(A) Format.
(1) All filings, unless otherwise permitted by leave of Court, shall be in 12-
point or larger font, double spaced, typed or legibly written on 8 ½ by 11-inch pages, and shall
contain the signature of the self-represented party or the party’s attorney. Immediately beneath
each signature shall appear the self-represented party or party attorney’s name, address,
telephone number, email address, and the state court bar registration number followed by the
two-letter abbreviation of the issuing state in parenthesis for each attorney appearing on the
signature block. For example, an attorney licensed in Missouri would list his or her bar
registration number as “12345(MO)” See Court’s CM/ECF Procedures Manual at
http://www.moed.uscourts.gov/cmecf-procedures-manual.
(2) On all documents offered for filing, a blank area on the first page, no
smaller than 2 by 2 inches, shall be left in the upper left and upper right-hand corners.
(B) Filing Fees.
(1) Fees required by law in connection with the institution or prosecution of
an action in this Court shall be collected in advance by the Clerk of Court and deposited in
accordance with the directives of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, except
when, by order of the Court in a specific case, filing in forma pauperis is permitted pursuant to
28 U.S.C. § 1915. The Clerk may refuse to receive and file any pleading or document in any
case until the applicable statutory fee is paid, except in cases accompanied by a completed
application to proceed in forma pauperis.
(2) For instructions regarding payment of filing fees in an electronically filed
case, refer to the Court’s CM/ECF Procedures Manual at http://www.moed.uscourts.gov/cmecf-
procedures-manual.
(C) Where to Submit Papers.
Except in Bankruptcy Court proceedings, all documents permitted to be filed in
paper format in a case in the Eastern Division or Northern Division shall be delivered to the
Clerk’s office in St. Louis, and all documents permitted to be filed in paper format in a case in
the Southeastern Division shall be delivered to the Clerk’s office in Cape Girardeau.
(D) Files and Records Open to Examination.
(1) Except as otherwise provided or ordered, any material filed in the Clerk’s
office may be examined by any person within the confines of the Clerk’s office or through the
Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system.
(2) No material on file shall be taken from the Clerk’s office, except upon
order of the Court and receipt given by the party taking the same. Upon payment of the fee
prescribed by the Court or the PACER Service Center, any person may obtain copies of any
material which may be examined under the provisions of this rule.
(Amended August 12, 1998, effective September 16, 1998; Amended July 10, 2006; effective August 28, 2006; Amended October 2, 2019,
effective November 1, 2019)
