Rule 5.2.Privacy Protection for Filings Made with the Court
Group II: Commencing an Action; Service of Process, Pleadings, Motions, and Orders · Last amended 2017 · Last verified July 14, 2026
In one sentenceRule 5.2 requires parties and nonparties to redact personal identifiers — Social Security and taxpayer ID numbers, driver's license numbers, birth dates, minors' names, and financial account numbers — from court filings, sets narrow substitutes that may appear instead, and lays out how to file an unredacted copy under seal when one is needed.
(a)REDACTED FILINGS. Unless the court orders otherwise, a party or nonparty must redact, in an electronic or paper filing with the court, an individual’s social-security number, taxpayer-identification number, driver’s license or non-driver’s license identification card number, and birth date; the name of an individual known to be a minor; and a financial-account number, except that a party or nonparty making the filing may include the following:
(1)the acronym “SS#” where the individual’s social-security number would have been included;
(2)the acronym “TID#” where the individual’s taxpayer-identification number would have been included;
(3)the acronym “DL#” or “NDL#” where the individual’s driver’s license or non-driver’s license identification card number would have been included;
(4)the year of the individual’s birth;
(5)the minor’s initials; and
(6)the last four digits of the financial-account number.
(d)FILINGS MADE UNDER SEAL. The court may order that a filing be made under seal without redaction. The court may later unseal the filing or order the person who made the filing to file a redacted version for the public record.
(e)PROTECTIVE ORDERS. For good cause, the court may by order in a case:
(1)require redaction of additional information; or
(2)limit or prohibit a nonparty’s remote electronic access to a document filed with the court.
(1)Motion to File an Unredacted Copy Under Seal. Except as provided in Rule 5.2(f)(2), a person who makes a redacted filing and wishes to file an additional unredacted copy must file a motion to file an unredacted copy under seal. If granted, the court must retain the unredacted copy as part of the record.
(2)Name Change Applications. A person filing an application under Rule 205 (name change) must file an unredacted copy of the application under seal.
(g)OPTION FOR FILING A REFERENCE LIST. A filing that contains redacted information may be filed together with a reference list that identifies each item of redacted information and specifies an appropriate identifier that uniquely corresponds to each item listed. The list must be filed under seal and may be amended as of right. Any reference in the case to a listed identifier will be construed to refer to the corresponding item of information.
(h)WAIVER OF PROTECTION OF IDENTIFIERS. A person waives the protection of Rule 5.2(a) as to the person’s own information by filing it without redaction and not under seal.
(i)RESPONSIBILITY TO REDACT. The responsibility for redacting these personal identifiers rests solely with the person or entity making the filing.
Comment
This rule is similar to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 except that: 1) section (a) has been modified to require protection of driver’s license and non-driver’s license identification card numbers; 2) section (a) requires parties to redact entirely social- security numbers and taxpayer-identification numbers, allowing only the acronyms “SS#” and “TID#,” respectively; 3) section (b) has been omitted, removing exemptions to provide greater protection for identifiers; 4) section (c) has been omitted as inapplicable; 5) section (f) has been modified to require a motion where a person wishes to file an unredacted copy except that a person filing a name change application must file an unredacted version under seal; and 6) section (i) was added to make clear that the clerk is not required to review filings for compliance with this rule.
The modifications to section (a) were made because the Superior Court was concerned that filing portions of social-security numbers and taxpayer-identification numbers might increase the risk of identity theft by making the critical portions of these numbers readily accessible on the internet.
As used in this rule, the phrase “financial-account number” is intended to include credit and debit card numbers.
A party may move to seal documents or other information not covered under this rule by using the procedures described in Rule 5-III.
Plain-English Summary
Court filings are public records, and Rule 5.2 exists to keep sensitive personal information out of them. Unless the court orders otherwise, anyone filing a paper or electronic document must redact a person's Social Security number, taxpayer-identification number, driver's license or non-driver identification card number, and birth date, along with the name of a known minor and any financial-account number. The rule allows narrow substitutes in place of the redacted information: the acronym "SS#" or "TID#," the acronym "DL#" or "NDL#," the year of birth alone, a minor's initials, and the last four digits of a financial-account number.
Sometimes the case needs the unredacted version in the record. Rule 5.2(d) lets the court order a filing made under seal without redaction, and lets the court later unseal it or require a redacted version for the public file. Rule 5.2(e) lets the court go further for good cause, ordering additional redaction or limiting a nonparty's remote electronic access to a filed document. When a filer wants an unredacted copy preserved alongside the redacted public version, Rule 5.2(f) generally requires a motion asking the court to file that unredacted copy under seal — except for a name-change application under Rule 205, which must be filed unredacted and under seal automatically, without a separate motion.
Two other provisions round out the rule. Rule 5.2(g) lets a filer submit a sealed reference list that matches an identifier used in the filing to the actual redacted information, so later references in the case can use the identifier instead of repeating the redaction. And Rule 5.2(h) makes clear that a person waives this protection for their own information by filing it unredacted and not under seal — so care in the first filing matters, because Rule 5.2(i) puts the redaction responsibility squarely on the person or entity making the filing rather than on the clerk's office.
Frequently Asked Questions
What personal information am I required to redact from a court filing?
Rule 5.2(a) requires redacting a Social Security number, taxpayer-identification number, driver's license or non-driver identification card number, birth date, the name of a known minor, and any financial-account number, unless the court orders otherwise.
Can I include any part of these numbers in my filing?
Yes, within limits. Rule 5.2(a) allows the acronym "SS#" or "TID#" where the full number would have gone, "DL#" or "NDL#" for a license number, the year of birth alone, a minor's initials instead of a full name, and the last four digits of a financial-account number.
What if the case requires the full, unredacted information in the record?
Rule 5.2(f) generally requires filing a motion asking the court for leave to file an unredacted copy under seal, and if granted, the court keeps that unredacted copy as part of the record. A name-change application under Rule 205 is the one exception — it must be filed unredacted and under seal without a separate motion.
If I file my own Social Security number without redacting it, have I given up the rule's protection?
Yes, as to your own information. Rule 5.2(h) treats filing your information unredacted and not under seal as a waiver of the protection Rule 5.2(a) would otherwise give it.
Does the clerk's office check my filing for compliance with the redaction rule?
Rule 5.2(i) places the responsibility for redacting personal identifiers solely on the person or entity making the filing, not on the clerk.
Source & verification. Rule text and official Comments are
reproduced verbatim from the District of Columbia Superior Court Rules of Civil
Procedure, adopted by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Last verified July 14, 2026.
· Official source
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