Landlord Tenant eFiling Requirements

The San Bernardino Superior Court’s electronic filing (“eFiling”) requirements for Civil are issued pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 1010.6, California Rules of Court, rules 2.250, et seq., and Superior Court of San Bernardino County, Local Rules, rule 1800.

Documents that do not meet these rules or are not eligible for eFiling will be turned down.

Who Can Participate
All court customers can use eFiling for landlord-tenant cases through an approved Electronic Filing Service Provider (EFSP).

What You Need to Know About eFiling

1. Set Up an Account
   To start eFiling, create an account with an approved EFSP. You can find a list of approved EFSPs at this link.
2. File Correctly
   • Documents must be in PDF format and text-searchable (using Optical Character Recognition, or OCR).
   • Do not submit documents with fillable fields, negative images, or objects saved in the document.
   • If you use Judicial Council forms, make sure to remove fillable fields before submitting.
3. Keep Original Documents
   You must keep original versions of all eFiled documents, including those with signatures.
4. Redact Private Information
   Only the last four digits of Social Security or financial account numbers should be visible. It's your job, not the court's, to make sure sensitive information is removed or hidden.
5. Remove Metadata
   Metadata (hidden information about a document’s history, author, or edits) must be removed before submitting.
6. Filing Deadlines
   • Documents sent between 12:00 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. on a court day are considered filed that day if accepted.
   • Documents sent on weekends or holidays are filed the next court day if accepted.
7. Serving Notices
   Notices sent electronically must follow California law and court rules.

File Size Limits

• A single document cannot be larger than 25 MB.
• Total documents in one submission cannot exceed 50 MB.
• Contact your EFSP for help reducing file sizes if needed.

Special Requirements

• General Civil Motions
  Hearing dates must be reserved before eFiling motions. Motions without a reserved date will be rejected.
• Exhibits
  Exhibits must include bookmarks to make navigation easier. Bookmarks should link to each exhibit's first page and have titles like "Exhibit A: Lease Agreement."
• Color Scanning
  If scanning documents in color, use a resolution of 300 dpi for clear images and proper storage.
• Proposed Orders and Judgments
  • File these separately, not with the proof of service.
  • They will not appear as filed until signed by a judge.

Documents You Cannot eFile
Some documents are not allowed to be eFiled.

• Check the Civil Ineligible List for regular civil cases.
• Check the Landlord-Tenant Ineligible List for landlord-tenant cases.

Public Access to eFiled Documents
When documents are uploaded through an EFSP (Electronic Filing Service Provider), they might become available to the press and public right away, even if the court hasn’t accepted or officially recorded them yet.

• Confidential or Sealed Cases:
  • Documents with filing codes marked as "confidential" will only be seen by authorized people.
  • If the entire case is sealed or confidential, no information or documents will be available to the public or press.
• eFiler’s Responsibility:
  • The person filing the documents must correctly assign the filing code and security level for all eFiled documents.
  • Documents meant to be filed under seal or conditionally under seal cannot be eFiled. Follow the California Rules of Court (rules 2.550 et seq.) for sealed records.
• Court Disclaimer:
  • The court doesn’t check eFiled documents to make sure they are marked correctly for public access. It is not responsible for mistakes in how the documents are labeled.