(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the chief administrator of the courts, with the approval of the administrative board of the courts, may promulgate rules authorizing a program in the use of facsimile transmission only in the court of claims and electronic means in the courts of New York having civil jurisdiction for: (i) the commencement of civil actions and proceedings, and (ii) the filing and service of papers in pending actions and proceedings. Provided, however, the chief administrator shall consult with the county clerk of a county outside the city of New York before the use of electronic means is to be authorized hereunder in the supreme court or the county court of such county, afford him or her the opportunity to submit comments with respect thereto, consider any such comments and obtain the agreement thereto of such county clerk.
§ 2111.Filing of papers in the trial courts by facsimile transmission and by electronic means.
Article 21-A. Filing of Papers in the Courts by Facsimile Transmission and by Electronic means · Last amended 2024 · Last verified July 21, 2026
In one sentenceCPLR 2111 authorizes the chief administrator of the courts to set up programs letting New York trial courts accept fax filings in the court of claims and electronic filings elsewhere, while guaranteeing that unrepresented litigants can never be forced to participate.
Full Text of CPLR 2111
(b) 1. Participation in this program may be required or may be voluntary as provided by the chief administrator, except that it shall be strictly voluntary as to any party to an action or proceeding who is not represented by counsel. 2.
(A) Where participation in this program is to be voluntary:
(i) commencement of an action or proceeding by facsimile transmission or electronic means shall not require the consent of any other party; nor shall a party’s failure to consent to participation in an action or proceeding bar any other party to the action or proceeding from filing and serving papers by facsimile transmission or electronic means upon the court or any other party to such action or proceeding who has consented to participation;
(ii) all parties shall be notified clearly, in plain language, about their options to participate in filing by electronic means;
(iii) no party to an action or proceeding shall be compelled, directly or indirectly, to participate;
(iv) where a party is not represented by counsel, the court shall explain such party’s options for electronic filing in plain language, including the option for expedited processing, and shall inquire whether he or she wishes to participate, provided however the unrepresented litigant may participate in the program only upon his or her request, which shall be documented in the case file, after said party has been presented with sufficient information in plain language concerning the program.
(B) Where participation in this program is to be required:
(i) such requirement shall not be effective in a court in a county unless, in addition to consulting with the county clerk of such county and obtaining his or her agreement thereto if the court is a supreme court or county court, the chief administrator shall:
(1) first consult with members of the organized bar including but not limited to city, state, county, and women’s bar associations and, where they practice in such court in such county, with (a) institutional service providers, (b) not-for-profit legal service providers, (c) attorneys assigned pursuant to article eighteen-B of the county law, (d) unaffiliated attorneys who regularly appear in proceedings that are or have been affected by a program of electronic filing in such county, and (e) any other persons as deemed to be appropriate by the chief administrator;
(2) afford all those with whom he or she consults pursuant to item one of this clause the opportunity to submit comments with respect to the program, which comments, including but not limited to comments related to unrepresented litigants, he or she shall consider and shall post for public review on the office of court administration’s website; and
(ii) as provided in paragraph three of this subdivision, no party who is not represented by counsel nor any counsel in an affected case who opts out of participation in the program shall be required to participate therein.
2-a. [Repealed] 3. Where the chief administrator requires participation in electronic filing as provided in paragraph one of this subdivision, he or she shall afford counsel the opportunity to opt out of the program, via presentation of a prescribed form to be filed with the clerk of the court where the action is pending. Such form shall permit an attorney to opt out of participation in the program under any of the following circumstances, in which event, he or she will not be compelled to participate:
(A) where the attorney certifies in good faith that he or she lacks the computer hardware and/or connection to the internet and/or scanner or other device by which documents may be converted to an electronic format; or
(B) where the attorney certifies in good faith that he or she lacks the requisite knowledge in the operation of such computers and/or scanners necessary to participate. For the purposes of this subparagraph, the knowledge of any employee of an attorney, or any employee of the attorney’s law firm, office or business who is subject to such attorney’s direction, shall be imputed to the attorney.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this subdivision, where a party is not represented by counsel, the clerk shall explain such party’s options for electronic filing in plain language and shall inquire whether he or she wishes to participate, provided however the unrepresented litigant may participate in the program only upon his or her request after said party has been presented with sufficient information in plain language concerning the program; and a party not represented by counsel who has chosen to participate in the program shall be afforded the opportunity to opt out of the program for any reason via presentation of a prescribed form to be filed with the clerk of the court where the proceeding is pending; and a court may exempt any attorney from being required to participate in the program upon application for such exemption, showing good cause therefor.
(c) For purposes of this section, “the filing and service of papers in pending actions and proceedings” shall include the filing and service of a notice of appeal pursuant to section fifty-five hundred fifteen of this chapter.
Plain-English Summary
Before e-filing became routine, someone had to build the legal scaffolding for it, and CPLR 2111 is that scaffolding for New York's trial courts. It lets the chief administrator of the courts, with the administrative board's approval, authorize programs for commencing actions and filing or serving papers by fax in the court of claims and by electronic means in the state's other civil courts. Rolling out electronic filing in a county outside New York City requires consulting that county's clerk and getting the clerk's agreement first.
The rule's real weight sits in subdivision (b), which draws a hard line between voluntary and mandatory participation. Where participation is voluntary, no party's refusal to consent can be held against another party who wants to e-file, and unrepresented litigants can never be compelled to participate in electronic filing. Where the chief administrator makes participation mandatory in a given court, that decision requires consultation with bar associations and legal service providers, public comment, and, critically, an opt-out for any attorney who lacks the hardware, internet connection, or technical know-how to comply, along with an opt-out for any unrepresented litigant for any reason at all.
Subdivision (c) makes clear the filing and service covered here extends to a notice of appeal under CPLR 5515, so the electronic filing rules reach the moment a case leaves the trial court, not just the proceedings that happen inside it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a New York trial court force me to e-file if I don't have a lawyer?
No. CPLR 2111(b) makes participation strictly voluntary for any party not represented by counsel, no matter what rule the chief administrator adopts for represented parties.
Can an attorney opt out of mandatory e-filing in New York?
Yes, under CPLR 2111(b)(3), by certifying in good faith that the attorney lacks the necessary hardware, internet connection, scanner, or the technical knowledge to participate.
Does my failure to consent to e-filing stop the other side from e-filing?
No. Where participation is voluntary, CPLR 2111(b)(2)(A) specifically provides that one party's refusal to consent does not bar another party from filing and serving papers by electronic means.
Who has to approve a county's electronic filing program under CPLR 2111?
The chief administrator of the courts, with approval of the administrative board of the courts, and, for a county outside New York City, after consulting the county clerk and obtaining that clerk's agreement.
Does CPLR 2111 cover filing a notice of appeal?
Yes. CPLR 2111(c) specifies that the filing and service covered by this section includes a notice of appeal under CPLR 5515.
Amendment History
L 2015, ch 237, § 2, effective August 31, 2015; L 2024, ch 579, §§ 2–4, effective December 13, 2024.
Source & verification. Provision text, History, and Advisory
Committee Notes are reproduced verbatim from the Consolidated Laws of New York.
Last verified July 21, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: New York e-filing trial court ruleshow to opt out of mandatory e-filing New Yorkelectronic filing unrepresented litigant New YorkCPLR facsimile filing court of claimsNew York NYSCEF authorization rule