Court Exhibit Tab Rule Checker
Does your court require exhibit tabs, allow them, or ban them? Tabzoola's free rule checker has 33court rules on exhibit tabs, each quoted word for word from the court's official text. Pick your court to see the rule and what to order — or, where tabs are banned, the separator pages to use instead.
The research behind it: court exhibit tab rules guide · the rules as a CSV (CC BY 4.0). Related: exhibit list maker, Bates numbering, free exhibit separator pages, printed exhibit tabs.
All 33 rules at a glance
| Court | Rule | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| California trial courts | Cal. Rules of Court 3.1110(f)(3) | hard 8.5 x 11 separator with the tab extending below the bottom of the page (paper exhibits filed with motions) |
| California trial courts | Cal. Rules of Court 3.1113(i) | tabbed as in rule 3.1110(f)(3) (paper copies of cited authorities the judge requires) |
| California Court of Appeal and Supreme Court | Cal. Rules of Court 8.486(c)(1)(B) | index tabs by number or letter (documents supporting a writ petition, paper form) |
| California superior court appellate division | Cal. Rules of Court 8.931(c)(1)(B) | index tabs by number or letter (documents supporting a writ petition, paper form) |
| New York Supreme and County Courts | 22 NYCRR 202.20-h | plaintiff numbered, defendant lettered (trial exhibit binder when the court directs one) |
| U.S. immigration courts (EOIR) | Immigration Court Practice Manual 2.3(c)(4) | alphabetic tabs from A, right side; electronic records use Tab A separator sheets; filings pre-punched with two holes along the top, 2.75 in apart (2.3(c)(8)) (paper records) |
| Board of Immigration Appeals | BIA Practice Manual 2.3(c)(5) | paper separator sheets preferred; if tabs, alphabetic and permanent (appeal and motion packages) |
| Texas appellate courts | Tex. R. App. P. 9.4(h) | tabbed and indexed; electronic versions bookmarked (paper appendix or paper record in an original proceeding) |
| Texas appellate courts | Tex. R. App. P. 9.3(a) | separator page before each document, no protruding tabs (unbound copy of an appendix) |
| Kentucky appellate courts | Ky. RAP 32(E)(1)(d) | extruding (protruding) tabs (brief appendix) |
| Kentucky appellate courts | Ky. RAP 31(F)(1) | separator pages instead of tabs (unbound copy) |
| U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit | 11th Cir. R. 30-1(e) and IOP 1 | indexing tabs staggered top to bottom along the right side, numbered by district court docket number (paper appendix) |
| U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit | 11th Cir. R. 11-4 and IOP 2 | right-side staggered tabs with docket numbers (record on appeal, civil appeals (district clerk)) |
| U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit | 9th Cir. R. 11-6.1 | each document tabbed with its docket number (paper clerk's record (district clerk)) |
| U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit | 2d Cir. L.R. 32.1(b)(4) | tabs permitted (appendix) |
| U.S. District Court, E.D. Virginia | Local Civil Rule 79(A) | binder, tabbed, numbered, indexed (trial exhibits) |
| U.S. Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Virginia | LBR 9070-1(A) | binder, tabbed, numbered, indexed (exhibits, when more than 5) |
| U.S. Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Florida | LBR 9070-2(b)(4) | tab numbers match the exhibit list; three-ring binder (witness exhibit binders) |
| U.S. District Court, D. Maryland | L.R. 105.5 | tabbed and indexed (exhibits to a motion, memorandum or brief, when more than 5) |
| U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit | 5th Cir. R. 30.1.7(c) | tabbed to match the table of contents numbers (paper record excerpts) |
| U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit | Fed. Cir. R. 27(d) | table of contents, then pages numbered or each exhibit separately tabbed (attachments or exhibits to a motion, response or reply) |
| U.S. Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Pennsylvania | L.B.R. 9070-1(a) | binder, tabbed, numbered, indexed (hearing or trial exhibits, when more than 15) |
| Pike County Court of Common Pleas, Pennsylvania | Pike Co. L.R. 205.2(a) | every exhibit tabbed and labeled (exhibits attached to any filing) |
| Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, Trial Division–Civil | Phila. Civ. R. *204.1(b)(5) | exhibit separator pages instead of tabs (legal papers filed on paper (scanned)) |
| U.S. District Court, D. Utah | DUCivR 10-1(b) | tabbed dividers on courtesy copies; cover page between filed exhibits (exhibits on a judge's courtesy copy (filed exhibits use cover pages)) |
| U.S. Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Texas | BLR 9013-2(e) | marked, tabbed, in a 3-ring or lay-flat binding (hard-copy exhibits in contested matters and adversary proceedings) |
| U.S. Bankruptcy Court, D. South Dakota | L.R. 9070-1(a) | binders, indexed, tabbed (hearing or trial exhibits, when more than 6) |
| U.S. Bankruptcy Court, C.D. California | LBR 5005-2(d)(1) | exhibits tabbed (exhibits to the judge's copy of any filing) |
| U.S. Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Texas | L. Rule 7016-1(g)(1) | each exhibit tabbed, numbered, indexed; tabbed copies to each party 5 days before trial (trial exhibits in paper booklet form) |
| U.S. Bankruptcy Court, D. Delaware | Del. Bankr. L.R. 7016-2(d)(vii) | premarked, separated by tabs, 7 days before final pretrial or trial (pretrial exhibit copies for opposing counsel and chambers) |
| U.S. District Court, N.D. Illinois | LR 5.2(f) | no protruding tabs; bold-type separator sheet instead (paper originals) |
| U.S. District Court, S.D. Florida | L.R. 5.1(a)(1) | blank separator sheet with the label printed on it (attachments to paper filings) |
| U.S. District Court, E.D. Texas | L.R. CV-10(b) | no tabs on the original; dividers or tabs on voluminous copies (paper originals (court and opposing copies should be tabbed)) |
Court tab rule questions
Does my court require exhibit tabs?
Many do, and some ban them. Tabzoola's court rule checker lists 33 court rules on exhibit tabs, each quoted word for word from the court's official text: most require tabbed and indexed exhibits in a binder, while 6 ban protruding tabs on the paper original and call for separator sheets instead. A judge's standing order can add to the rule, so check that too.
Which courts ban exhibit tabs?
Among the rules checked: the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (LR 5.2(f), no protruding tabs on a paper original), the Southern District of Florida (L.R. 5.1(a)(1), attachments may not be tabbed), the Eastern District of Texas (L.R. CV-10(b), no tabs on paper originals), the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas civil division (separator pages instead of tabs), and the unbound copies under the Texas and Kentucky appellate rules.
Should exhibits be numbered or lettered?
Follow the rule. New York's trial courts, for example, have plaintiffs tab exhibits by number and defendants by letter (22 NYCRR 202.20-h), immigration courts use letters starting with A on the right side, and federal appellate rules often number tabs by docket entry. Where no rule speaks, a party prefix such as PX-1 and DX-1 keeps the two sides apart.
Where can I get exhibit tabs that meet the rule?
Tabzoola prints numbered or lettered exhibit tabs to order, one tab per exhibit, collated in order with Mylar on every tab. A 25-tab Exhibit 1–25 set is $22.99 a set at 25 sets and $7.91 at 250, collated and 3-hole punched, with a free PDF proof. Where tabs are banned, Tabzoola's free separator page maker prints a page per exhibit instead.
How current are these rules?
Each rule shows the date it was last read on the court's own website, and new courts are added every week. Rules change, so open the source link before you file.
Tabzoola makes index tabs; this is a research aid, not legal advice.