Cal. Rules of Court, rule 2.250 · Chapter 2. Filing and Service by Electronic Means
Construction and definitions
Text — As posted by the Judicial Council of California (read October 22, 2026)
(a) Construction of rules
The rules in this chapter must be construed to authorize and permit filing and service by electronic means to the extent feasible.
(b) Definitions
As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1) A "document" is a pleading, a declaration, an exhibit, or another writing submitted by a party or other person, or by an agent of a party or other person on the party's or other person's behalf. A document is also a notice, order, judgment, or other issuance by the court. A document may be in paper or electronic form.
(2) "Electronic service" has the same meaning as defined in Code of Civil Procedure section 1010.6.
(3) "Electronic transmission" has the same meaning as defined in Code of Civil Procedure section 1010.6.
(4) "Electronic notification" has the same meaning as defined in Code of Civil Procedure section 1010.6.
(5) "Electronic service address" means the electronic address at or through which the party or other person has authorized electronic service.
(6) An "electronic filer" is a party or other person filing a document in electronic form directly with the court, by an agent, or through an electronic filing service provider.
(7) "Electronic filing" is the electronic transmission to a court of a document in electronic form. For the purposes of this chapter, this definition concerns the activity of filing and does not include the processing and review of the document, and its entry into the court records, which are necessary for a document to be officially filed.
(8) An "electronic filing service provider" is a person or entity that receives an electronic filing from a party or other person for retransmission to the court or for electronic service on other parties or other persons, or both. In submission of filings, the electronic filing service provider does so on behalf of the electronic filer and not as an agent of the court.
(9) An "electronic filing manager" is a service that acts as an intermediary between a court and various electronic filing service provider solutions certified for filing into California courts.
(10) "Self-represented" means a party or other person who is unrepresented in an action by an attorney and does not include an attorney appearing in an action who represents himself or herself.
Notes and commentary — not rule text
History
(Subd (a) adopted effective January 1, 2011.)
(Subd (b) amended effective January 1, 2019; adopted as unlettered subd effective January 1, 2003; previously amended and lettered effective January 1, 2011; previously amended effective July 1, 2013, and January 1, 2018.)
Rule 2.250 amended effective January 1, 2019; adopted as rule 2050 effective January 1, 2003; previously amended and renumbered effective January 1, 2007; previously amended effective January 1, 2006, January 1, 2008, January 1, 2011, July 1, 2013, and January 1, 2018.
Advisory Committee Comment
The definition of "electronic service" has been amended to provide that a party may effectuate service not only by the electronic transmission of a document, but also by providing electronic notification of where a document served electronically may be located and downloaded. This amendment is intended to modify the rules on electronic service to expressly authorize electronic notification as a legally effective alternative means of service to electronic transmission. This rules amendment is consistent with the amendment of Code of Civil Procedure section 1010.6, effective January 1, 2011, to authorize service by electronic notification. (See Stats. 2010, ch. 156 (Sen. Bill 1274).) The amendments change the law on electronic service as understood by the appellate court in Insyst, Ltd. v. Applied Materials, Inc. (2009) 170 Cal.App.4th 1129, which interpreted the rules as authorizing electronic transmission as the only effective means of electronic service.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As posted by the Judicial Council of California (read October 22, 2026)
- Official file
- https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/two/rule2_250
- Text hash
- sha256 3630f82af8ff67f4b9b351170fcc49983c7aa81fc1a4f653950be4afaf6bedbd
- Composed by
- compose_crc.py 2026-10-22: the Judicial Council's rule pages read paragraph by paragraph; verify_crc.py's second reading of the Council's per-title PDFs finds every paragraph
BenchPath cards that rely on this text
- Los Angeles County Superior Court Local Rules (effective July 1, 2026) — Chapter Four: Probate Division Rules
- Los Angeles County Superior Court Local Rules (effective July 1, 2026) — Chapter Three: Civil Division Rules
- Riverside County Superior Court — Administrative Order No. 2019-13: Electronic Filing (effective July 1, 2019)
- Riverside County Superior Court — General Order 2022-1: Mandatory Electronic Filing for Civil (effective January 1, 2022)
- Ventura County Superior Court — Amended Administrative Order 25.03 - Mandatory Electronic Filing for Limited and Unlimited Civil and Probate; Permissive Electronic Filing for Small Claims
This rule cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Code of Civil Procedure
Cited by 12 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Cal. Rules of Court, rule 2.250. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
California Rules of Court
- Cal. Rules of Court, rule 2.254Responsibilities of courtPrinted as rules 2.250-2.259 and 2.500-2.506
- Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.670Telephone appearancePrinted as rule 2.250(b)(10)
- Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.1312Preparation and submission of proposed orderPrinted as rules 2.250-2.261
- Cal. Rules of Court, rule 4.571Filing of petition in the superior courtPrinted as rules 2.250
- Cal. Rules of Court, rule 5.522Remote filingPrinted as Rule 2.250 | rule 2.250
- Cal. Rules of Court, rule 5.534General provisions-all proceedingsPrinted as rule 2.250
- Cal. Rules of Court, rule 7.802Electronic filing and service in contested probate proceedingsPrinted as rules 2.250–2.261 of the California Rules of Court
- Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.25Service, filing, and filing feesPrinted as rules 2.250-2.261
- Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.104Time to appealPrinted as rules 2.250-2.261
- Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.108Extending the time to appealPrinted as rules 2.250-2.261
- Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.822Time to appealPrinted as rules 2.250-2.261
- Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.823Extending the time to appealPrinted as rules 2.250-2.261
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.