Fairfax County Circuit Court Document Format Requirements
16 rules from official source documents
Font, margin, spacing, and file format requirements for court filings.
CRITICAL
Hyperlinks in filed documents are not supported.
Hyperlinks in documents are NOT supported.
CRITICALCivil cases
Condensed or multi-page transcripts are prohibited.
The use of condensed or multi-page transcripts is prohibited. Rule 5A:4
CRITICALCriminal cases
The Petition for Appeal must be submitted as an original plus three copies.
Original plus three copies required.
CRITICALCivil cases
Seven copies of the appendix and opening brief must be filed, and three copies must be sent to opposing counsel.
• Seven (7) copies must be filed; three (3) copies must be sent to opposing counsel.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Seven copies of the Appendix and Opening Brief must be filed, and three copies must be sent to opposing counsel.
Seven (7) copies must be filed; three (3) copies must be sent to opposing counsel.
WARNING
Users must ensure electronically filed scanned documents are legible and properly oriented, with a recommended minimum of 300 dpi for black and white text documents and higher resolution or color for complex documents.
System Users are responsible for ensuring that scanned documents filed electronically are legible and properly oriented. For black and white text documents, a minimum scanning resolution of 300 dots per inch is recommended. More complex documents, photographs, and images may require a higher resolution and/or scanning in color.
WARNINGCivil cases
• Contact Court of Appeals for cover and binding requirements.
• Contact Court of Appeals for cover and binding requirements.
WARNING
The court does not support hyperlinks in documents.
Hyperlinks in documents are NOT supported.
WARNINGCivil cases
Condensed or multi-page transcripts may not be used.
The use of condensed or multi-page transcripts is prohibited.
WARNINGCriminal cases
Seven copies of the appendix and opening brief must be filed with the Court of Appeals.
Seven (7) copies must be filed; three (3) copies must be sent to opposing counsel.
WARNING
Users must ensure electronically filed scanned documents are legible and properly oriented.
System Users are responsible for ensuring that scanned documents filed electronically are legible and properly oriented.
WARNINGCriminal cases
The Petition for Appeal must be filed as an original plus three copies.
Original plus three copies required.
WARNING
Skewed, blurry, or illegible documents may be rejected during clerk review.
Documents that are skewed, blurry, or illegible may be rejected during clerk review.
INFO
Pleadings and other documents may be uploaded in Word or PDF through the FSX portal for electronic submission.
Internet access allows you to upload pleadings and other documents in Word or as a PDF, to the FSX portal for e-submission to the Fairfax Circuit Court Clerk’s Office.
INFO
A minimum scanning resolution of 300 dpi is recommended for black-and-white text documents.
For black and white text documents, a minimum scanning resolution of 300 dots per inch is recommended.
INFO
More complex documents, photographs, and images may require higher resolution and/or color scanning.
More complex documents, photographs, and images may require a higher resolution and/or scanning in color.
What formatting rules apply to filings in Fairfax County Circuit Court?
Fairfax County Circuit Court's formatting rule includes documents may also be uploaded in word format through the fsx portal for e-submission.. Pleadings and other documents may be uploaded in Word or PDF through the FSX portal for electronic submission.
Related categories
Back to all rules for this courtPage & Word Limits
Maximum page counts and word limits for motions, briefs, and other filings by judge.
Courtesy Copy Requirements
When and how to deliver courtesy copies to chambers, including triggers, timing, and formatting.
Electronic Filing Rules
Electronic filing requirements, permitted filing channels, EFSP portals, and exceptions.
Filing Timing and Cure Windows
Filing cutoffs, deemed-filed rules, rejection handling, cure periods, and outage procedures.