Documents filed under seal do not go through CM/ECF. Email the PDF to ECF_Documents@paed.uscourts.gov with both the document and the email marked “Filed Under Seal.” For criminal cases, include a proposed sealing order or motion.16United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Redaction Requirements and Sealed Documents
Highly sensitive documents (HSDs) follow a stricter track and cannot touch CM/ECF at all. You first file a motion for leave of court with a good-faith attestation that the document is highly sensitive, identification of who may see it, and the position of opposing parties. The motion itself is delivered on paper in a sealed envelope marked “HIGHLY SENSITIVE DOCUMENT” with the case caption, case number, and your name and address. Two paper copies of the HSD and a certificate of service follow by mail or in person using the same sealed-envelope procedure. Service on other parties is on you, by traditional means.17United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Standing Order Procedures Governing the Filing or Retrieval of Highly Sensitive Documents
Deadlines and After-Hours Filing
Electronic filing deadlines run until midnight Eastern Time. A document transmitted at 11:59 p.m. counts as filed that day, and the timestamp on the NEF is your official filing date and time.18United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Rule 5.1.2 Electronic Case Filing – Section: 5. Filing Waiting for the last few minutes is risky, though. If the portal fails or your upload stalls, you have no recourse.
For true emergencies after 4:00 p.m. on weekdays or on weekends, such as a temporary restraining order or ship attachment, call (215) 597-0374, (800) 525-5726, or (877) 437-7411. The Court Security Office is staffed around the clock and will connect you to the Clerk or a deputy clerk on duty. Both the Philadelphia and Allentown courthouses also keep a 24-hour filing depository in the lobby past the metal detectors, with a time recorder for stamping the filing.19United States District Court. After-Hours and Emergency Matters
Fixing a Filing Mistake
If you file the wrong document or make an error, refile the corrected version right away and contact the Quality Control clerk assigned to your case by phone or at paed_clerksoffice@paed.uscourts.gov. The Clerk’s Office will add a notation on the incorrect entry pointing viewers to the corrected filing.11United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Case Processing FAQs
If the incorrect document needs to be removed or replaced rather than annotated, first contact the assigned judge’s chambers for approval. Once chambers signs off, email the Quality Control clerk explaining the situation, confirming the approval, and attaching the replacement PDF if applicable.11United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Case Processing FAQs In criminal cases, go to chambers directly; the Clerk’s Office changes the docket only at chambers’ direction.