E-filing PDF requirements, by court
CM/ECF is one system, but each district sets its own limits. These pages quote the rules of courts we have read, one court per page, and show how to check a file against them.
Updated September 5, 2026. Not legal advice; confirm the current rule, the local rules and any order in your case.
Only courts whose rules or guidance we have read from the primary source appear here, with the date of reading on each page. Every other district is unverified: confirm the local rule before relying on any limit. For the general checklist and state courts, see E-filing preflight.
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
PDF/A, text-searchable, 15 MB per file: what the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules say about the PDF you upload, quoted from the rules in force since February 2, 2026, and how to check a file before filing.
United States District Court for the Northern District of California
50 MB per file, parts labelled by exhibit, PDF/A recommended, and a rejection rule for files containing code: what the N.D. Cal. CM/ECF guidance says about the PDF you upload, quoted from the court's page.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a nationwide CM/ECF file size limit?
Each district sets its own: 15 MB per file in the Southern District of New York and 50 MB in the Northern District of California, both quoted with their sources on the pages above. Check the court you are filing in.
Why is PDF/A required by some courts?
PDF/A is an archival profile: fonts embedded, no encryption, no scripts, colour declared. A PDF/A file will open the same way in decades, which is what a court record needs. Some districts require it and others recommend it.