(a) Initial Filings. The electronic filing system does not serve the initial filings on parties. For any new case filed in the electronic filing system in this Court or the court of appeals, including but not limited to initial filings pursuant to Rules 81.07, 83.01, 83.04, 84.035, and 84.24, service of the initially filed documents shall be made pursuant to Rule 43.01 with a certificate of service.
Rule 84.026.Service of Filings in Appellate Courts.
Part II · Rule 84: Procedure in All Appellate Courts · Last amended July 1, 2024 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceRule 84.026 explains how filings in Missouri appellate courts are served on other parties, providing that the electronic filing system does not serve initial filings on a new case but does automatically serve later filings among registered users on an existing case.
Full Text of Rule 84.026
(b) Subsequent Filings. For filings on an existing case, registered users serve and receive service of all filings through the electronic filing system; no additional service or certificate of service is required.
(c) Parties Ineligible to Use the Electronic Filing System. If any party is ineligible to file documents through the electronic filing system, service after the initial filing shall be made as follows:
(1) Each registered user shall serve documents as provided by Rule 43.01 on every ineligible party;
(2) Each ineligible party shall serve documents as provided by Rule 43.01 on every party not represented by an attorney. Service of the documents need not be made on parties represented by an attorney; the notice generated by the electronic filing system shall constitute service on such parties.
Amendment History
Adopted August 15, 2023, eff. July 1, 2024.
Plain-English Summary
Filing something electronically and having it served on the other side aren’t the same thing, and Rule 84.026 is careful to keep them separate. For any brand-new case entered into the electronic filing system — including initial filings under Rules 81.07, 83.01, 83.04, 84.035, and 84.24 — the system itself doesn’t serve those documents on the parties. The filer has to serve them under Rule 43.01 and file a certificate of service just as if there were no electronic system at all.
Once a case exists, that changes. Registered users filing later documents on that existing case serve and receive service of everything automatically through the electronic filing system, with no separate certificate needed. The wrinkle comes when a party can’t use the electronic filing system: registered users must still serve that ineligible party under Rule 43.01, and the ineligible party must serve any party who has no lawyer the same way — but not a party who is represented by an attorney registered in the system, since the system’s own notice to that attorney counts as service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the electronic filing system serve my notice of appeal or original petition for me?
No, initial filings on a new case aren’t served by the system — you must serve them under Rule 43.01 with a certificate of service.
What counts as an “initial filing” under this rule?
Examples include filings under Rules 81.07, 83.01, 83.04, 84.035, and 84.24 — the documents that start a new case in the electronic filing system.
How are documents served once a case is already underway?
Registered users serve and receive service of subsequent filings automatically through the electronic filing system, with no additional certificate of service required.
What if I’m not eligible to use the electronic filing system?
You must be served under Rule 43.01, and if you serve documents on your own filings, you must serve unrepresented parties the same way.
Does an ineligible party have to separately serve a party who has a lawyer?
No — if that party’s attorney is a registered user, the electronic filing system’s notice to the attorney counts as service.
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: serving a notice of appeal in Missourie-filing system service of documentscertificate of service appellate filingservice on parties ineligible for e-filing