Rules & requirements

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Rules

See Rules of Appellate Procedure. Please note several important points:

  • eFiling is mandatory for all Wisconsin attorneys, attorneys appearing pro hac vice, and filing agents who file more than 10 small claims actions per calendar year in the Wisconsin circuit courts.
  • Mandatory eFiling is applicable to all new cases and all documents filed in pending cases. Notifications from the court and service from other parties will be sent only through the eFiling system.
  • Self-represented parties may register to use the eFiling system if they choose.
  • All parties who opt in to the case will be served electronically. A single plain-paper copy of any document must be served on non-electronic parties.
  • eFiling parties may use electronic signatures to sign documents, including certifications.
  • A document will be considered filed on a particular day if it is submitted to the eFiling system by 11:59 p.m. and subsequently accepted by the clerk upon review.
  • The notice of appeal under Wis. Stat. Rule 809.10 is still filed in the circuit court.
  • In addition, the docketing statement, statement on transcript, and optional motion for 3-judge panel are also filed in the circuit court.
  • Attorneys and self-represented parties do not have to file multiple bound copies of briefs with the Court of Appeals.
  • A number of changes have been made to the required format for briefs and certifications.
  • There is no eFiling fee for appellate eFiling.
  • Attorney and Judicial Discipline cases are still transitioning to electronic filing and maybe unavailable at this time.
  • Petitions to amend Supreme Court Rules are still filed using transitional means.

Supreme Court Adopts Transition to Mandatory eFiling

FAQ - Supreme Court Transition to Mandatory eFiling

19-02C & 20-07C In re Interim Court Rule Governing Electronic Filing in the Supreme Court

19-02B & 20-07B In re Interim Court Rule Governing Electronic Filing in the Supreme Court

19-02A and 20-07A In re Interim Court Rule Governing Electronic Filing in the Supreme Court

Document requirements

  • All documents must include:
    1. a blank 1/2" top margin to accommodate the court-applied document header which includes the case number, document number, filed date, and pagination.
    2. a blank 2"x2" square in the top-right corner of the first page to accommodate the court file stamp.
  • All documents should be submitted in PDF format.
  • Documents larger than 20 MB must be split into smaller files before uploading them to the eFiling Website. (Note that appendixes should not be split.) Learn how to split PDF documents.
  • Documents filed in the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court must be formatted to fit 8.5" x 11" paper.
  • Omit all JavaScript, macros, document security, and digital signatures (active content). Learn how to flatten a document to remove active content .
  • Use standard fonts when creating Microsoft Word documents and omit columns in the text area. Examples of standard fonts include Book Antiqua, Cambria, Century, Century Schoolbook, Courier, Courier New, Times, and Times New Roman. See the Rules of Appellate Procedure for court requirements regarding fonts.

Document recommendations

  • Scan documents in black and white at 300 dpi for optimal results. Attachments such as maps and photos may be scanned in color if necessary.

Technical requirements

  • eCourts account. Learn how to create an eCourts account.
  • Active email address. Email notifications regarding your cases will be sent to this email address. Make sure your email client and security platform will allow you to receive messages from @wicourts.gov addresses.
  • Internet access. A high speed connection is recommended.
  • Web browser. The most recent version of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari is recommended.
  • Scanner to output scanned documents in PDF format
  • Microsoft Word 2007 or newer
  • PDF conversion software. Microsoft Word has the capacity to save documents in PDF format.
  • Antivirus software