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Pursuant to Section 1010.6(b) of the Code of Civil Procedure, Rule 2.253(a) of the California Rules of Court, and San Mateo Superior Court Local Rule 2.1.5 all documents in Complex Civil actions (other than the original documents specified below) may be filed electronically, and must be filed electronically upon issuance of a judicial order.
How to E-File
In order to start e-filing, the filer must select a service provider. An electronic filing service provider (EFSP) is an online service to help you file your documents, and acts as the intermediary between you and the Odyssey eFileCA system. Each EFSP offers a variety of additional services and you should evaluate which provider meets your filing needs. Once you pick the EFSP you would like to use for electronic filing, you will be able to go through their tutorial on how to do electronic filing.
Currently, there are a number of EFSPs working to become certified with eFileCA and we expect the number of certified EFSPs to increase in the coming months. Certified EFSPs are listed below:
Document Standards
Documents to be electronically filed should be submitted in searchable PDF format, and searchable PDF/A is preferable. PDF/A is a format which excludes those PDF features that give rise to concerns about the ability to archive documents. Newer scanners allow users to directly create a PDF/A. Users with older scanners can use a conversion tool (such as Acrobat 9) to convert scanned documents to PDF/A.
Proposed Orders
Your Proposed Order should be e-filed with the pleading it relates to (e.g. stipulation or motion) in conformity with CRC Rule 3.1312(c). You must also email an editable version of the Proposed Order in word format (not PDF) to: complexcivil@sanmateocourt.org so that the judge can modify it prior to signing, if needed.
The Court will continue to accept the following documents in hard copy form:
- Proposed Orders
- Judgments
- Ex Parte Motions
- Default Judgments
- Abstract of Judgment
- Exhibitis (to filed documents)
- Appeal Documents
- Administrative Records
- Stipulation and Proposed Order
- Request for Dismissals
E-filing Schedule
Complex Civil
Effective December 5, 2016, the Court plans to enter the permissive phase of electronic filing of legal documents (e-filing). This permissive period allows filers to become familiar with the e-filing process prior to an anticipated mandatory implementation during the second half of 2017.