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eFiling in San Jose, CA

Need a document e-filed with the Santa Clara County Superior Court? We submit complaints, motions, ex parte applications, and proposed orders through a court-approved Electronic Filing Service Provider, for civil cases heard at the Downtown Superior Court and the Old Courthouse in San Jose. You get the conformed copy back once the court accepts it.

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San Jose eFiling

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Santa Clara eFiling at a glance

  • Mandatory for
    Attorney-represented parties (General Rule 6)
  • Size limits
    25 MB per document, 35 MB per envelope
  • Format
    Text-searchable PDF, exhibits bookmarked
  • Fees
    All in the envelope, or the filing is rejected
Quick answer

Lawyers representing clients in Santa Clara cases must e-file, and we handle that end to end. Each paper goes up as a searchable PDF, envelopes stay under 35 MB, and the $30 court reporter charge rides along with every other cost so nothing bounces. Anything reaching the court before midnight on a court day counts as filed that day, even after the counter closes.

eFiling in San Jose, CA

The Santa Clara County bench adopted mandatory e-filing in 2016, and General Rule 6 now requires attorney-represented parties to e-file in every civil case type. The court’s requirements are specific: text-searchable PDFs, bookmarked exhibits, 25 megabytes per document and 35 per envelope, and every fee paid in the same submission. A filing missing any fee, including the $30 court reporter fee, is rejected for correction.

On-Call Legal files through a state-approved Electronic Filing Service Provider under Code of Civil Procedure section 1010.6 and California Rules of Court 2.253, and we handle the portal formatting before your document moves. Represented parties must file most civil documents electronically; self-represented and exempt filers can still use paper, and a handful of document types the portal rejects go to the counter. We check the venue, the fee, and the format on our end, because catching a problem before submission costs minutes and catching it after a rejection can cost a day.

Once the court accepts a filing, we return the file-stamped conformed copy. If a clerk rejects it, you hear the reason and the fix from us. Alongside filing, we also serve the documents you file, so a summons can be filed and served through one office. In Santa Clara County the rule is General Rule 6(B)(1), and each envelope has to carry every required fee.

2016
Year the bench adopted mandatory e-filing
25 MB
Limit for a single document
$30
Court reporter fee for party-initiated hearings
35 MB
Limit for the whole envelope

San Jose Courts We eFile In

On-Call Legal e-files in cases before the Santa Clara County Superior Court, whose civil departments sit in the Downtown Superior Court and the Old Courthouse in San Jose. The court lists these locations, among others:

Downtown Superior Court

191 N. First St., San Jose, CA 95113

Civil, probate and small claims in Depts. 1 to 16; every limited and unlimited civil case is filed here.

Old Courthouse

161 N. First St., San Jose, CA 95113

Civil departments 17 to 22, next door to the Downtown Superior Court.

Hall of Justice

190-200 W. Hedding St., San Jose

Criminal departments 23 to 54; no civil filing.

The team e-files in limited, unlimited, complex and unlawful detainer cases, and in later filings in civil harassment cases, which are also mandatory for attorneys. Complex documents can be viewed on the court’s Case Information Portal. Our coverage runs across Santa Clara County.

eFiling Services We Handle in San Jose

On-Call Legal e-files the full range of California civil documents. Each type carries its own fee, portal format, and timing rules, and we check all three before a filing leaves our hands. Here is what we take off your desk:

Complaints and Initiating Documents

Filed with the summons and any first-appearance fees the clerk collects, at the courthouse your case is assigned to. Santa Clara also requires a blank Civil Lawsuit Notice, Form CV-5012, with each new complaint.

Motions, Oppositions, and Replies

Filed to hit the notice periods your hearing date depends on under Code of Civil Procedure section 1005. The hearing is reserved before the motion is e-filed, and the papers follow within five business days.

Ex Parte Applications

Filed on short notice where timing is measured in hours rather than days. Under Civil Local Rule 7(C), the proposed order is attached to Form EFS-020.

Answers, Demurrers, and Cross-Complaints

Filed against a service-triggered response deadline so the clock starts clean. Each is uploaded as a text-searchable PDF within the court’s 25-megabyte document limit.

Proposed Orders, Stipulations, and Judgments

Uploaded as their own separate PDF, the way the portal requires, for the court to review and sign after filing. A motion to file under seal is itself e-filed and served electronically in Santa Clara.

Physical Exhibits and Lodged Materials

Hand-delivered to the clerk when an e-filing portal will not accept them. Exhibits are bookmarked as Rule of Court 3.1110(f) requires; trial exhibits and bonds go to the clerk.

If you are not sure which filing your case needs, send us the document and we confirm the venue, the fee, and the format before it goes to the clerk. Call us or order online to get started.

Why On-Call Legal for eFiling in San Jose

Attorneys and paralegals hiring a San Jose eFiling service care about three things: getting the document to the right courthouse, meeting the portal’s format and fee rules, and hearing about a rejection in time to fix it. On-Call Legal e-files under Code of Civil Procedure section 1010.6 and California Rules of Court 2.250 through 2.261, and we follow each courthouse’s local formatting rules. We watch every submission to acceptance and flag a bounce when it comes up. Beyond eFiling, the same office serves the documents you file, retrieves records, prepares subpoenas, and runs messenger runs across Santa Clara County. In Santa Clara the envelope also has to stay within 35 megabytes and include every fee, the court reporter fee among them.

Rush eFiling in San Jose

Electronic Submission Deadlines

Standard jobs go in at the next available window, and rush moves you ahead in the queue when an ex parte or other deadline is close. Under Code of Civil Procedure section 1010.6, an e-filing that reaches the court before midnight on a court day is deemed filed that day, so a deadline can still be met after the clerk’s counter closes. The court’s e-filing FAQ warns that some providers stop accepting submissions earlier than the statute, so we plan around the provider’s cutoff.

eFiling through an approved provider

eFiling Through Approved Providers

The Santa Clara County Superior Court does not accept e-filings directly. Under Code of Civil Procedure section 1010.6 you file through an approved Electronic Filing Service Provider, and represented parties must file most civil documents this way. We file through an approved EFSP, formatted the way the portal expects and paired with the fee the document type requires. Santa Clara lists its approved providers through the Odyssey eFileCA system.

Filing at all Santa Clara County courthouses

Every Santa Clara Civil Case Type

The mandate reaches complex civil, unlawful detainer, later filings in civil harassment cases and every other limited and unlimited civil case, while criminal e-filing remains permissive. We check your case type and the document against those rules before submission.

Real-time filing status and conformed copies

Conformed Copies Returned

You see when the document is submitted, when the court accepts it, and when a clerk flags a problem. Once the filing is accepted, we return the file-stamped conformed copy that proves it is in. If a courtroom wants a paper courtesy copy in chambers, we deliver that too. Complex case documents can also be viewed at no cost on the court’s Case Information Portal.

Rejection handling and filing corrections

Formatting & Rejection Prevention

Most rejections trace back to a short list: a missing or unsigned signature block, a proposed order not attached as its own document, a fee that does not match the document, or a PDF that is not text-searchable. We check for those before a filing leaves our hands, and if the clerk still bounces it, you hear the reason and the fix. Santa Clara’s own FAQ adds the most common one: filings without all the required fees are rejected for correction.

All-inclusive legal support services from OnCall Legal

Full Litigation Support

One office for the whole job. Alongside eFiling we serve the documents you file, retrieve court records, prepare subpoenas, and run messenger service across Santa Clara County.

Map of San Jose

Courtesy Copies to Chambers

Some Santa Clara County judges want a paper courtesy copy delivered to chambers even after a motion is e-filed. When your courtroom requires it, we deliver the courtesy copy. And once the court accepts your filing, we return the file-stamped conformed copy so you have proof on record. In Santa Clara, courtesy copies go to Court Services on paper with the department number on the front page.

    01

    Fees in the Envelope, or the Filing Comes Back

    Santa Clara’s e-filing FAQ states that filings submitted without all the required filing fees are rejected for correction, and it names one fee that is easy to forget: the $30 court reporter fee required in civil and probate cases for any hearing a party initiates.

    Providers add their own charges, an e-file fee of up to $5 and card or eCheck processing fees. We total the court and provider fees before submission, so the envelope is complete the first time.

    02

    Sealed Records Stay Electronic

    Under General Rule 6(B)(3), a motion to file documents under seal must be filed and served electronically, and the records may not be submitted in paper form. That reverses the habit of lodging sealed material on paper that many filers bring from other counties.

    We prepare the sealed submission under the court’s e-filing rules and keep the public and conditionally sealed versions separate within the filing.

    03

    From the 2016 Resolution to General Rule 6

    The Santa Clara County bench adopted its resolution on mandatory electronic filing on May 26, 2016, noting that e-filing would remove the need to scan documents into its Odyssey case management system. The mandate is now General Rule 6(B)(1), covering attorney-represented parties in all civil cases, as the court’s e-filing page describes.

    The court also runs a public Case Information Portal, where complex case documents are currently available at no cost.

    Request eFiling in San Jose

    On-Call Legal offices

    On-Call Legal has no office in San Jose. Its offices are in Los Angeles, Century City, Irvine, Glendale and Sacramento, listed on the contact page.

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    Quick Links

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    eFiling Guides for San Jose Cases

    Filing in San Jose? A few questions come up before a document goes to the clerk. These guides walk through them:

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    Frequently Asked Questions About eFiling in San Jose

    Common questions from attorneys, paralegals, and self-represented filers about eFiling in San Jose. If your situation isn’t covered, call (310) 858-9800 and the team will walk you through it.
    How late can a document be filed on its due date?

    For e-filings, a document received by the court before 11:59:59 p.m. on a court day is deemed filed that day under Code of Civil Procedure section 1010.6, so a deadline can still be met after the clerk’s counter closes. Paper filings have to reach the courthouse window during business hours, so send those as early as you can. Santa Clara’s e-filing FAQ adds that some providers have earlier cutoffs than the statute.

    Is e-filing mandatory in San Jose?

    For attorney-represented parties in civil cases, yes. Code of Civil Procedure section 1010.6 and the court’s General Rule 6(B)(1) require represented parties to file civil documents electronically, in complex, unlawful detainer and all other limited and unlimited cases. Self-represented litigants may still file on paper, and an attorney can ask for an exemption with Forms EFS-007 and EFS-008. We file both ways and tell you which applies.

    Where are Santa Clara civil cases e-filed and heard?

    Every limited and unlimited civil case is filed at the Downtown Superior Court under Civil Local Rule 1(C), and civil cases are heard there, in Depts. 1 to 16, or at the Old Courthouse, in Depts. 17 to 22. Give us the case number and we confirm the department before submission.

    What happens if the court rejects my filing?

    Clerks reject filings for a missing signature, a fee that does not match the document, formatting that breaks the rules, or the wrong venue. When that happens, we contact you with the reason and the correction, then refile as soon as it is fixed. Because we submit early rather than at the deadline, there is usually time to correct and refile. In Santa Clara the most common reason is a missing fee, including the $30 court reporter fee.

    Do you handle both electronic and paper filings?

    Yes. We file electronically through an approved Electronic Filing Service Provider, and we file on paper at the courthouse counter when a document has to go that way, whether the filer is exempt, an exhibit is oversized, or the portal will not take the document. One call covers whichever route your document needs. In Santa Clara that includes bonds, undertakings, wills and trial exhibits, which cannot be e-filed.

    What are conformed copies, and do I get them back?

    A conformed copy is your document stamped with the court’s file date once the clerk accepts it, and it is your proof the filing is on record. We return the conformed copy after acceptance. If your courtroom also wants a paper courtesy copy in chambers, we deliver that as well. Complex case documents are also available at no cost on the court’s Case Information Portal.

    How do motion deadlines and mail extensions affect my filing date?

    Motion notice periods run off the filing and service date under Code of Civil Procedure section 1005, and when you serve by mail, section 1013 extends the other side’s response window based on the mailing date. Tell us your hearing date and we work the filing backward from it, then flag any window that looks too tight before we submit. In Santa Clara the hearing date is reserved before the motion is filed, or the filing is rejected.

    Can you file physical exhibits the portal will not take?

    Yes. When an exhibit is oversized or a document type is one the e-filing portal will not accept, we file it on paper at the correct courthouse and get it to the clerk inside that day’s window. If a case qualifies for a fee waiver, tell us and we file the waiver request alongside the document. Santa Clara lists them in General Rule 6(B)(4): bench warrants, deposits, bonds, undertakings, wills and trial exhibits.

    Does Santa Clara County charge a court reporter fee on e-filed motions?

    Yes. A $30 court reporter fee is required in civil and probate cases for any hearing initiated by a party, and an e-filing without it is rejected.

    How are sealed documents e-filed in Santa Clara County?

    Electronically. General Rule 6(B)(3) requires a motion to file under seal to be filed and served electronically, and the records may not be submitted on paper.

    Are courtesy copies still required after e-filing in Santa Clara County?

    Yes, on paper. General Rule 6(B)(4) has them delivered to Court Services with the department number on the front page.

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