California Rules of Court Document Format Requirements

Electronically filed documents must use a court-specified format unless that format cannot be created.

Source text: A document that is filed electronically with the court must be in a format specified by the court unless it cannot be created in that format.

Mandatory Judicial Council forms must be used for petitions, orders, and other documents where adopted.

Source text: If a petition, an order, or another document to be submitted to the court is one for which the Judicial Council has adopted a mandatory form, that form must be used. Except as provided in this rule, if the Judicial Council has adopted a mandatory form in more than one alternative version, one of the alternative versions must be used. If that form is inadequate in a particular situation, an addendum may be attached to it.

Creditor claim allowances or rejections must be in writing.

Source text: Allow or reject in whole or in part the claim in writing;

The Summary of Account form GC-400(SUM)/GC-405(SUM) must be used in all accountings.

Source text: The Summary of Account—Standard and Simplified Accounts (form GC-400(SUM)/GC-405(SUM)) must be used in all accountings.

Fiduciaries filing standard accountings without Judicial Council forms must follow specified formatting and content requirements.

Source text: Except for the Summary of Account, all standard accounting forms are optional. A fiduciary who files a standard accounting and elects not to use the Judicial Council forms must: (A) Report receipts and disbursements in the subject-matter categories specified on the Judicial Council standard accounting forms for receipts and disbursements schedules; (B) Provide the same information about any asset, property, transaction, receipt, disbursement, or other matter that is required on the applicable Judicial Council standard accounting form; and (C) Provide the information in the same general format as that of the applicable Judicial Council standard accounting form, except that instructional material and material contained or requested in the form’s header and footer may be omitted.

Simplified accountings must use GC-405(A) and GC-405(C) schedules unless standard forms are required.

Source text: Schedule A, Receipts—Simplified Account (form GC-405(A)) and Schedule C, Disbursements—Simplified Account (form GC-405(C)) must be used in all simplified accountings unless (d)(2) requires use of the standard forms for Schedule A or Schedule C.

Requests for SIJ findings must be verified petitions with separate petitions for each minor.

Source text: A request for findings under this rule must be made by verified petition. A separate request must be filed for each minor seeking SIJ findings.

Pre-move notice of residence change must use Judicial Council form GC-079; emergency short notice must state basis.

Source text: (1) The Pre-Move Notice of Proposed Change of Personal Residence of Conservatee or Ward (form GC-079) must be used for the pre-move notice required under (a) and Probate Code section 2352(e)(3). The guardian, the guardian’s attorney, or an employee of the attorney may complete the mailing and sign the proof of mailing on page 2 of the form. If the notice is mailed less than 15 days before the date of the move because an emergency requires a shorter period of notice, the basis for the emergency must be stated in the notice.

Post-move notice of residence change must use Judicial Council form GC-080.

Source text: (2) The Post-Move Notice of Change of Residence of Conservatee or Ward (form GC-080) must be used for the post-move notice required under (c) and Probate Code section 2352(e)(1) and (2). The guardian, the guardian’s attorney, or an employee of the attorney may complete the mailing and sign the proof of mailing on page 2 of the form.

Concurrent requests for findings and guardianship petitions must be separate, not attachments.

Source text: A request for findings under this rule by or on behalf of a minor filed concurrently with a petition for the appointment of a guardian of the person or for extension of a guardianship of the person past the 18th birthday of the minor must be prepared and filed as a separate petition, not as an attachment to the petition for appointment.

Conservator appointment petitioners (except banks) must submit GC-312; proposed conservators (except banks/public guardians) must submit GC-314.

Source text: Each petitioner, unless the petitioner is a bank or other entity entitled to conduct the business of a trust company, must submit to the court with the petition for appointment of conservator a completed Confidential Supplemental Information statement (form GC-312). In addition, each proposed conservator, except a bank or other entity entitled to conduct the business of a trust company, or a public guardian, must submit a completed Confidential Conservator Screening Form (form GC-314).

Pre-move notices must use form GC-079; post-move notices must use form GC-080.

Source text: (1) The Pre-Move Notice of Proposed Change of Personal Residence of Conservatee or Ward (form GC-079) must be used for the pre-move notice required under (a) and Probate Code section 2352(e)(3). The conservator, the conservator’s attorney, or an employee of the attorney may complete the mailing and sign the Proof of Mailing on page 2 of the form. If the notice is mailed less than 15 days before the date of the move because an emergency requires a shorter period of notice, the basis for the emergency must be stated in the notice. (2) The Post-Move Notice of Change of Residence of Conservatee or Ward (form GC-080) must be used for the post-move notice required under (c) and Probate Code section 2352(e)(1) and (2). The conservator, the conservator’s attorney, or an employee of the attorney may complete the mailing and sign the Proof of Mailing on page 2 of the form.

Printing e-filed documents must not cause any loss of text, format, or appearance.

Source text: The printing of documents must not result in the loss of document text, format, or appearance.

The software needed to create and read the court's e-filing format must be in the public domain or available at a reasonable cost.

Source text: The software for creating and reading documents must be in the public domain or generally available at a reasonable cost.

E-filed documents must be text searchable when technologically feasible, without impairing the document's image.

Source text: The document must be text searchable when technologically feasible without impairment of the document's image.

All documents must be consecutively paginated using Arabic numerals beginning at the first page; the page number may be omitted on the first page.

Source text: Documents must be consecutively paginated. The page numbering must begin with the first page and use only Arabic numerals (e.g., 1, 2, 3). The page number may be suppressed and need not appear on the first page.

Paper-filed motions must have all pages and exhibits attached at the top in a way that lets pages turn easily and be read in full.

Source text: For motions filed on paper, all pages of each document and exhibit must be attached together at the top by a method that permits pages to be easily turned and the entire content of each page to be read.

Paper exhibits must be separated by hardened separator sheets with tabs extending below the page, each marked with the exhibit designation.

Source text: Each paper exhibit must be separated by a hard 81/2 x 11 sheet with hard paper or plastic tabs extending below the bottom of the page, bearing the exhibit designation.

Electronic exhibits must comply with rule 2.256(b) and, unless filed by a self-represented party, must include electronic bookmarks linked to the first page of each exhibit with titles identifying and describing the exhibit.

Source text: Electronic exhibits must meet the requirements in rule 2.256(b). Unless they are submitted by a self-represented party, electronic exhibits must include electronic bookmarks with links to the first page of each exhibit and with bookmark titles that identify the exhibit number or letter and briefly describe the exhibit.

When an electronically filed document cannot comply with a formatting rule elsewhere in the California Rules of Court, the e-filing rules in this chapter take precedence.

Source text: If a document is filed electronically under the rules in this chapter and cannot be formatted to be consistent with a formatting rule elsewhere in the California Rules of Court, the rules in this chapter prevail.

Form GC-330 is optional unless local rule requires it; must be prepared only by court.

Source text: Order Appointing Court Investigator (form GC-330) is an optional form within the meaning of rule 1.35 of these rules, except as follows: (1) A court may, by local rule, require that form GC-330 be used for orders appointing court investigators and directing them to conduct all or any of the investigations described in the form and to prepare, file, and deliver copies of reports concerning those investigations. Form GC-330 must be prepared only by the court. (2) A court may, by local rule, require that a general order, a court-prepared order, or a local form order instead of form GC-330 be used to appoint and direct the actions of court investigators concerning all or any of the investigations and reports described in form GC-330.

Form GC-331 is optional unless local rule requires it; must be prepared only by court.

Source text: Order Appointing Court Investigator (Review and Successor Conservator Investigations) (form GC-331) is an optional form within the meaning of rule 1.35 of these rules, except as follows: (1) A court may, by local rule, require that form GC-331 be used for orders appointing court investigators and directing them to conduct all or any of the review investigations under Probate Code sections 1850 or 1850.5 and 1851 or investigations concerning the appointment of successor conservators under Probate Code sections 2684 and 2686 described in the form and to prepare, file, and deliver copies of reports concerning those investigations. Form GC-331 must be prepared only by the court. (2) A court may, by local rule, require that a general order, a court-prepared order, or a local form order instead of form GC-331 be used to appoint and direct the actions of court investigators concerning all or any of the investigations and reports described in form GC-331.