PDF requirements for e-filing in the North Carolina state courts (eCourts File & Serve)

What the court requires

The limit is 26.2 MB per document and 36.7 MB for everything in one filing (envelope). File & Serve is the e-filing system of North Carolina's eCourts program, which has been rolling out county by county. The limits are 26.2 MB per document and 36.7 MB per envelope (25 and 35 MiB). The North Carolina Business Court has its own system with a higher limit.

Common reasons filings are rejected

• A document is over 26.2 MB.
• The envelope is over 36.7 MB.
• 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 North Carolina state courts's PDF rules

What is the maximum PDF file size for the North Carolina state courts?

26.2 MB per PDF. All files in one filing together may not exceed 36.7 MB.

What should I do if my PDF is too large for the North Carolina state courts?

Split it into consecutive parts that are each under 26.2 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 North Carolina state 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 North Carolina state 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.