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Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.40 · Article 2. Service, Filing, Filing Fees, Form, and Privacy

Cover requirements for documents filed in paper form

Verbatim from the official edition

Text — As posted by the Judicial Council of California (read October 22, 2026)

(a) Cover color

(1) As far as practicable, the covers of briefs and petitions filed in paper form must be in the following colors:

Appellant's opening brief or appendix green

Respondent's brief or appendix yellow

Appellant's reply brief or appendix tan

Joint appendix white

Amicus curiae brief gray

Answer to amicus curiae brief blue

Petition for rehearing orange

Answer to petition for rehearing blue

Petition for original writ red

Answer (or opposition) to petition for original writ red

Reply to answer (or opposition) to petition for original writ red

Petition for transfer of appellate division case to Court of Appeal white

Answer to petition for transfer of appellate division case to Court of Appeal blue

Petition for review white

Answer to petition for review blue

Reply to answer to petition for review white

Opening brief on the merits white

Answer brief on the merits blue

Reply brief on the merits white

(2) In appeals under rule 8.216, the cover of a combined respondent's brief and appellant's opening brief filed in paper form must be yellow, and the cover of a combined reply brief and respondent's brief filed in paper form must be tan.

(3) A paper brief or petition not conforming to (1) or (2) must be accepted for filing, but in case of repeated violations by an attorney or party, the court may proceed as provided in rule 8.204(e)(2).

(b) Cover information

(1) Except as provided in (2), the cover-or first page if there is no cover-of every document filed in a reviewing court must include the name, mailing address, telephone number, fax number (if available), e-mail address (if available), and California State Bar number of each attorney filing or joining in the document, or of the party if he or she is unrepresented. The inclusion of a fax number or e-mail address on any document does not constitute consent to service by fax or e-mail unless otherwise provided by law.

(2) If more than one attorney from a law firm, corporation, or public law office is representing one party and is joining in the document, the name and State Bar number of each attorney joining in the document must be provided on the cover. The law firm, corporation, or public law office representing each party must designate one attorney to receive notices and other communication in the case from the court by placing an asterisk before that attorney's name on the cover and must provide the contact information specified under (1) for that attorney. Contact information for the other attorneys from the same law firm, corporation, or public law office is not required but may be provided.

Notes and commentary — not rule text

History

(Subd (a) amended and relettered effective January 1, 2020; adopted as subd (c); previously amended and relettered as subd (b) effective January 1, 2007; previously amended effective January 1, 2011, and January 1, 2016.)

Subd (b) amended and relettered effective January 1, 2020; adopted as subd (d); previously amended and relettered subd (c) effective January 1, 2007; previously amended effective January 1, 2013.)

Rule 8.40 amended effective January 1, 2020; repealed and adopted as rule 44 effective January 1, 2005; previously amended and renumbered as rule 8.40 effective January 1, 2007; previously amended effective January 1, 2006, January 1, 2011, January 1, 2013, and January 1, 2016.

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/eight/rule8_40
Text hash
sha256 0165610aeb0415ae28a6c9022736d468a8734c6fcb338897f74e999c7541bb32
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

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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.