PDF requirements for e-filing in the Chester County Prothonotary (e-filing)

What the court requires

The limit is 10 MB per document and 30 MB for everything in one filing (envelope). Chester County's Prothonotary runs its own e-filing system.

“The current size limit for documents is 10 megabytes per document and 30 megabytes per submission.”

Common reasons filings are rejected

• A document is over 10 MB.
• Several exhibits were combined into one oversized PDF.
• 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 Chester County, PA's PDF rules

What is the maximum PDF file size for the Chester County, PA?

10 MB per PDF. All files in one filing together may not exceed 30 MB.

What should I do if my PDF is too large for the Chester County, PA?

Split it into consecutive parts that are each under 10 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 Chester County, PA 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 Chester County, PA 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.