PDF requirements for e-filing in the Shelby County Circuit and Chancery Courts (e-filing)

What the court requires

The limit is 3 MB per document and 15 MB for everything in one filing (envelope). A filing may be split into at most 5 documents of 3 MB each (15 MB in total). Use the "Exhibit" document type for the extra parts and name the main filing in the additional text box.

“However, there is a 3 MB per document size limitation.”

Common reasons filings are rejected

• A document is over 3 MB.
• A filing needs more than five 3 MB parts.
• 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 Shelby County, TN's PDF rules

What is the maximum PDF file size for the Shelby County, TN?

3 MB per PDF. All files in one filing together may not exceed 15 MB.

What should I do if my PDF is too large for the Shelby County, TN?

Split it into consecutive parts that are each under 3 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 Shelby County, TN 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 Shelby County, TN 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.