(a) Briefs filed in the appellate courts shall conform to the requirements of Rule 84.06. Transcripts filed in the appellate courts shall conform to the requirements of Rule 81.12.
Rule 84.03.Format of Documents.
Part II · Rule 84: Procedure in All Appellate Courts · Last amended January 1, 2024 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceRule 84.03 sets the physical formatting requirements for appellate filings other than briefs and transcripts — page size, margins, line spacing, and font — and requires that motions, suggestions, briefs, and writ petitions and their answers be filed as text-searchable PDFs unless the filer is ineligible for electronic filing.
Full Text of Rule 84.03
(b) Except as provided by local court rules, all other documents filed in the appellate courts shall conform to the following provisions:
(1) Documents shall be legible, formatted for pages of size 8 ½ x 11 inches, and have all pages, including the cover page, consecutively paginated using Arabic numerals at the bottom.
(2) Documents shall have a left, right, top, and bottom margin of not less than one inch and shall have line spacing not less than 1.5, except that the following may be single-spaced: the caption; headings; quotations more than two lines long; footnotes; certificate of service or other certificates required by Rule 84.06(c); and signature block. Page numbers may appear in the bottom margin, but no other text may appear in the margins.
(3) The font, including footnotes, shall not be smaller than 13 point, Times New Roman.
(c) The following documents shall be filed in text searchable PDF, except those filed by parties ineligible for electronic filing:
(1) Applications and Motions;
(2) Suggestions;
(3) Briefs;
(4) Petitions for a Writ; and
(5) Answers and Returns to a Writ.
Amendment History
Adopted June 13, 1979, eff. Jan. 1, 1980. Amended July 27, 1979; Sept. 28, 1993, eff. Jan. 1, 1994. Repealed Dec. 27, 2012, effective July 1, 2013; Amended Mar. 7, 2022, eff. Jan 1, 2024.
Plain-English Summary
Briefs follow Rule 84.06 and transcripts follow Rule 81.12, but everything else filed in a Missouri appellate court follows the formatting rules in Rule 84.03. Documents must be legible, sized for standard 8½ x 11 paper, and consecutively paginated with Arabic numerals at the bottom, including the cover page. Margins on all four sides must run at least one inch, and line spacing must be at least 1.5 — though the caption, headings, quotations longer than two lines, footnotes, required certificates, and the signature block may be single-spaced. Page numbers can sit in the bottom margin, but nothing else may appear in the margins. Text, footnotes included, must be set in a font no smaller than 13-point Times New Roman.
The rule also identifies which categories of documents must be filed as text-searchable PDFs: applications and motions, suggestions, briefs, petitions for a writ, and answers and returns to a writ. That requirement doesn’t apply to filers who are ineligible for electronic filing and are filing on paper instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
What font and size does Missouri require for appellate filings?
A font no smaller than 13-point Times New Roman, including in footnotes.
What are the margin requirements?
At least one inch on the left, right, top, and bottom of every page.
Can any part of a filing be single-spaced?
Yes — the caption, headings, quotations longer than two lines, footnotes, required certificates, and the signature block may be single-spaced even though the body text must use at least 1.5 line spacing.
Do transcripts have to follow this rule’s formatting?
No, transcripts follow Rule 81.12, and briefs follow Rule 84.06; Rule 84.03 covers other documents.
Which documents must be filed as text-searchable PDFs?
Applications and motions, suggestions, briefs, petitions for a writ, and answers and returns to a writ, unless the filer is ineligible for electronic filing.
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: Missouri appellate document formatting13 point Times New Roman requirementtext searchable PDF filing requirementappellate margins and line spacing