Pennsylvania Federal Court Filing Formatting Rules: E.D. Pa., M.D. Pa., and W.D. Pa.

Pennsylvania federal filing format is not controlled by a single statewide federal rule. The answer depends on which Pennsylvania federal district is handling the case: the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Middle District of Pennsylvania, or the Western District of Pennsylvania.

The federal rules still supply the baseline. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 10 controls pleading captions, numbered paragraphs, and exhibits attached to pleadings. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 controls federal privacy redactions. But the Pennsylvania-specific filing mechanics come from the local rules of the assigned district.

For ordinary civil filings, the Middle and Western Districts have explicit general formatting rules. M.D. Pa. Local Rule 5.1 requires 14-point word-processing font, double spacing, one-inch margins, one-sided pages, separate exhibits, and a separate proposed order with each motion or request for relief. W.D. Pa. Local Civil Rule 5.1 is similar, but uses a 12-point minimum font. The Eastern District's bundled local civil rules focus more on ECF, motions, sealing, redactions, and exhibits; they do not set the same general font-and-margin rule in the local civil rule text reviewed for this guide.

On This Page

• Quick Answer
• Scope and Date Reviewed
• Pennsylvania Federal Filing Formatting Rules at a Glance
• Federal Baseline Rules
• Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• Middle District of Pennsylvania
• Western District of Pennsylvania
• Electronic Filing, PDFs, Signatures, and Exhibits
• Sealing and Redactions
• Summary Judgment Statements
• What Is Actually Different About Pennsylvania Federal Filing Format
• FAQ
• Primary Source Index

Quick Answer

If the case is in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, use M.D. Pa. Local Rule 5.1 as the main civil filing-format rule. It requires 8.5-by-11-inch paper, typed or printed matter within a 6.5-by-9.5-inch area, type no smaller than 14-point word-processing font or pica type, double-spaced text, one-inch margins on all four sides, one-sided pages, page numbers in the margins, separate exhibits, separate motions and briefs, and a proposed order with each motion or other request for relief.

If the case is in the Western District of Pennsylvania, use W.D. Pa. Local Civil Rule 5.1. It requires 8.5-by-11-inch white paper, type no smaller than 12-point word-processing font or pica type, double-spaced text, one-inch margins, one-sided pages, separate exhibits, separate motions and briefs, and compliance with the court's hyperlinking limits. W.D. Pa. Local Civil Rule 7 also requires every motion to include a proposed order.

If the case is in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, do not assume the Middle or Western District formatting rules apply. The Eastern District local civil rules reviewed here require electronic filing for attorneys, FRCP 10(a) form for electronically filed pleadings and documents, properly titled ECF events, exhibit labeling, ECF signature blocks, redaction of personal identifiers, and proposed orders with motions and responses. The main E.D. Pa. rules for these points are Local Civil Rule 5.1.2, Local Civil Rule 5.1.3, Local Civil Rule 5.1.5, and Local Civil Rule 7.1.

Scope and Date Reviewed

This guide summarizes primary-source filing and formatting rules for ordinary civil filings in the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Pennsylvania. It was reviewed on June 29, 2026. The local sources used were the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Local Civil Rules amended May 8, 2023, the Middle District of Pennsylvania Local Rules effective December 1, 2014, and the Western District of Pennsylvania Local Rules effective November 1, 2016.

This guide does not cover judge-specific practices, standing orders not included in the bundled rule corpus, criminal-only rules, bankruptcy rules, appellate rules, multidistrict-litigation orders, patent rules, Social Security procedures except where noted, emergency procedures, or every CM/ECF administrative instruction. Always check the assigned judge's orders, case-management orders, and current CM/ECF procedures before filing.

Pennsylvania Federal Filing Formatting Rules at a Glance

Federal Baseline Rules

FRCP 10(a) requires every pleading to have a caption with the court's name, a title, a file number, and a Rule 7(a) designation. The complaint must name all parties in the title. Later pleadings may name the first party on each side and refer generally to the other parties.

FRCP 10(b) requires claims or defenses to be stated in numbered paragraphs, each limited as far as practicable to a single set of circumstances. Separate claims based on separate transactions or occurrences, and separate defenses other than denials, should be stated in separate counts or defenses if doing so would promote clarity.

FRCP 10(c) says a statement in a pleading may be adopted by reference elsewhere in the same pleading or in another pleading or motion. It also says a written instrument attached as an exhibit to a pleading is part of the pleading for all purposes.

FRCP 5.2 supplies the federal privacy-redaction rule. Unless the court orders otherwise, a filing containing a Social Security number, taxpayer identification number, birth date, minor's name, or financial account number may include only the last four digits of the Social Security or taxpayer-identification number, the year of birth, the minor's initials, and the last four digits of the financial-account number.

Eastern District of Pennsylvania

The Eastern District of Pennsylvania local civil rules reviewed for this guide do not contain the same general paper-format rule found in the Middle and Western Districts. That matters. An agent should not import the Middle District's 14-point rule or the Western District's 12-point rule into an Eastern District filing unless another source, judge order, or ECF instruction requires it.

For E.D. Pa. electronic filings, Local Civil Rule 5.1.2 is the main operational rule. It requires civil and criminal cases to be entered into ECF, requires attorneys to commence civil actions electronically except as otherwise provided, and requires pleadings, documents, motions, memoranda, petitions, certificates of service, and other required filings to be electronically filed unless an exception applies.

The same rule says electronically transmitted pleadings and documents must be in the form prescribed by FRCP 10(a), and ECF transmissions must be titled according to the approved civil and criminal ECF event directory. For signatures, the ECF user's login and password serve as the signature for Rule 11 and other purposes. Electronically filed documents must include a signature block with the filer's name, address, telephone number, email, and state bar identification number if applicable, and the user's typed name must be preceded by s/ where the signature would otherwise appear.

Exhibits and attachments are also addressed in Local Civil Rule 5.1.2. The filer must submit only excerpts relevant to the matter under consideration. Excerpted material must be clearly and prominently identified. Each exhibit must be filed as a separately numbered attachment and clearly titled with an objective description, unless exhibits are filed in a single PDF with an index.

For motion practice, Local Civil Rule 7.1 requires every motion to be accompanied by a form of order that would grant the relief sought. Every response in opposition must be accompanied by a form of order that would deny or amend the requested relief. Uncontested motions must include a certificate of counsel stating that the motion is uncontested.

Middle District of Pennsylvania

The Middle District's formatting rule is detailed and concrete. Local Rule 5.1 applies to papers and other documents filed in the court, except original or true copies of exhibits.

Documents must be on paper approximately 8.5 by 11 inches. Typed or printed matter must fit within a 6.5-by-9.5-inch area. For non-electronic filings, the first sheet must leave a three-inch top space for court stampings and filing notices.

The type must be clearly legible and no smaller than 14-point word-processing font or, if typewritten, pica. Text must be double-spaced. Quotations longer than two lines may be indented and single-spaced. Headings and footnotes may be single-spaced, but footnotes must use the same font type and size as the body of the brief. Margins must be at least one inch on all four sides, page numbers must be placed in the margins, and no other text may appear there. Text must appear on only one side of the page.

The Middle District also has document-assembly rules. Papers must be secured with a paper clip, binder clip, or rubber band; plastic strips and staples are prohibited except for administrative and judicial records. Exhibits to a brief or motion must accompany the brief or motion but must not be attached to or bound with it. Exhibits must be separately secured, separated by lettered or numbered separator pages, identified on the top-right corner of the first page, and accompanied by a table of contents when there is more than one exhibit.

For motions, Local Rule 5.1 requires a proposed order with each motion or other request for relief, but the order must not be fastened together with the motion. Each motion and each brief must be a separate document. Local Rule 5.3 adds that, after assignment to a judge, all documents must include the judge's name in parentheses directly below the case number.

Middle District motion briefing is governed by Local Rules 7.5 through 7.8. A supporting brief is generally due within 14 days after the motion is filed, and failure to file it can cause the motion to be deemed withdrawn. An opposition brief to a motion other than summary judgment is generally due within 14 days after service of the movant's brief, or within 7 days after service of the motion if no supporting brief is required. A reply may be filed within 14 days after service of the opposition brief, and no further briefs may be filed without leave.

Local Rule 7.8 caps briefs at 15 pages unless the brief does not exceed 5,000 words and includes a Rule 11 word-count certificate stating the actual number of words, or unless the court grants prior authorization. A brief longer than 15 pages must include a table of contents and table of citations. A brief may address only one motion, except for cross-motions for summary judgment.

Western District of Pennsylvania

The Western District's main format rule is Local Civil Rule 5.1. It requires papers presented to the court or clerk to be flat and as thin as feasible, and pleadings and other filed documents must be on white 8.5-by-11-inch paper.

The type must be clearly legible and no smaller than 12-point word-processing font or pica type. Text must be double-spaced. Quotations longer than two lines may be indented and single-spaced. Headings and footnotes may be single-spaced, but footnotes must use the same font type and size as the body of the brief. Margins must be at least one inch on all four sides. Page numbers may be placed in the margins, but no text may appear there. Type may appear on only one side of a page.

Like the Middle District, the Western District requires paper filings to be secured with a paper clip, binder clip, or rubber band and prohibits plastic strips, staples, and similar fasteners except for administrative and judicial records. Exhibits to a brief or motion must accompany the brief or motion, but must not be attached to or bound with it. Exhibits must be separately secured, separated by lettered or numbered separator pages, identified on the top-right corner of the first page, and accompanied by a table of contents if there is more than one exhibit.

Each motion and each brief must be a separate document. Local Civil Rule 7 requires motions to comply with the Federal Rules, the local rules, the assigned judge's orders, and the assigned judge's posted practices and procedures. It also requires all motions to be accompanied by a proposed order of court.

The Western District has a specific hyperlink rule in Local Civil Rule 5.1. Hyperlinks are permitted but not required, and they do not make the linked material part of the court record. Electronically filed documents may contain links to Westlaw or Lexis/Nexis legal authorities, other CM/ECF documents, and other portions of the same document. They may not contain hyperlinks to sealed or restricted documents, websites outside the permitted categories, or audio or video files. Nonconforming documents may be ordered stricken.

Electronic Filing, PDFs, Signatures, and Exhibits

E.D. Pa. has the most detailed ECF rule in the bundled Pennsylvania corpus. Local Civil Rule 5.1.2 requires attorney electronic filing, treats the electronically filed document as the official record, provides that electronic transmission plus the ECF notice constitutes filing, and requires certificates of service identifying how service was accomplished.

E.D. Pa. also gives concrete exhibit-filing instructions. Relevant excerpts should be submitted rather than unnecessary full documents. Each exhibit should be a separately numbered attachment with an objective description, so the nature and relevance of the exhibit are clear without opening the file. A single indexed PDF may be used as an alternative. Text-searchable exhibits are encouraged but not required.

M.D. Pa. and W.D. Pa. incorporate ECF procedures by local rule. M.D. Pa. Local Rule 5.6 says documents required or permitted to be filed must be filed electronically and signed and verified electronically to the extent and in the manner authorized by the court's ECF standing order and user manual, except that unregistered pro se litigants file in paper. W.D. Pa. Local Civil Rule 5.5 similarly requires electronic filing, signing, and verification except for pro se litigants or as otherwise ordered.

For all three districts, the practical agent answer is to separate local-rule requirements from ECF-manual requirements. The local rules tell you the district's baseline rule. Current ECF manuals, standing orders, judge practices, and case-specific orders may add PDF size, PDF/A, text-searchability, courtesy-copy, proposed-order-email, or event-selection requirements that are not fully reproduced in the local-rule text reviewed here.

Sealing and Redactions

Privacy redactions start with FRCP 5.2. Public filings generally may include only the last four digits of Social Security and taxpayer-identification numbers, the year of birth, a minor's initials, and the last four digits of financial-account numbers.

E.D. Pa. adds Local Civil Rule 5.1.3, which requires personal identifiers such as Social Security numbers, dates of birth, financial account numbers, and names of minor children to be modified or partially redacted in paper and electronic filings. Local Civil Rule 5.1.5 says a document in a civil action may be filed under seal only if a federal statute prescribes sealing or the court orders the document sealed. Local Civil Rule 5.1.2 adds the ECF procedure: a motion to seal and the documents sought to be sealed are emailed to the designated clerk's office address, and documents ordered sealed are uploaded by the clerk under the appropriate setting.

M.D. Pa. Local Rule 5.8 says that, unless otherwise prescribed by federal statutes, federal rules, or other listed local provisions, no document may be filed under seal unless authorized by court order. It also states that sealed-document filing must follow the criminal local rule sealing procedure.

The W.D. Pa. local civil rules reviewed here do not provide the same detailed civil sealing text in the core civil formatting rules. Local Civil Rule 5.5 points filers to the court's ECF standing order and user manual for electronic filing mechanics. For a Western District sealed filing, an agent should check the current ECF procedures, assigned judge practices, and any case-specific order before giving operational instructions.

Summary Judgment Statements

The Middle and Western Districts have explicit summary judgment statement rules. E.D. Pa.'s bundled local civil rules reviewed here do not contain a comparable general summary-judgment statement rule.

In the Middle District, Local Rule 56.1 requires a summary judgment motion to be accompanied by a separate, short, concise statement of material facts in numbered paragraphs. The opposing papers must include a separate, short, concise responsive statement responding to the movant's numbered paragraphs. Statements of material facts must include references to the record, and the movant's facts are deemed admitted unless properly controverted.

Middle District Local Rule 7.6 also changes the ordinary opposition timing for summary judgment. A brief in opposition to summary judgment, the Local Rule 56.1 responsive statement, and supporting materials must be filed within 21 days after service of the movant's brief.

In the Western District, Local Civil Rule 56 requires the summary judgment motion to state the specific grounds for judgment succinctly and without argument. The motion must be accompanied by a separately filed concise statement of material facts, a supporting memorandum, and an appendix containing the documents referenced in the concise statement. The facts must be in separately numbered paragraphs with citations to specific record material.

The Western District opposition is due within 30 days after service of the summary judgment motion. The opposing party must file a responsive concise statement, an opposition memorandum, and an appendix. The responsive statement must admit or deny each numbered fact, explain any denial with record references, and may add separately numbered material facts. The moving party may reply within 14 days after service of the opposition submission. Facts claimed to be undisputed are deemed admitted unless specifically denied or otherwise controverted by a separate concise statement.

What Is Actually Different About Pennsylvania Federal Filing Format

The most important Pennsylvania-specific point is that there is no single Pennsylvania federal filing format. E.D. Pa., M.D. Pa., and W.D. Pa. must be analyzed separately.

The Middle District is the strictest on font size in the bundled local rules: 14-point word-processing font, one-inch margins, double spacing, same-size footnotes, separate exhibits, separate motions and briefs, a proposed order with each request for relief, and a 15-page or 5,000-word brief limit.

The Western District is similar in document architecture but uses a 12-point font minimum. It also has a local hyperlink rule that permits some links but forbids links to sealed or restricted documents, general websites outside the permitted categories, and audio or video files.

The Eastern District is different because its bundled local civil rules reviewed here do not set a broad font, spacing, and margin template like the Middle and Western District rules. The main Eastern District traps are ECF filing, FRCP 10(a) form, signature blocks, objective exhibit descriptions, sealing-by-statute-or-order, redaction of personal identifiers, and proposed forms of order with motions and opposition responses.

For agents answering formatting questions, the first step should always be: identify the district. The second step is to separate true local-rule requirements from judge-specific practices and current ECF procedures. A Pennsylvania federal filing answer that says only "use 12-point font and one-inch margins" is wrong for M.D. Pa.; an answer that says only "use 14-point font" is wrong for W.D. Pa.; and either answer may overstate the rule for E.D. Pa. unless a judge order or ECF instruction supplies that requirement.

That is the gap DocketDrafter's AI pleading formatter is built around. Drafting text is only part of the job. The filed document still has to satisfy the court's mechanical requirements: district-specific caption practice, font size, spacing, margins, page or word limits, signature blocks, exhibits, redactions, proposed orders, and filing-ready attachments.

FAQ

Is there one Pennsylvania federal court formatting rule?

No. Pennsylvania has three federal districts, and their local rules differ. The Eastern District, Middle District, and Western District each need to be checked separately.

What font size is required in the Middle District of Pennsylvania?

M.D. Pa. Local Rule 5.1 requires lettering or typeface to be clearly legible and no smaller than 14-point word-processing font, or pica if typewritten. Footnotes must use the same font type and size as the body of the brief.

What font size is required in the Western District of Pennsylvania?

W.D. Pa. Local Civil Rule 5.1 requires type to be clearly legible and no smaller than 12-point word-processing font, or pica if typewritten. Footnotes must use the same font type and size as the body of the brief.

What font size is required in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania?

The Eastern District local civil rules reviewed for this guide do not contain a general civil font-size rule comparable to M.D. Pa. Local Rule 5.1 or W.D. Pa. Local Civil Rule 5.1. Check the assigned judge's orders, case-management orders, and current ECF instructions before filing.

Are Pennsylvania federal filings double-spaced?

In the Middle District, Local Rule 5.1 requires double-spaced text, with long quotations, headings, and footnotes allowed to be single-spaced. In the Western District, Local Civil Rule 5.1 has the same basic rule. The Eastern District local civil rules reviewed here do not contain a comparable general spacing rule.

What margins are required in M.D. Pa. and W.D. Pa.?

Both M.D. Pa. Local Rule 5.1 and W.D. Pa. Local Civil Rule 5.1 require margins of at least one inch on all four sides. Page numbers may be in the margins, but no text may appear there.

Are proposed orders required in Pennsylvania federal court?

Often yes, but the rule is district-specific. E.D. Pa. Local Civil Rule 7.1 requires a form of order with every motion and every opposition response. M.D. Pa. Local Rule 5.1 requires a proposed order with each motion or other request for relief. W.D. Pa. Local Civil Rule 7 requires all motions to include a proposed order.

What are the Middle District of Pennsylvania brief limits?

M.D. Pa. Local Rule 7.8 generally limits a brief to 15 pages unless it does not exceed 5,000 words and includes a word-count certificate, or unless the court grants prior authorization.

Are summary judgment statements required in Pennsylvania federal court?

They are expressly required in M.D. Pa. and W.D. Pa. M.D. Pa. Local Rule 56.1 requires separate numbered statements of material fact with record references. W.D. Pa. Local Civil Rule 56 requires a separately filed concise statement, memorandum, and appendix, plus a responsive concise statement from the opponent. No comparable general E.D. Pa. local civil summary-judgment statement rule was found in the bundled local civil rules reviewed here.

How should exhibits be filed in E.D. Pa.?

E.D. Pa. Local Civil Rule 5.1.2 requires only relevant excerpts, clearly identified excerpted material, and separately numbered attachments with objective descriptions. A single indexed PDF may be used as an alternative.

Can I use hyperlinks in W.D. Pa. filings?

Yes, but with limits. W.D. Pa. Local Civil Rule 5.1 permits hyperlinks to Westlaw or Lexis/Nexis legal authorities, CM/ECF documents, and other portions of the same document. It forbids hyperlinks to sealed or restricted documents, other websites outside the permitted categories, and audio or video files.

Are judge preferences part of Pennsylvania federal filing formatting rules?

Judge preferences and case-specific orders are not covered by this guide, but they can change practical filing requirements, especially page limits, courtesy copies, proposed orders, sealing procedures, oral argument, and chambers-specific formatting. Always check the assigned judge's orders and current CM/ECF procedures before filing.

Primary Source Index