Courts

SPMGR 14 Format for Pleadings, Papers and Electronic Media

(a) Reserved by state rule

• (1) Formatting: All pleadings, motions, documents, and other papers filed with the Court, except original citations, should be legibly drafted for production or reproduction on 8 ½ by 11 inch paper. The top margin should be at least one inch except as otherwise approved by the Court on certain forms. Except for footnotes, the font size shall be a minimum of 12-point.
• (2) Colored pages are only allowed for certain court-approved forms.
• (3) Handwritten Pleadings, Documents, and Papers: To ensure access to The Court for any self-represented party, handwritten pleadings may be submitted, legibly written in black or blue ink, double spaced (unless a mandatory form authorizes the use of single spacing), and utilizing only one side of each page.

(e) Required Content

• (1) Mandatory Forms:
  • (A) In order to promote clarity in pleadings, reduce drafting errors, and to expedite the processing and entry of pleadings by court staff, the Court has promulgated a number of local mandatory forms which are required to be used by all parties to take an action when such form is available. Mandatory local forms may be obtained free of charge from the Spokane Municipal Court Clerk or by accessing the Spokane Municipal Court website at: https://my.spokanecity.org/courts/municipal-court/forms/.
  • (B) Where no local mandatory form is available and a form has been promulgated by the Washington State Supreme Court, then use of the state form shall be mandatory. State forms may be obtained by accessing: www.courts.wa.gov/forms.
• (2) Police Report/Incident Number: Any document presented to the Court for filing that will impact the custody status of an individual, involves a No Contact Order, firearm rights, or warrant must include the correct police report/incident number in the caption of the document.
• (3) Action Documents - Clerk's Action Required: Pleadings or other papers requiring action on the part of the Clerk of the Court (other than filing, stamping, docketing and placing in the court file) shall constitute action documents. These include, but are not limited to, pleadings that must be forwarded to law enforcement, an evaluator, or a treatment agency. Action documents shall include a note in the caption indicating "Clerk's Action Required" with reference to the paragraph requiring action. The specific action required of the Clerk shall be stated with particularity in the body of the pleading or other paper requiring action on the part of the Clerk.
• (4) Correct Information: Any document or correspondence presented to the Court for filing which does not have the required content identified in this rule, shall be rejected for filing by the Court Clerk, physically marked accordingly, and returned to the presenter with a written explanation for the basis of the rejection.

(Adopted effective Sept. 1, 2011; amended effective Sept. 1, 2019; amended effective Sept. 1, 2021; amended effective Sept. 1, 2023)