California Statewide Court Document Formatting

California Statewide Court Document Formatting

Use these rules whenever drafting a paper to be filed in a California superior court. They derive from the California Rules of Court (CRC), rules 2.100-2.119 (Form and Format of Papers) and statewide drafting conventions used by California superior courts.

California has a unified trial court system — all civil matters, regardless of amount in controversy, file in Superior Court of the relevant county (Cal. Const., art. VI, § 10; Code Civ. Proc., §§ 85-86). Small claims (≤ $10,000 for individuals, ≤ $5,000 for businesses) are a sub-procedure within the superior court (Code Civ. Proc., § 116.220). Unlimited civil jurisdiction begins at $25,000; cases at or below $35,000 may be subject to judicial arbitration (Code Civ. Proc., § 1141.11 et seq.).

NOT LEGAL ADVICE. Generated content is a drafting aid; verify against current California Rules of Court, applicable Code of Civil Procedure sections, and the local rules of the specific superior court before filing.

CRC 2.100-2.119 format requirements (mandatory)

Item	Rule	Requirement
Paper size	CRC 2.102	US Letter, 8½ × 11 inches
Sides	CRC 2.102	Single-sided only
Color	CRC 2.103	White paper; black ink only
Recycled paper	CRC 2.103	Must use recycled paper with a recycled-content notice, or state compliance on the first page (in practice, most courts accept plain white paper without a printed notice)
Ink	CRC 2.103	Black ink; no colored text or highlighting in the body
Hole punch	CRC 2.119	Two holes at the top, centered (standard two-hole punch, 2¾" apart)
Top margin, page 1	CRC 2.106	At least 2.5 inches — space for the attorney/party info block
All other margins	CRC 2.106	At least 1 inch on all sides
Font / type	CRC 2.104–2.105	12-point type; fonts "essentially equivalent to" Courier, Times New Roman, or Arial; no condensed type
Line spacing	CRC 2.108(a)	Body: 1.5 or double-spaced; single-spacing allowed for block quotations, footnotes, and headings
Line numbers	CRC 2.108(b)	Consecutively numbered lines on the left margin, one number per line, printed in the same font as the body; 28 lines per page is conventional for double-spaced, 33 for 1.5-spaced
Page numbers	CRC 2.109	Bottom of every page, centered or right-aligned
Footer	CRC 2.110	Short title of the document + case number + page number on every page
Title block	CRC 2.111	Attorney / party info in upper-left within 2.5 inches from top; caption block starts at 2.5-inch mark
Two-hole punch	CRC 2.119	At top, before filing

When producing a .docx programmatically for conversion to PDF and upload to an eCourt filing portal, set the page-1 top margin to 2.5 inches and subsequent pages to 1 inch. Use a section break between page 1 and page 2 to implement the different top margins.

Do not use colored highlighting or colored text anywhere in the pleading body.

Default typography

• Font: Times New Roman 12 pt (Courier 12 pt or Arial 12 pt are also accepted under CRC 2.105)
• Line spacing: double-spaced or 1.5-spaced for body text; single-spaced for block quotations, headings, signature blocks, and tables
• Line numbers: printed on the left margin, consecutively numbered, same font as body (typically 10-pt or 12-pt); 28 lines per page for double-spacing is the California standard (derived from the Judicial Council pleading paper standard)
• Paragraph style: no hanging indent required; paragraphs may be numbered or not, but declarations typically use numbered paragraphs for ease of reference
• Bold lead-ins for labeled sections: **Background.** at the start of a paragraph, then regular text

Required footer (CRC 2.110 — mandatory on every page)

Every generated document MUST carry a running footer on every page:

• Left or centered: short title of the document (e.g., "PLAINTIFF'S MOTION TO COMPEL") — keep to a single line
• Right: page number (e.g., "Page 3 of 10") using Word's PAGE and NUMPAGES fields — never a static number
• Case number: CRC 2.110 requires the case number in the footer; common practice is "Case No. [NNNNNN]" on the same line as the title (or on a second footer line)
• Font: 10 pt Times New Roman

Example footer: DEFENDANT'S MOTION TO COMPEL — Case No. 24STCV12345 Page 1 of 8

The footer runs on every page, from page 1 through the last exhibit page. Do not suppress it on page 1.

See references/docx-generation.md for the exact docx-js recipe.

Attorney / party info block (CRC 2.111)

California's caption format uses a one-column layout in which the attorney/party info block sits in the upper left, the court name and county are centered below, and the party block plus case info sit underneath in a right-)-separated two-column structure:

[Attorney / Party info block — lines 1-10, upper left]

                IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA
                     COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES

[PARTY A],                                    )
                                              )  Case No. [NNNNNN]
              Plaintiff,                      )
                                              )  NOTICE OF MOTION AND
   vs.                                        )  MOTION TO COMPEL
                                              )  FURTHER RESPONSES TO
[PARTY B],                                    )  SPECIAL
                                              )  INTERROGATORIES;
              Defendant.                      )  MEMORANDUM OF POINTS
                                              )  AND AUTHORITIES
                                              )
                                              )  Date:  [Date]
                                              )  Time:  [Time]
                                              )  Dept.: [Dept.]
                                              )  Judge: Hon. [Name]

Attorney/party info block (CRC 2.111(a)) — upper-left, within the top 2.5 inches of page 1:

[ATTORNEY NAME / PARTY NAME, pro se], State Bar No. ______
[Firm name, if applicable]
[Street Address]
[City, CA ZIP]
Telephone: (___) ___-____
Fax: (___) ___-____
Email: ___________@_____________

Attorney for [Plaintiff / Defendant]: [CLIENT NAME]

Court name line (CRC 2.111(b)):

              IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA
                   COUNTY OF [COUNTY NAME]

Both lines centered and in ALL CAPS or in title case depending on local practice; most California courts use all-caps for the court name line.

Party block: parties listed in normal case (not all-caps); role (Plaintiff, Defendant, etc.) indented below the party name. Each line of the party block ends with a closing parenthesis ) that forms the right-side rule of the caption. The case number and document title are placed to the right of this )-chain.

Use "vs." (with period) between parties — California style. Some California courts use "v." but "vs." is conventional and accepted.

CRC 2.112 — Document titles

The document title must:

• Appear at or near the top of page 1, typically just below the caption box
• State the type of document clearly (Motion, Declaration, Opposition, Reply, Notice of Motion, Proposed Order, etc.)
• For motions: identify the relief sought and the legal basis (e.g., "MOTION TO COMPEL FURTHER RESPONSES TO FORM INTERROGATORIES, SET ONE; MEMORANDUM OF POINTS AND AUTHORITIES")
• For hearings: include date, time, and department in the caption right column (see above)

Line numbering (CRC 2.108(b))

MANDATORY: California pleadings must carry consecutively numbered lines on the left margin. CRC 2.108(b) lays out the substantive requirements:

• Each line on each page numbered consecutively
• Beginning with the number 1 on each page
• Lines spaced 1/4-inch (1.5-spaced) or 1/3-inch (double- spaced) apart, matching the body line spacing
• Pre-numbered pleading paper (Judicial Council 28-line paper) is widely used by paper filers

For programmatically generated .docx documents, apply line numbering through the section's lineNumbers property (countBy: 1, restart: LineNumberRestartFormat.NEW_PAGE). The numbers render in the left margin and do not shift the text margin. When using the two-section pattern (page 1 at 2.5-inch top margin; pages 2+ at 1-inch top margin), apply the lineNumbers property to BOTH sections so numbering continues across the section break.

Do not pass a start value — an explicit start: 1 renders off by one in LibreOffice. See references/docx-generation.md for the full recipe.

Margin rule (double vertical line)

Draw a double vertical rule — two thin parallel lines (~0.75 pt each, with a ~7 pt gap between them) — down the left margin between the line numbers and the body text. It is the standard companion to the line-numbered pleading paper that CRC 2.108(b) requires, and matches the pre-printed Judicial Council pleading paper that paper filers use. Apply it by default to every line-numbered pleading; exhibits and attachments are exempt.

Implement it as two independent full-height line shapes anchored in the page header, so they repeat on every page — not as an OOXML double page border, whose style couples the inter-line gap to the line weight (widening the gap thickens both lines into heavy bars). When using the two-section pattern (page 1 at a larger top margin; pages 2+ at 1 inch), the patch loops over both sections so the rule repeats across the section break. See references/docx-generation.md for the exact recipe.

CRC 2.119 — Two-hole punch

Before filing any paper document, punch two holes at the top of the document, centered, 2¾ inches apart (standard two-hole punch). For e-filed documents, the physical punch requirement does not apply — the PDF is filed digitally. If the court requests a courtesy copy, the courtesy copy must be punched.

Declaration verification (Code Civ. Proc., § 2015.5)

California declarations are signed under penalty of perjury under Code of Civil Procedure section 2015.5, which provides the statutory equivalent to notarization for most court declarations. The closing clause must state:

"I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct." "Executed on [date], at [city], California."

Note the required elements:

1. Penalty of perjury
2. "Under the laws of the State of California"
3. Date of execution
4. Place of execution (city, California)

For declarations signed outside California, add the out-of-state location and confirm the form meets Code Civ. Proc., § 2015.5 requirements.

Caption structure (CRC 2.111) — detailed

See references/caption-format.md for the full layout with docx-js code. Key points:

• Attorney block: upper-left, within 2.5 inches, 10-12 lines
• Court name: centered, bold, all-caps or title case
• Party block: left-justified; each line ends with )
• Case number and document title: right of the ) chain
• Hearing info (date, time, dept., judge): in the right column below the document title, for noticed motions
• Use "vs." between parties; some courts accept "v."

Required body elements

Every declaration needs:

1. Opening identification: "I, [Name], am the [role, e.g., Defendant, Declarant] in the above-captioned action. I have personal knowledge of the matters stated herein and, if called as a witness, could and would testify competently thereto."
2. Numbered paragraphs (optional but strongly recommended)
3. Perjury verification (Code Civ. Proc., § 2015.5): "I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct."
4. Date and place of execution: "Executed on [date], at [city], California."
5. Signature block: signer name, role, address, phone, email

Motions and memoranda do not need a perjury clause but need:

1. A signature block
2. A Proof of Service (CRC 3.1300(c); Code Civ. Proc., § 1013a) if served with the filing — typically a POS-030 form or a similar declaration of service

Exhibits (CRC 3.1110(f))

California practice uses lettered exhibits (Exhibit A, B, C, etc.) in most courts. Some courts and practitioners use numbered exhibits; confirm with local rules or practice in the specific department.

CRC 3.1110(f) governs exhibit attachment: each exhibit must have a tab protruding from the right side of the pages for ease of reference. For e-filed PDFs, bookmarks serve as the functional equivalent of physical tabs.

See references/exhibit-handling.md for the full protocol.

The four document templates

See the references/templates/ directory for complete scaffolds:

• declaration.md — declaration with numbered paragraphs and exhibits, Code Civ. Proc., § 2015.5 verification
• motion-with-memo.md — notice of motion, memorandum of points and authorities, and proposed order
• notice-of-motion.md — standalone Notice of Motion under Code Civ. Proc., § 1010
• proposed-order.md — findings and order for judge signature

Each template includes the caption, body skeleton, signature block, and (for declarations) exhibit list scaffolding.

Citation format (California Style Manual, 6th ed.)

Follow the California Style Manual (Cal. Style Manual) published by the Judicial Council. Common forms:

• California Supreme Court: Burnham v. Superior Court (1990) 495 U.S. 604; for California cases: Serrano v. Priest (1971) 5 Cal.3d 584
• California Court of Appeal: Vons Companies, Inc. v. Seabest Foods, Inc. (1996) 14 Cal.4th 434
• U.S. Supreme Court: Iqbal (2009) 556 U.S. 662
• 9th Circuit: Ashcroft v. Iqbal (9th Cir. 2007) 490 F.3d 157
• California Rules of Court: Cal. Rules of Court, rule 2.100 (not "CRC 2.100" in formal filings)
• Code of Civil Procedure: Code Civ. Proc., § 1010 (abbreviate; use "§" with a space)
• Civil Code: Civ. Code, § 1542
• Evidence Code: Evid. Code, § 1200
• California Constitution: Cal. Const., art. VI, § 10
• Federal statutes: 15 U.S.C. § 1692k(a)(1) (use periods in "U.S.C.")
• Federal regulations: 12 C.F.R. § 1006.30

Distinctive California style choices:

• Year in parentheses immediately after the case name: Smith v. Jones (2021) 55 Cal.App.5th 100
• Reporter abbreviations: Cal., Cal.2d, Cal.3d, Cal.4th, Cal.5th (California Supreme Court); Cal.App., Cal.App.2d, Cal.App.3d, Cal.App.4th, Cal.App.5th (Court of Appeal)
• Do NOT include parallel cites (unlike Bluebook) unless citing a very old case where the official reporter is the primary cite
• Italicize case names; do not italicize "Id." or "Ibid."
• "Id." for the immediately preceding cite (no signal needed); "Ibid." is rarely used in California practice
• Abbreviate "§" (not "sec.") with a space before the number; use "§§" for multiple sections
• "Ante" and "post" used for internal cross-references in appellate briefs (not common in trial court practice)

Producing documents programmatically

For .docx generation, follow references/docx-generation.md. Key California-specific points:

• Page-1 top margin: 2.5 inches (CRC 2.110 attorney/party info block)
• Subsequent pages: 1 inch top margin — requires a Word section break between page 1 and page 2
• Line numbering: required under CRC 2.108(b); apply via the section's lineNumbers property (countBy: 1, restart: LineNumberRestartFormat.NEW_PAGE) on BOTH sections of the two-section pattern. Do not pass start: 1 explicitly — it renders off by one in LibreOffice.
• Footer: CRC 2.110 footer on every page including page 1

For format validation, use the bundled plugins/ca-court-docs/scripts/format-check.py on a generated .docx.

eFiling — California eCourt and TylerConnect

Most California superior courts now accept (or require) electronic filing. Two main platforms:

• Odyssey eFileCA (Tyler Technologies): Used by Los Angeles Superior Court, Sacramento Superior Court, and many others. Portal: https://www.efileca.com (redirects to the Tyler portal)
• File & ServeXpress: Used by San Francisco Superior Court, San Mateo, Alameda, and others. Portal: https://www.fileandservexpress.com/
• OC eFiling / Odyssey (Orange County): separate portal at https://oc.courtreserve.com or via efileca.com

Key statewide requirements:

• Accepted format: PDF only for filed documents (the .docx is the working copy)
• File size limits vary by court (typically 10-25 MB per document)
• Document codes are selected from a dropdown in the portal — match the CRC 2.112 document title type
• For self-represented litigants: check whether the court requires mandatory eFiling for represented parties and whether pro se filers may still paper-file (rules vary by county)

Compose with court-specific skills

This skill is always layered with:

• ca-lasc — if the case is in Los Angeles Superior Court
• ca-sfsc — if the case is in San Francisco Superior Court
• ca-county-courts — for any other county
• ca-pro-se — if the litigant is self-represented

The court-specific skill adds local rule variations, motion reservation protocols, tentative-ruling practice, and venue- specific filing quirks.

References

• references/crc-2-100-full-text.md — concise summary of CRC 2.100-2.119 for quick citation
• references/caption-format.md — caption structure with full docx-js example
• references/exhibit-handling.md — exhibit tabs, CRC 3.1110(f), and pagination
• references/docx-generation.md — docx npm library patterns for California pleadings with line numbering
• references/templates/ — the four document templates

NOT LEGAL ADVICE. Generated content is a drafting aid; verify against current rules and case law before filing.