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The court's criminal and juvenile e-filing instructions: e-filing is optional in criminal and juvenile cases under the Standing Order on E-Filing in Criminal and Juvenile Cases (Rules 2.251 – 2.259 of the California Rules of Court); the EFSPs; filing hours; processing; rejections; electronic service; fees; proposed orders; fee waivers; sealed filings; courtesy copies; and the technical requirements.
California > First Appellate District > Contra Costa County > Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa
Contra Costa Superior Court Criminal and Juvenile Electronic Filing Instructions/FAQs I. General Questions Is electronic filing mandatory in criminal and juvenile cases? NO. Electronic filing (e-filing) is not mandatory in criminal cases or any juvenile case (delinquency or dependency). The Court provides e-filing in these cases optionally for the convenience of parties and attorneys. What is e-filing? E-filing allows users to electronically file documents with the Court through the use of an electronic filing service provider (EFSP). A user submits documents to an EFSP for filing with the Court. The Court then accepts or rejects the documents, and the documents are returned to the EFSP. The EFSP then returns the documents to the party through the EFSP’s own electronic filing portal. Is there a Local Rule or Standing Order that governs e-filing? E-filing is governed by the Standing Order on E-Filing in Criminal and Juvenile Cases. You should also refer to Rules 2.251 – 2.259 of the California Rules of Court and Code of Civil Procedure § 1010.6. Who must e-file? No one must e-file in criminal or juvenile cases; it is optional. What documents cannot be e-filed? Please review the latest version of the Standing Order on E-Filing in Criminal and Juvenile Cases, available on the Civil E-Filing Services page, for documents that cannot be e-filed. Which EFSPs can I use to e-file? A list of EFSPs may be found at: http://www.odysseyefileca.com/service-providers.htm. E-filing must be conducted through one of these providers. How do I sign a document I have e-filed? Please review Rule 2.257 for the requirements concerning electronic signatures. What are the filing hours for e-filing? Documents may be filed 24 hours a day. Any document received before 11:59:59 p.m. on a court day will be deemed filed that day. Documents filed after 11:59:59 p.m. will be deemed filed the next court day if accepted. Any document received electronically on a non-court day (e.g., weekends and court holidays) is deemed by Rule of Court to be filed on the next court day if accepted. What if I file a document after 11:59:59 and it was my last day to file? You will need to seek appropriate relief from the judicial officer, if available. E-filing does not alter any filing deadlines. How long does it take for the Court to process an e-filed document? Processing time will vary depending on the type and size of the filing. The Court processes electronic filings from 8:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. What happens if my e-filed document is rejected? You will receive a reason for the rejection. You must correct and resubmit the document via e-filing. What are common reasons for rejecting an e-filing? Some reasons an e-filing may be rejected: 1. You did not submit documents as separate PDFs in the same transaction/envelope. In other words, you combined multiple documents as a single filed document. 2. You input information in data fields that does not match the document image or is otherwise incorrect (e.g., selecting the incorrect Filing Document Name). 3. You input the incorrect case type. 4. An incorrect court location is selected. 5. The submission is untimely. 6. Documents are not text searchable and/or not bookmarked when required. NOTE: The Rules of Court require that an e-filed document be text searchable when technologically feasible without impairment of the document's image and, except as to self-represented parties, bookmarked. See Section II (Technical Questions) for more information on envelopes, bookmarks, and other terms used here. Do I consent to electronic service when I e-file in criminal and juvenile cases? While e-filing in criminal and juvenile cases is optional and the Court has not mandated acceptance to electronic service, some EFSPs require consent to electronic service in their terms of use. Parties electing to e-file in these matters should be prepared to consent to electronic service. See Rule 2.251(b). Does the Court electronically serve documents? No. Contact your EFSP for electronic service options. EFSPs offer this service for a fee. Do I need to submit a proof of service if I electronically serve? Yes. See Rule 2.251(j). Is there a cost to e-file? Yes. The system will automatically collect the Court’s processing fee and the fee of the EFSP at the time of filing. For the Court’s fees related to electronic filing, please see https://www.cc-courts.org/fees/fees.aspx. The Court has no ability to adjust the fees of EFSPs. The Court cannot adjust its own processing fees unless a judge has granted a fee waiver. How should I submit my motion or supporting documents? Motions and supporting documents may all be included in the same transaction or envelope. (See Section II, Technical Questions, for explanation of these terms.) But each separate document must be submitted as a separate PDF within the envelope. Combining them all into a single PDF document will result in rejection. Documents must be in PDF format. Should proposed orders be submitted with the motion in the same envelope? Proposed orders may be included as a separate PDF in the same envelope. However, proposed orders after hearing should be emailed to the department in Microsoft Word to enable the judge to edit the order. Note that Family Law judgments submitted for Court approval must be submitted in hard copy. Is fax-filing still accepted in criminal and juvenile cases? No. Can I submit a filing with a fee waiver application? Yes, the initiating document and fee waiver application will be processed at the same time. They may be submitted in the same envelope. Do I have to pay fees if I am applying for a fee waiver? No. However, if the fee waiver application is ultimately denied, you will receive notice of the denial, and you will then have 10 days to submit payment of the required fees. If payment is not received in 10 days, the Court will strike the filing. How do I e-file a motion to file a document conditionally under seal? The motion to file a document under seal must be e-filed with the redacted version of documents proposed to be filed under seal. (Parties must take care to correctly redact all documents so that redacted text is not viewable. The Court is not responsible for errors in redaction.) The unredacted copies of documents which the party seeks to file under seal should not be e-filed. They should be attached to a conformed copy of the electronically filed motion or application and then submitted directly to the clerk’s office. Can I e-file a document under seal? Where a judicial officer has ordered that a document be filed under seal, those documents must be filed electronically (unless otherwise exempt from e-filing). The responsibility to accurately designate the documents as sealed at the time of e-filing is entirely that of the filing party. Where only portions of a document are subject to a sealing order, the e-filed document shall contain the redacted version. (Parties must take care to correctly redact all documents so that redacted text is not viewable. The Court is not responsible for errors in redaction.) The unredacted copies should be attached to a conformed copy of the electronically filed motion or application and then submitted directly to the courtroom. Can parties e-file stipulations? Yes. When I have multiple documents to file in a single matter, some that must be e-filed and some that cannot be e-filed, how do I file them? The document(s) subject to e-filing should be e-filed, and the document(s) not subject to e-filing should be filed in hard copy. Do I need to submit courtesy copies of e-filed documents? Not unless a judge specifically requests courtesy copies. When are filed documents available to the public? Documents that are made available to the public pursuant to applicable law will be made available upon approval by the Court. II. Technical Requirements and Questions What is an “electronic envelope”? An “electronic envelope’ is a transaction through the EFSP for submitting documents to the court for filing and processing. It may contain one or more PDF documents for filing. Think of it as the electronic version of a large physical envelope into which all the documents to be filed are placed. What is a “Filing Document Name”? A “Filing Document Name” is the type of filing (e.g., complaint, answer, motion, etc.). The EFSP uses it to properly designate the document upon submission. The Filing Document Name also determines the fee. It is extremely important to use the correct Filing Document Name and to provide additional details in the Filing Description section. If you cannot find your appropriate Filing Document Name, you must use the one that most closely describes your filing and provide further details in the Filing Description section. What is a “lead document”? In filings that contain multiple documents, the “lead document” is the most important one; often this is the one that designates the nature of the filing. For most motions, this would be the motion itself (as opposed to the memorandum of points and authorities, supporting declaration, etc.) Properly designating the lead document is essential for the Court to process the filing and direct it to the appropriate department. What file formats should I use for documents? Documents must be submitted in PDF format. Attempting a filing in any other format will result in rejection. PDFs must be flattened and cannot contain embedded objects. Must my filing be submitted in text-searchable PDF? Generally, yes. Documents must be text-searchable when technologically feasible without impairment of the document's image. Revised 2/7/2024
Contra Costa Superior Court Criminal and Juvenile Electronic Filing Instructions/FAQs I. General Questions Is electronic filing mandatory in criminal and juvenile cases? NO. Electronic filing (e-filing) is not mandatory in criminal cases or any juvenile case (delinquency or dependency). The Court provides e-filing in these cases optionally for the convenience of parties and attorneys. What is e-fi
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-10-08 (California T4 Contra Costa build 2026-10-08) from BenchPath custody ca/t4/ca-contra-costa/docs/electronicfilinginstructions-criminaljuvenile.pdf (225542 bytes, sha256 775a8d53c7ccd3aafd16a990a3b8afe2b05776604a2d2f5b45459708ff0f5c0e; 5 pages) with the shared verbatim composer (v2 reflow): page marks and running headers or footers removed as chrome; lines reflowed into the document's paragraphs; proof 1 (whitespace-only) and proof 2 (same character multiset as the text layer minus chrome) pass. Review note: Revised 2/7/2024; the Standing Order on E-Filing in Criminal and Juvenile Cases (Standing Order 3.4) is carded.
A 2013 standing order requiring attorneys to e-file family-law and civil documents (no paper filings accepted) as the court began compliance with the Supreme Court's e-filing mandate; criminal filing unchanged.
A 2013 standing order requiring attorneys to e-file family-law and civil documents (no paper filings accepted) as the court began compliance with the Supreme Court's e-filing mandate; criminal filing unchanged.