Sacramento Superior Court E-Filing FAQs

Last Update: June 17, 2024

Please visit https://www.saccourt.ca.gov/civil/e-filing-faq.aspx for the latest e-filing FAQs from the Sacramento Superior Court.

1. What documents and/or case sub-categories are exempt from e-Filing?

  • Documents submitted by Arbitrators, Mediators, Discovery Referees, Receivers and Special Masters.
  • Transfer-In Documents.
  • Peremptory Challenges (170.1/170.3/170.6).
  • Out-of-County/Foreign Abstracts of Judgment.
  • Gun Violence Restraining Order documents.
  • Bonds/Undertakings.
  • Mandatory Settlement Conference documents for Department 59 including:
    Mandatory Settlement Conference Statements, Notice of Remote Appearance (RA-010),
    Requests to Appear Remotely in letter format, and Requests to Continue or Vacate Mandatory Settlement Conference.
  • Bench Warrants and Returns.
  • Documents submitted conditionally under seal. The actual motion must be e-Filed. However, the documents the
    party seeks to file under seal must be submitted by conventional means with a conformed copy of the e-Filed
    motion attached.
  • Documents attached to a Notice of Lodging. The actual Notice of Lodging must be e-Filed. However, the documents
    to be lodged must be submitted by conventional means with a conformed copy of the Notice of Lodging attached.

2. How do I submit documents that are exempt from e-Filing?

Documents exempt from e-Filing must be submitted in person at the Clerk’s office, by drop box, or by mail. For more information, refer to the Civil Filing Guidelines for Gordon D. Schaber Courthouse and the Hall of Justice Building.

3. Is there a cost to e-File?

Yes, unless you have an approved fee waiver or valid government exemption (see Government Code Section 6103). The EFSP will charge you the filing fee(s) for the documents and any EFSP-specific service or convenience fees. All fees are collected by the EFSP when the filing is submitted, but only the filing fees will be transmitted to the Court.

See the most current Statewide Civil Fee Schedule.

4. Can I e-File a complaint or petition with a fee waiver application?

Yes, the initiating document and fee waiver application will be processed at the same time. These documents must be submitted in the same transaction. The FW-003 Order on Court Fee Waiver (Superior Court) is not eligible to be e-Filed and should not be submitted.

5. My fee waiver application was accepted; does that mean it is granted?

Acceptance of a fee waiver means that the document was filed in the case. You will receive an order from the Court granting or denying your request for a fee waiver.

5. What are the filing hours for e-Filing?

You may submit your filings electronically 24 hours a day. Any documents received electronically by the Court between 12:00 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. on any court day are deemed filed that same day if accepted. Any documents received electronically on a non-court day (i.e., weekend or holiday) are deemed filed on the next court day if accepted.

Local rules about the cutoff time for filing ex parte documents are still in effect.

6. What format do I have to submit my document(s) in?

Documents submitted through e-Filing must be in PDF format, text searchable, and viewable on any standard PDF viewer.

7. What is a filing document name?

A filing document name is the type of filing you are submitting, such as a petition, answer, motion, stipulation, etc. The EFSP uses it to describe the document for which is being submitted. The correct filing document name is extremely important as it determines the appropriate fee and court workflow. The Court’s Civil e-Filing Document Names web page contains a list of filing document names that are available to be e-Filed.

8. What if I cannot find the document name for my e-Filing submission?

If the document you are filing is not specified in the list of document names, you must use the name of the document that most closely describes your filing. You may also use a generic document name with a name extension and fill in the name extension field. Please note: Using an incorrect document name or name extension can result in either a rejected filing or the incorrect routing of your document.

9. What is a lead document?

The lead document is the most important document in the electronic envelope, as it affects the priority and timing for processing by the Court and ensures that the document is directed to the appropriate workflow. The lead document can be a case-initiating document (e.g., complaint or petition), a moving document (e.g., motion), or a responsive document (e.g., answer or response). Only one lead document can be submitted in each electronic envelope. Refer to the Civil e-Filing Document Names web page for assistance determining which documents are considered “lead” documents.

10. Once a document is e-Filed, what is the processing time?

Processing time will depend on the type of document filed. The Court strives to review and process all documents submitted via e-Filing within three business days. Some documents require further review and/or further action by the Court and may take longer than three days to process.

11. How will I receive conformed copies of my documents?

Endorsed or received documents will be electronically transmitted back to the submitting party by the EFSP.

12. How will I be notified when my proposed order is signed?

Once a proposed order is reviewed and signed by a judicial officer, the signed and filed order will be transmitted back to the filer by the EFSP.

If the judicial officer chooses to manually revise the submitted proposed order, create a new order or sign the proposed order by hand, it will not be returned electronically through the EFSP. Instead, it will be mailed to the party that submitted the proposed order.

13. Are motion or ex parte hearings automatically scheduled by the e-Filing system?

No. For hearings held in the law and motion departments, Department 53 and Department 54, hearing dates are reserved through the Court Reservation System (CRS) in the online public portal. For courtrooms that do not use CRS, you must call the department to inquire about hearing date reservations.

14. What if my document is rejected?

Any rejected document will include the reason for the rejection, and notice will be sent back through the EFSP. Once corrected, the document may be resubmitted as a new transaction with your EFSP.

Typical reasons for rejection include, but are not limited to:

  • Documents are incorrectly submitted as a single or separate PDF, e.g., multiple documents are submitted as a single PDF document when they should be separate entries.
  • Incorrect filing document name or case number.
  • Incorrect payment type is selected, e.g., fee waiver or government exemption.
  • Incorrect case type, case category, or jurisdictional amount selected.
  • Information in the data fields is incorrect and/or does not match the document image.

15. How do I correct an error in a filing that the Court has accepted?

Depending on the filing type, you may file an amended pleading or apply to the Court for relief or other corrective order.

16. Can I cancel an e-Filing transaction after it’s been submitted?

Once the transaction is electronically submitted, it cannot be canceled.

17. Are documents available to the public upon submission or processing?

Filing parties may view submitted documents immediately through their EFSP’s Portal. All other parties and members of the public can view a document on the Court’s online public portal once it is processed and accepted by the Court. Unlimited civil complaints will be available to the media upon submission before being reviewed for acceptance by the Court.

18. Can I e-File a confidential document?

Documents submitted as confidential will only be deemed confidential pursuant to legal authority or if the Court makes that determination.

19. Do I need to submit a printed courtesy copy?

Generally speaking, no. However, specific departments or Judges may require printed courtesy copies as set forth in the local rules, public notices, or as detailed on Court’s website. If required, please contact the courtroom directly for instructions on how they should be delivered.

20. Can I e-File in a Judicial Council Coordination Proceeding (JCCP) case?

If the effective date of the Order Assigning Coordination Motion Judge is prior to April 1, 2023, e-Filing is available as with any other Civil case.

If the effective date of the Order Assigning Coordination Motion Judge is after April 1, 2023, e-Filing is not available, and the documents must be submitted by conventional methods (drop box or mail).

21. What format is my JCCP case number?

The case number should be entered without a space between “JCCP” and the 4-digit number, e.g. “JCCP1234”.

22. Who can I speak with if I have a question about a filing?

The first point of contact for any question about submitting filings should be the EFSP. If the question cannot be resolved with the EFSP or you have questions about a document that has already been submitted, you may contact the Civil division at 916-874-5522.

23. When filing a motion, should ‘Notice of Motion’ be selected as the lead or moving document?

No. Selecting Notice of Motion as the lead or moving document does not generate the correct filing fee and will delay processing. When filing a motion, you must select the appropriate document name, e.g. Motion to Dismiss, Motion to Continue Trial, etc. See the Civil e-Filing Document Names web page for assistance with selecting the correct document name.

24. Are Unlawful Detainer cases eligible for e-Filing?

Unlawful Detainer cases under the Unlimited Civil jurisdiction, which are handled at the Gordon D. Schaber Sacramento County Courthouse, are eligible for e-Filing.

Information regarding filing Limited Civil Unlawful Detainer cases, which are handled at the Carol Miller Justice Center, is on the Landlord / Tenant (Unlawful Detainer) web page.

25. Can I submit an Ex Parte Application or Motion with my case-initiating Complaint or Petition?

No. Most Ex Parte Applications and Motions require a hearing to be reserved in advance of filing the documents and you must have a case number to reserve a hearing. Ex Parte Applications and Motions can be submitted after you have received a case number, which will be on the conformed copies of your case-initiating documents.