A court which has granted a change of venue shall have the power to annul the order, with consent of the parties, at any time before the papers or transcript are filed in the court to which the venue was changed.
Rule 51.13.Order of Change of Venue May Be Annulled, When.
Part I · Rule 51: Venue, Including Change of Venue and Change of Judge · Last amended July 1, 2026 · Last verified July 22, 2026
This rule prints two full, separately-dated versions in the official compilation (a pending or recent amendment straddle); both are shown below.
In one sentenceRule 51.13 lets the court that granted a change of venue undo that order, with the consent of the parties, at any time before the case record reaches the receiving court, a deadline tied to paper filing today and to the electronic court file’s filing starting July 1, 2026.
Full Text of Rule 51.13
Rule 51.13. Order of Change of Venue May Be Annulled, When. — Effective until July 1, 2026
Rule 51.13. Order of Change of Venue May Be Annulled, When. — Effective July 1, 2026
A court which has granted a change of venue shall have the power to annul the order, with consent of the parties, at any time before the electronic court file is filed in the court to which the venue was changed.
Amendment History
Effective until July 1, 2026
Added Nov. 15, 1974, eff. Sept. 1, 1975.
Effective July 1, 2026
Added Nov. 15, 1974, eff. Sept. 1, 1975; Amended Nov. 25, 2025, eff. Jul. 1, 2026.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 51.13 gives the original court a narrow window to reverse course. After granting a change of venue, that court keeps the power to annul its own order, but only with the parties’ consent, and only up until the case record is filed in the receiving court. Once that filing happens, the window closes and the case belongs to the new court.
What counts as the triggering filing will change on July 1, 2026. Today, the rule ties the deadline to when the “papers or transcript” are filed in the receiving court. The amended version instead ties it to when the “electronic court file” is filed there. As with Rule 51.12, this is part of Missouri’s broader shift from paper-based to electronic case records, and the substance of the rule — a consent-based, time-limited chance to undo a venue change — carries over unchanged.
Because consent of all parties is required, this rule is not a tool for one side to reverse a transfer it later regrets on its own. It exists for the situation where every party agrees the change of venue should not go forward after all, and the case has not yet formally landed in the new court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a court annul a change of venue order on its own, without the parties’ agreement?
No, the parties must consent.
How long does the original court have this power?
Until the papers, transcript, or electronic court file (depending on the applicable date) are filed in the receiving court.
What changes about Rule 51.13 on July 1, 2026?
The deadline shifts from being tied to the filing of papers or a transcript to being tied to the filing of the electronic court file.
Can one party alone ask the court to annul a change of venue order?
No, the rule requires consent of the parties.
What happens once the record is filed in the receiving court?
The original court’s power to annul the change of venue order ends.
Source & verification. Rule text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Missouri State & Federal Court Rules, adopted by the
Supreme Court of Missouri. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: annul change of venue orderundo change of venuereverse venue transferchange of venue consent annulment