Rule 21.040.Format of Documents to Be Filed Electronically
Current through August 1, 2026 · Last verified September 12, 2026
Full Text of Rule 21.040
Plain-English Summary
Format comes first. Every document submitted electronically must be a Portable Document Format (PDF) or PDF/A file of no more than 50 megabytes. A document over that size gets broken into separate files, each within the cap, and each submission must carry a description in the Filing Comments field identifying which part of the document that file holds.
The default is one file, not several. When a filing incorporates a documentary exhibit, an affidavit, a declaration, a certificate of service, or another document, submit the whole thing as a unified single PDF to the extent practicable — and the affidavit and declaration language reaches only an affidavit or declaration that is an incorporated document. Two things break out. A proposed order or judgment, or anything else needing the court's signature, goes in as a separate electronic filing alongside the motion. And in a case that is not itself confidential, an incorporated document that is confidential or otherwise exempt from disclosure goes in separately and must be designated confidential. Both splits need a Filing Comments description identifying each piece.
Formatting standards do not relax because the document is electronic. Viewed on screen and printed, a submitted document must comply with ORCP 9 E and with UTCR 2.010, the general form-of-documents rule. The one exception is any requirement that a document bear a physical signature when filed, which UTCR 21.090 handles instead.
When an electronic filing creates a new case or adds a party, the filer enters the names of all known parties, or all parties being added, into the Add Party screen, and enters them in proper case — John Doe, not JOHN DOE. Formatting is not cosmetic here: the court may reject a submission that does not comply, under the rejection provisions of UTCR 21.080.
Frequently Asked Questions
What file format does Oregon eFiling require?
A PDF or PDF/A file that does not exceed 50 megabytes. Anything larger has to be split into separate files that each stay within the limit.
What do I do if my document is bigger than the size limit?
Break it into separate files of no more than 50 megabytes each and submit them separately. For each submission, put a description in the Filing Comments field that clearly identifies the part of the document that file represents — the rule's own example is a motion for summary judgment filed as part 1 of 2.
Do I file a motion and its proposed order together or separately?
Separately. A motion or similar document goes in as its own electronically filed document, and the corresponding proposed order, judgment, or any other document requiring court signature goes in as a separate electronically filed document. Describe each in the Filing Comments field so the court can tell them apart.
How do I eFile a confidential exhibit attached to a motion in a case that is not confidential?
Submit the incorporated confidential document as a separate electronically filed document and designate it as confidential. Identify each piece in the Filing Comments field.
A filer eFiling a confidential document, or any document in a case that is confidential by statute or rule, also has to follow the designation rules in UTCR 21.070.
Does an electronic document still have to follow the paper formatting rules?
Yes. When viewed electronically and when printed, the document must comply with ORCP 9 E and UTCR 2.010. The only relief is from any requirement that the document bear a physical signature when filed.