PDF requirements for e-filing in the Iowa Supreme Court and Court of Appeals (EDMS)

What the court requires

The limit is 150 MB per document and 150 MB for everything in one filing (envelope). Appendices over 150 MB must be filed in more than one submission.

“The size limit for Appellate Court filings is 150 MB per single submission.”

Common reasons filings are rejected

• An appendix submission is over 150 MB.
• Volumes are not labeled in order.
• The PDF is password-protected or has security restrictions.
• The PDF is password-protected or has security restrictions, so the court's system can't open it.

Questions about the Iowa appellate courts's PDF rules

What is the maximum PDF file size for the Iowa appellate courts?

150 MB per PDF. All files in one filing together may not exceed 150 MB.

What should I do if my PDF is too large for the Iowa appellate courts?

Split it into consecutive parts that are each under 150 MB, never cutting a page in half, and file the first part as the main document and the rest as attachments named in order (for example "Exhibit A, Part 2 of 3"). For scanned documents, re-scanning in black and white at 300 dpi often shrinks the file enough to avoid splitting. Docket Prime can split the file for you in your browser.

Does the Iowa appellate courts require text-searchable PDFs?

It is recommended. Documents saved directly from a word processor are searchable and much smaller than scans; for paper documents, OCR adds searchable text.

What page size does the Iowa appellate courts accept?

Letter size (8.5 × 11 inches) is expected. Legal-size or A4 pages may print badly or be refused, so resize them to letter.

Does the Iowa appellate courts require bookmarks in PDFs?

They are recommended. Bookmarks help the judge navigate longer documents.