The record on appeal shall be filed with the appellate court:
Rule 81.19.Time for Filing of Record on Appeal.
Part I · Rule 81: Appeals · Last amended January 1, 2000 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceRule 81.19 sets the deadline for filing the completed record on appeal with the appellate court: thirty days after the notice of appeal if the record is just a legal file, and ninety days in every other case.
Full Text of Rule 81.19
(a) If the record on appeal consists only of a legal file, within thirty days from the date of the filing of the notice of appeal in the trial court;
(b) In all other cases, within ninety days from the date of the filing of the notice of appeal in the trial court.
If more than one appeal is taken from the same judgment to the same appellate court, the time for filing shall date from the filing of the last notice of appeal in the trial court.
Amendment History
Adopted June 13, 1979, eff. Jan. 1, 1980. Amended July 27, 1979. Renumbered from Rule 81.18 and amended June 1, 1993, eff. Jan. 1, 1994. Amended May 27, 1999, eff. Jan. 1, 2000.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 81.19 fixes two deadlines for filing the record on appeal, and which one applies depends on what the record contains. If the record on appeal consists only of a legal file — no transcript needed — it has to be filed within thirty days from the date the notice of appeal was filed in the trial court. In every other case, where a transcript is part of the record, the filing deadline is ninety days from that same date.
When more than one appeal is taken from the same judgment to the same appellate court, the clock does not run separately for each appellant. It runs from the filing of the last notice of appeal, so every party's record on appeal deadline is measured from the same starting point.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to file the record on appeal in Missouri?
Thirty days from the notice of appeal if the record is only a legal file, or ninety days in every other case.
Does the deadline change if there's no transcript?
Yes. A legal-file-only record must be filed within thirty days; a record that includes a transcript gets ninety days.
What if more than one party appeals the same judgment?
The deadline runs from the filing of the last notice of appeal to the same appellate court, not the first.
What does the deadline run from?
The date the notice of appeal was filed in the trial court.
Can this deadline be extended?
Yes. Rule 81.20 lets the appellate court enlarge or shorten the time for filing the record on appeal.
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: record on appeal deadline30 day record filing90 day record filingwhen is the record on appeal due