PDF requirements for e-filing in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina

What the court requires

The maximum upload size for a single PDF is 50 MB; CM/ECF shows an error if a file is larger. The court's tips for staying under the limit include scanning at 200 dpi in black and white rather than color, then splitting anything still too large into parts under 50 MB.

Common reasons filings are rejected

• A color scan at high resolution is over 50 MB.
• A large document was not split before upload.
• The PDF is password-protected or has security restrictions, so the court's system can't open it.

Questions about the W.D. North Carolina's PDF rules

What is the maximum PDF file size for the W.D. North Carolina?

50 MB per PDF.

What should I do if my PDF is too large for the W.D. North Carolina?

Split it into consecutive parts that are each under 50 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 W.D. North Carolina require text-searchable PDFs?

The published rules we found don't require it. 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 W.D. North Carolina 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.