San Luis Obispo Superior Court Document Format Requirements

All pleadings, documents, declarations, and other papers must comply with the California Rules of Court.

Pleadings, documents, declarations and other papers, must comply with California Rules of Court.

Multi-page exhibits must be paginated unless the original exhibit is already paginated.

Exhibits with multiple pages must be paginated unless paginated in the original.

The first page of every exhibit must have a protruding tab at the bottom.

The first page of each exhibit must be marked with a tab that protrudes from the page, at the bottom.

Administrative record pages must be numbered consecutively.

The pages of the administrative record must be numbered consecutively.

Post-hearing orders must include the date, time, and department in the caption, comply with California Rules of Court Rule 3.1312, and satisfy signature-page requirements.

The date, time and department must be in the caption of the order. Orders must be in compliance with the California Rules of Court, Rule 3.1312. The judge's name must appear below the signature line and at least two lines of text must be on the signature page.

The clerk will not accept a modified Counter Arraignment by Counsel form.

Counter Arraignment by Counsel forms cannot be modified. Modified forms will not be accepted.

When no Judicial Council form exists, papers must conform to California Rules of Court 2.100 through 2.119, and nonconforming pleadings may be rejected by the Clerk.

Non-conforming pleadings may be rejected by the Clerk. Papers presented for filing with the clerk must also conform to California Rules of Court 2.100 through 2.119 when Judicial Council forms do not exist.

Every probate filing must include an original and, when petitioner or counsel requests a conformed copy, one additional copy.

All probate filings must include an original and one (1) copy if petitioner/counsel requires a conformed copy.

Applies to

Accounting

Accounts must be typewritten or machine printed on letter-sized pages numbered at the bottom and must meet the referenced Chapter 4 requirements.

Accounts must be typewritten or machine printed on letter-sized pages numbered at the bottom of each page and meet the requirements provided in Chapter 4 (commencing with Sec. 1060 of Division 3, Part 1 of the Probate Code).

Documents in pending Family Law Department matters must use an adopted mandatory Judicial Council or local court form.

Documents filed for matters pending in the Family Law Department must be on forms provided by the Judicial Council or the local forms provided by the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, if the form is adopted for mandatory use.

Documents not subject to a mandatory form must be double-spaced and use a font no smaller than 12 points.

All other documents must be double-spaced and prepared in a font size of not smaller than 12 points.

A request for temporary emergency orders must be submitted in writing.

Requests for temporary emergency orders must be in writing.

An exhibit representing writing on both sides should be single-sided or, if double-sided, the back should be inverted or tumbled.

Wherever the exhibit represents an original writing that has printing, typing, communication or representation on each side of the original, the exhibit should be either single-sided or if double-sided the back shall be inverted (tumbled).

The first page of each motion must include specified hearing and case information immediately below the case number.

The first page of each motion must specify immediately below the number of the case:

Documents that are bound together must use consecutive pagination.

Documents bound together must be consecutively paginated.

A summary of account must substantially follow Appendix B's format, but inapplicable categories may be omitted.

The summary must be in a format substantially the same as the following, except that inapplicable categories need not be shown:

Unless the court directs otherwise, each party category must label exhibits with its designated party-specific prefix.

Unless otherwise directed by the court, Petitioner shall label their exhibits beginning with P-1; Respondent shall label their exhibits beginning with R-1; Minor’s Counsel shall label their exhibits beginning with M-1; DCSS shall label their exhibits beginning with D-1; Other Parent shall label their exhibits beginning with O-1; other parties shall label their exhibits beginning with X-1.

Audio and video exhibits should be provided on clearly labeled devices when practicable, use descriptive filenames identified when offered, be playable through equipment supplied by the offering party, and include the transcript required by California Rules of Court rule 2.1040.

Each file containing audio or video material should, where practicable, be provided to the court on a separately labeled device (i.e., USB, flash drive), although multiple files may be provided on a single device if clearly identified. Filenames should include sufficient neutral descriptive information to identify the exhibit, for example, “Exhibit R-124 Video of Respondent during 12/22/20xx incident.” The file name must be identified when offered into evidence. The party offering the audio or video material must provide equipment suitable for playing the material for the court’s consideration. Parties must comply with California Rules of Court, rule 2.1040 regarding providing a transcript of the electronic recording.

When no mandatory form applies, the court prefers adopted optional forms over non-form pleadings.

When a mandatory form is not required, the court prefers the use of forms adopted for optional use by the Judicial Council or San Luis Obispo County Superior Court over non-form pleadings.