All documents filed in the First District Court of Appeal and California Supreme Court (or served on either Court) must be submitted electronically via TrueFiling.  Paper copies are no longer accepted.  

To file or serve documents through TrueFiling, users must create an account, which requires providing credit card information.  For court-appointed cases, all fees associated with filing and serving documents through TrueFiling are subject to reimbursement when counsel files interim and final compensation claims.

In all court-appointed cases, counsel should electronically serve FDAP with copies of all documents filed and served through TrueFiling using the following email address: eservice@fdap.org.  

When filing or serving a document through TrueFiling in a direct appeal, select the “Case Search” menu option to find the case and follow the on-screen prompts for making a submission.

When initiating a new case by filing an original petition – including a writ petition or petition for review – select “File” and follow the on-screen prompts for making a submission. Note: Whether filing a petition for review in a criminal, juvenile (delinquency or dependency), or civil commitment case, select “Criminal Petition for Review” as the “Case Type” – selecting “Civil Petition for Review” will result in a $710 filing fee.

Attorneys or their staffs having technical questions about how to use the TrueFiling website or needing to troubleshoot problems should start by reviewing the TrueFiling help materials available through the Court of Appeal’s website, or by contacting TrueFiling by email at support@truefiling.com or phone at (855) 959-8868. FDAP is available, as always, for consultations regarding filing requirements.

See FDAP’s Filing Requirements Quick Look Chart for details on pleading length limits and due dates.

All filings submitted through TrueFiling must be text-searchable PDF documents.  Electronically filed documents do not need to be signed by hand.  Per Local Rule 12(c), “Any document displaying the symbol ‘/s/’ with the attorney’s or party’s printed name shall be deemed signed by that attorney/party.”  See also California Rule of Court, rule 8.75.

Per Local Rule 12(b)(3), “All motions, writs and other original proceedings (excluding Judicial Council form pleadings) must include electronic bookmarks to each section heading in the text (as listed in the table of contents), and to the first page of any exhibit(s), with the exhibit number or letter and a description of the exhibit included in the bookmark.”  See also California Rules of Court, rule 8.74(a)(3).

California Rules of Court, rule 8.74(a)(2) sets forth the manner in which electronically filed documents must be paginated, as follows: “The electronic page counter for the electronic document must match the page number for each page of the document.  The page numbering of a document filed electronically must begin with the first page or cover page as page 1 and thereafter be paginated consecutively using only arabic numerals (e.g., 1, 2, 3).  The page number for the cover page may be suppressed and need not appear on the cover page.  When a document is filed in both paper form and electronic form, the pagination in both versions must comply with this paragraph.”

California Rules of Court, rule 8.74(b) also prescribes the following formatting requirements:

(1) Font: The font style must be a proportionally spaced serif face. Century Schoolbook is preferred. A sans-serif face may be used for headings, subheadings, and captions. Font size must be 13-points, including in footnotes. Case names must be italicized or underscored. For emphasis, italics or boldface may be used or the text may be underscored. Do not use all capitals (i.e., ALL CAPS) for emphasis.

(2) Spacing: Lines of text must be 1.5 spaced. Footnotes, headings, subheadings, and quotations may be single-spaced. The lines of text must be unnumbered.

(3) Margins: The margins must be set at 1-1/2 inches on the left and right and 1 inch on the top and bottom. Quotations may be block-indented.

(4) Alignment: Paragraphs must be left-aligned, not justified.

(5) Hyperlinks: Hyperlinks to legal authorities and appendixes or exhibits are encouraged but not required. However, if an electronic filer elects to include hyperlinks in a document, the hyperlink must be active as of the date of filing, and if the hyperlink is to a legal authority, it should be formatted to standard citation format as provided in the California Rules of Court.

FDAP: eservice@fdap.org
AG: sfagdocketing@doj.ca.gov
Alameda County
District Attorney: acdadocket@acgov.org
County Counsel: occappeals.eservice@acgov.org
Contra Costa County
Public Defender: appeals@pd.cccounty.us
District Attorney: appellate.pleadings@contracostada.org
County Counsel: steven.rettig@cc.cccounty.us
Humboldt County
Public Defender: publicdefenderdiscovery@all.co.humboldt.ca.us
Conflict Counsel: confdiscovery@all.co.humboldt.ca.us
District Attorney: districtattorney@co.humboldt.ca.us
County Counsel: countycounsel@co.humboldt.ca.us
Mendocino County
Public Defender: pd_support@mendocinocounty.org
District Attorney: da@co.mendocino.ca.us
County Counsel: cocosupport@co.mendocino.ca.us
Superior Court: appeals@mendocino.courts.ca.gov
Napa County
District Attorney: district_attorney-office@co.napa.ca.us
County Counsel: cocodependency@countyofnapa.org
San Francisco County
Public Defender: research@sfpublicdefender.org
District Attorney: SFDA.writappservice@sfgov.org
City Attorney: sfcatty.juv.dependency@sfgov.org
San Mateo County
District Attorney: smda@smcgov.org
County Counsel: smc-countycounsel@smcgov.org
Superior Court: superiorcourtappeals@sanmateocourt.org (criminal appeals only)
Solano County
Public Defender: publicdefender@solanocounty.com
Alternate Public Defender: altpublicdefender@solanocounty.com
District Attorney: solanoda@solanocounty.com
County Counsel: solanocountycounsel@solanocounty.com
Superior Court: criminalappeals@solano.courts.ca.gov (criminal appeals only)
Sonoma County
Public Defender: pd-appellate@sonoma-county.org

Some superior courts provide online portals for electronic filing and service of some documents, including Alameda County and San Mateo County. Check the individual county trial court websites to determine whether electronic submission options are available and whether any fees apply.