Immediately upon the entry of an order or judgment, the clerk shall serve a notice of the entry by mail in the manner provided for in Rule 43.01 upon each party who is not in default for failure to appear and who was not present in court in person or by attorney at the time of the entry of such order or judgment. If such notice is not given, the order or judgment shall be set aside for good cause shown upon written motion filed within six months from the entry of the order or judgment. This Rule 74.03 shall not preclude relief under Rule 74.06.
Rule 74.03.Notice of Entry of Orders and Judgments.
Part I · Rule 74: Judgments, Orders and Proceedings Thereon · Last amended July 1, 1996 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceRule 74.03 requires the court clerk to promptly mail notice of any entered order or judgment to parties who were not present when it was entered, and lets a party who never received that notice ask the court to set the ruling aside within six months.
Full Text of Rule 74.03
Amendment History
Adopted May 22, 1987, eff. Jan. 1, 1988. Amended Sept. 26, 1995, eff. July 1, 1996.
Plain-English Summary
A judgment can be entered without every party finding out about it right away, especially if a party was not in court and was not in default. Rule 74.03 protects those parties by requiring the clerk to mail notice of the entry — in the manner Rule 43.01 prescribes — immediately after an order or judgment is entered. The obligation applies to every party who is not in default for failing to appear and who was not present, in person or through an attorney, at the moment of entry.
If that notice never goes out, the affected party has a remedy: file a written motion within six months of the entry showing good cause, and the court shall set the order or judgment aside. This is a narrow, notice-focused remedy — it exists because the party never had a fair chance to learn the ruling had been made, not because the ruling was wrong on the merits.
The rule closes with an important clarification: it does not cut off relief under Rule 74.06. A party who missed the six-month window for a notice-based motion, or whose situation fits better under one of Rule 74.06’s broader grounds, is not out of options. The two rules work side by side, and neither displaces the other.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who must the clerk notify when a judgment is entered?
Every party who is not in default for failing to appear and who was not present in person or by attorney when the order or judgment was entered.
What happens if the clerk never mails the notice?
The affected party can file a written motion showing good cause within six months of the entry, and the court shall set the order or judgment aside.
Is six months a strict deadline for this remedy?
Yes, the motion under Rule 74.03 itself must be filed within six months from the entry of the order or judgment.
Does missing the six-month window end all chances for relief?
No. Rule 74.03 expressly says it does not preclude relief under Rule 74.06, which supplies separate and sometimes broader grounds for relief from a judgment or order.
Does this rule apply to parties who were in court when the ruling was made?
No. It applies only to parties who were not present, in person or by attorney, and who were not in default for failing to appear.
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: notice of entry of judgmentclerk notice of judgmentsix month motion to set asidefailure to receive notice of judgmentnotice of judgment missouri