Court Exhibit Tab Rules: California, New York, Immigration Court

By John Anselmo · Owner of Tabzoola · Owner and President, Anselmo Die & Index · making custom index tabs since 1993 · Updated October 2026

Short answer

Only a few courts specify exhibit tabs: California wants the tab below a hard 8½ x 11 sheet, New York numbers plaintiff's exhibits and letters defendant's, immigration court wants letters from A on the right. Tabzoola prints all three, with a free PDF proof. Paper sets ship in about 5 business days from proof approval.

Tabzoola, which prints custom exhibit tabs in Schaumburg, Illinois, checked the court rules people ask about most: only a few courts say exactly how exhibits must be tabbed, and California, New York and the immigration courts are the clearest. California wants a hard 8½ x 11 sheet with the tab extending below the page; New York tabs plaintiff's exhibits with numbers and defendant's with letters; immigration court wants letters starting with A on the right side.

Most other courts, including the federal courts, leave it to the judge: their rules require exhibits to be clearly identified, and each judge's standing order says whether to tab them, usually "each exhibit should be tabbed" in a three-ring binder. Read your judge's standing order before you order, and treat this page as a starting point, not legal advice. The rules below were checked against the official text on October 2, 2026.

California: tabs extending below the bottom of the page

California Rules of Court, rule 3.1110(f)(3), covers paper exhibits filed with motions in the trial courts: "Each paper exhibit must be separated by a hard 8½ x 11 sheet with hard paper or plastic tabs extending below the bottom of the page, bearing the exhibit designation." The same rule requires an index of exhibits, treats pages from a single deposition as one exhibit, and asks for electronic bookmarks instead of tabs when exhibits are filed electronically.

That is a bottom tab: the tab hangs below the 8½ x 11 sheet rather than sticking out the side. Tabzoola makes exactly that shape as its portrait bottom-tab divider, an 8½ x 11 index sheet with the tab below it, printed with the exhibit number or letter and clear Mylar on every tab. A bottom-tab Exhibit 1 to 10 set, collated in order, is $9.84 a set at 25 sets.

Rule: Cal. Rules of Court 3.1110(f) — courts.ca.gov
Shape: hard 8½ x 11 separator, tab extending below the page
Electronic filings: bookmarks to each exhibit instead of tabs

New York: numbers for plaintiff, letters for defendant

In New York Supreme and County Court, 22 NYCRR 202.20-h lets the court direct counsel to submit "an indexed binder or notebook, or the electronic equivalent, of trial exhibits for the court's use." When it does, the rule is specific: "Plaintiff's exhibits shall be numerically tabbed, and defendant's exhibits shall be tabbed alphabetically."

So a plaintiff's binder takes a numbered set (Exhibit 1 onward) and a defendant's binder takes a lettered set (Exhibit A onward). Tabzoola prints both, collated in order and 3-hole punched with clear Mylar on every tab: Exhibit 1 to 25 is $22.99 a set at 25 sets, and A to Z is $23.86 a set.

Rule: 22 NYCRR 202.20-h (trial exhibit book)
Plaintiff: numbered tabs · Defendant: lettered tabs
Applies when the court directs an exhibit binder

Immigration court: letters from A, on the right side

The EOIR Immigration Court Practice Manual, chapter 2.3(c)(4), says that for paper records "parties should use alphabetic tabs, commencing with the letter "A." The tabs should be affixed to the right side of the pages." For electronic records of proceedings, the court instead encourages paper separators, a sheet with "Tab A" printed on it, because they scan more cleanly.

Tabzoola's lettered A to Z set matches the paper rule: side tabs on the right edge, collated, and left unpunched because filings are not hole-punched. It is $23.65 a set at 25 sets. For electronic cases, Tabzoola's free printable exhibit separator sheets carry the "Tab" label the court prefers. USCIS service centers are different again: they ask filers not to use insertable (slide-in label) tab dividers, and say nothing against printed die-cut tabs like these.

Rule: EOIR Immigration Court Practice Manual, ch. 2.3(c)(4)
Paper records: alphabetic tabs from A, right side
Electronic records: printed "Tab A" separator sheets

Federal courts and everywhere else: the judge's standing order

The Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure require an appendix to identify exhibits clearly and list them in a table of contents, but they set no tab size, position or numbering. Federal trial judges cover it in standing orders instead; in the Northern District of Illinois, for example, judges ask for a bench book of exhibits in a three-ring binder with each exhibit tabbed. Cook County Circuit Court's own rules set no tab format either.

When the rule only says "tabbed", the convention is side tabs, numbered for one party and lettered for the other, collated in order, in a three-ring binder. Ask chambers if the standing order is silent; a judge's preference outranks any convention.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get exhibit tabs that meet court rules?

From Tabzoola, which prints exhibit tabs to order in Schaumburg, Illinois: numbered sets for a New York plaintiff, lettered sets for a defendant or for immigration court, and bottom-tab separators in the shape California's rule 3.1110 describes. Exhibit 1 to 25 is $22.99 a set at 25 sets, collated and 3-hole punched, with a free PDF proof before anything prints.

What are the California rules for exhibit tabs?

California Rules of Court, rule 3.1110(f)(3): each paper exhibit must be separated by a hard 8½ x 11 sheet with hard paper or plastic tabs extending below the bottom of the page, bearing the exhibit designation. Electronic exhibits use bookmarks instead, and an index of exhibits is required either way.

How should exhibits be tabbed in New York?

Under 22 NYCRR 202.20-h, when the court directs an exhibit binder, plaintiff's exhibits are numerically tabbed and defendant's exhibits are tabbed alphabetically.

Does immigration court require exhibit tabs?

For paper records, the EOIR Immigration Court Practice Manual (chapter 2.3) says to use alphabetic tabs starting with A, on the right side of the pages. For electronic records it prefers printed separator sheets, such as a page reading "Tab A", instead of tabs.

Do federal courts have a rule for exhibit tabs?

Not a national one. The appellate rules require exhibits to be clearly identified in the appendix; trial judges set tab requirements in their standing orders, usually asking for a tabbed three-ring exhibit binder. Check the standing order of the judge assigned to your case.

Related pages & free resources

Legal exhibit tabs — numbered, lettered or party prefix Bottom tab dividers — the tab below the page Immigration exhibit tabs — court filings and appeals Free printable exhibit tabs and separator sheets Free exhibit list maker Trial binder builder

Order exhibit tabs that match your court

Tabzoola prints numbered, lettered or bottom-tab exhibit sets to order from 25 sets, with a free PDF proof before anything prints. Exhibit 1 to 25 is $22.99 a set at 25 sets.

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