Part I · Rule 55: Pleadings, Motions and Hearing · 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 55.025 requires anyone filing a document in a Missouri court to redact listed categories of confidential information — Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, minors’ names, dates of birth, and similar data — and to submit either an unredacted version or an explanation sheet alongside the redacted filing.
Full Text of Rule 55.025
Text sizeEffective until July 1, 2026 — jump to: (a)(b)(c)(d)(e)
Rule 55.025. Redaction Requirements. — Effective until July 1, 2026
(a)Redaction of Confidential Information. Unless otherwise ordered by the court, any counsel, party, or other person offering a document for filing in any court shall redact information that is confidential pursuant to statute, court rule or order, or other law. Such confidential information can include, but is not limited to:
(1)Social security numbers, driver's license numbers, state identification numbers, taxpayer identification numbers, and passport numbers;
(2)Financial institution account numbers, credit or debit card numbers, personal identification numbers, or passwords used to secure any such accounts or cards;
(3)Names, addresses, and contact information of informants, victims, witnesses, and persons protected under orders of protection or restraining orders;
(4)Dates of birth;
(5)Names of individuals known to be minors; and
(6)Case numbers of confidential, expunged, or sealed records. Filers should also exercise caution when filing documents that include medical records, employment history, financial records, proprietary information, or trade secrets.
(b)Responsibility for Redacting. For all documents offered for filing in any court, the responsibility for redacting confidential information rests solely with the counsel, party, or other person filing the document.
(c)Manner of Redacting. All redactions shall be done in a manner that makes it clear that the information has been redacted. If necessary to reference the redacted information in a redacted document, filers shall use generic descriptors.
(d)Redacted Information — How Provided. When a filer redacts information from a document offered for filing in any court, the filer also must contemporaneously file a confidential redacted information filing sheet that either:
(1)has the unredacted version of the document attached thereto; or
(2)sets out the information redacted from the document and explains either where the information was redacted from in the document or the generic descriptors used in the document to reference the redacted information.
(e)Certification. All filers shall affirmatively certify compliance with the redaction requirements in this Rule when a document is filed. This certification shall be accomplished through an automated process implemented in the electronic filing system for its authorized users or, for filers who are not authorized users of the electronic filing system, by a paper form attached to the document or on the document itself.
Rule 55.025. Redaction Requirements. — Effective July 1, 2026
(a)Redaction of Confidential Information. Unless otherwise ordered by the court, any counsel, party, or other person offering any filing that is not a confidential record, as defined in Court Operating Rule 4.24(a), shall redact confidential information, as defined in Court Operating Rule 4.24(b), in the filing. If the filing is a confidential record that will later become public automatically by operation of law or court rule, the filer shall redact confidential information in it. Except for other information that is sealed, expunged, or closed by statute or Supreme Court rule, no other redactions shall be allowed, except by leave of the court for good cause shown.
(b)Responsibility for Redaction. For all filings in any court, the responsibility for redacting confidential information rests solely with the counsel, parties, or any other person offering the filing. Courts will not review each filing to ensure compliance and cannot refuse to accept a filing on that basis.
(c)Manner of Redaction. All redactions shall be done in a manner that makes it clear that information has been redacted. If it is necessary to reference the redacted information in a redacted filing, filers shall use generic descriptors.
When a filer redacts information from a filing offered in any court, the filer also must contemporaneously file either:
(1)a confidential unredacted version of the filing; or
(2)a confidential redacted information filing sheet that sets out the information redacted from the filing with an explanation as to where the information was redacted in the filing or the generic descriptors used in the filing to reference the redacted information.
(d)Compliance Certification. When offering a filing, all filers shall affirmatively certify compliance with the redaction requirements in Rules 19.10, 55.025, and 84.015. This certification shall be accomplished through an automated process implemented in the electronic filing system for its authorized users or, for filers who are not authorized users of the electronic filing system, by a paper form attached to the filing or on the filing itself.
(e)Motion to Correct Redaction. Any party, or the court on its own motion, may move to correct improperly redacted filings with the court. The court shall dispose of such motion within 30 days. If the court determines the filer acted in bad faith by failing to redact confidential information or by redacting information that is not otherwise confidential without leave of the court, the court may impose appropriate sanctions to remedy such conduct. When a motion is filed alleging a filing is improperly redacted, the clerk shall make the filing inaccessible to the public in the manner provided in the statewide court automation system. If the court determines the filing is properly redacted, the clerk shall make the filing available once again for public access.
(f)Exceptions. Judges and judicial court staff shall not be required to certify compliance with the redaction requirements or file confidential redacted information filing sheets.
(g)Transcripts of Open Court Proceedings. Any transcript of an open court proceeding offered for filing in any court is not subject to the redaction requirements. After a transcript of an open court proceeding has been filed, any party may move using the procedures set out in subdivision (e) of this Rule to redact from the transcript otherwise confidential information as identified in Court Operating Rule 4.24(b). If the court sustains the motion, the movant must file a redacted transcript, and the unredacted transcript will remain inaccessible to the public in the manner provided in the statewide court automation system.
Amendment History
Effective until July 1, 2026
Adopted June 28, 2022, effective July 1, 2023.
Effective July 1, 2026
Adopted June 28, 2022, effective July 1, 2023; Amended December 16, 2025, effective July 1, 2026.
Plain-English Summary
Under the version of Rule 55.025 in effect through June 2026, the filer bears sole responsibility for scrubbing confidential information out of anything submitted to a Missouri court. The rule lists examples — Social Security numbers, driver’s license and passport numbers, financial account and card numbers, contact information for informants, victims, and protected witnesses, dates of birth, names of known minors, and case numbers tied to confidential, expunged, or sealed records — and adds a caution about medical, employment, financial, and trade-secret material that might also warrant care. Redactions must be done in a way that makes clear something was removed, using generic descriptors where the redacted material needs to be referenced.
Whenever a filer redacts something, the rule requires a companion filing at the same time: either the complete unredacted version of the document or a confidential redacted-information sheet describing what was taken out and where. Filers must also certify compliance with the redaction requirements, either through the electronic filing system’s built-in process or, for filers outside that system, on a paper form.
A revised version of the rule takes effect July 1, 2026. It ties the redaction obligation to the definitions in the court’s operating rules, narrows the room for redacting anything beyond what those definitions cover absent a court order, and adds a formal procedure for challenging a redaction: a motion to correct, a 30-day deadline for the court to rule, temporary public inaccessibility of the challenged filing while the motion is pending, and the possibility of sanctions if a filer acted in bad faith. It also addresses transcripts of open court proceedings, which aren’t subject to redaction requirements unless a party later moves to redact specific confidential information from them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What information must be redacted from Missouri court filings?
Social Security numbers, financial account and card numbers, dates of birth, names of known minors, contact information for protected witnesses and informants, and case numbers for confidential or sealed records, among other categories.
Who is responsible for redacting a filing?
The filer — the attorney, party, or other person submitting the document — bears sole responsibility. Courts don’t review every filing to check compliance.
What is a confidential redacted information filing sheet?
A companion document filed alongside a redacted filing that either attaches the unredacted version or explains what was redacted and where.
What happens if a filing isn’t properly redacted?
A party or the court can move to correct it. Under the version of the rule effective July 1, 2026, the court must rule within 30 days and can sanction a filer who acted in bad faith.
Is this rule changing?
Yes. A revised version effective July 1, 2026 ties redaction to the court operating rules’ definitions, restricts extra redactions absent court approval, and adds a formal correction procedure.
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:redaction ruleconfidential information redactionredacted information filing sheetSocial Security number redactione-filing confidentiality requirementsredaction requirements