Santa Cruz County trial binder and trial document requirements
Not legal advice. Rules checked against the code on August 20, 2026. Verify every date yourself. Read the full disclaimer
Core CCP rules were checked against Westlaw (via CoCounsel legal research) on August 20, 2026. County local rules are paraphrased summaries. Individual department and judge standing orders are included only where the court publishes them and we have read the document, so assume your own department has requirements beyond what you see here. Verify every date against the operative code sections, your court’s rules and your department’s own order before relying on it. Using this site creates no attorney-client relationship.
The short answer
- What the deadlines run off
- Not published
- Departments with their own order
- 2 publish their own order
- County trial binder rule
- Yes, in the county rules 2 of its departments require one.
- Rules this court publishes
- 34
The county rule is a floor. Where your department publishes its own order, that order controls and it is usually stricter.
Find your department
2 departments in this county publish their own trial preparation order. Each one below links directly, so you can send a colleague straight to theirs.
Department A, Watsonville Courthouse, 1 Second Street, Room 300, Watsonville, Hon. Rebecca Connolly
- Trial documents
- Not addressed as a department policy. All small claims cases in the county are filed and heard at Watsonville, and the published department-specific content is the calendar and the virtual courtroom: Thursdays at 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. in Department A, with overflow assigned out to Departments B, C or D. Evidence for a party appearing remotely runs on the court-wide Guidelines for Evidence Submission, February 2022, which set 7 court days prior for small claims, require a cover sheet and an index identifying the items, and warn that untimely submission may mean exclusion barring good cause, at the determination of the judicial officer. Separately, the court's Self Help Center publishes a tip sheet, Preparing for a Small Claims Trial, which the prior draft named but never read. It carries the only copies-for-the-bench instruction the court publishes for any calendar: bring 3 copies of everything including photographs, one for the party, one for the judicial officer and one for the opposing party. It is self-help guidance, not a departmental order.
- Binder
- Not addressed. No binder, notebook, tab or index requirement is published for Department A. The published requirements are court-wide: for a remote appearance, exhibits must be feasibly converted to electronic means and efiled as a single PDF with a cover sheet and index; for an in-person appearance, the Self Help Center tip sheet says to bring three copies of everything. Rule 2.8.04's prohibition on tabs and Rule 11.1.01's bulk, weight and foam board limits apply court-wide and therefore reach this calendar as well.
- In limine
- Not addressed and not applicable. Attorneys are not allowed in small claims, per the Small Claims Division page, and neither the local rules nor any Department A page provides for motions in limine on this calendar.
- Difference
- It does not differ on trial preparation, because Department A publishes no trial-preparation policy. Where the small claims calendar departs from the general civil pattern is venue and evidence timing, both set at county or court-wide level rather than by the courtroom: every small claims case in the county is filed and heard at Watsonville rather than at the Santa Cruz civil division, and the remote-appearance evidence deadline is 7 court days before the hearing under the February 2022 guidelines rather than the 12 noon Calendar Call deadline Rule 2.2.02 imposes in long cause civil trials. Nothing published says what Judge Connolly herself wants in the courtroom.
The order in its own words
"Small Claims cases are heard on Thursdays at 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. On the day of your hearing, log in to the Online Virtual Courtroom for Department A." Confirmed present on the Small Claims Division page.
Department B, Watsonville Courthouse, 1 Second Street, Watsonville, Hon. Denine Guy
- Trial documents
- Not addressed. Added here because the prior draft counted this department in its denominator but never enumerated it. The civil portion of this department's assignment is civil harassment restraining orders, plus small claims when assigned out of Department A. The Judicial Assignments page gives the department "Juvenile Justice and Civil Harassment Restraining Orders"; the Remote Appearance page adds misdemeanor and small claims overflow. Nothing department-specific sets a trial-document requirement. Evidence for a party appearing remotely runs on the court-wide February 2022 guidelines, where restraining orders are handled "As directed by the Judge for long cause trials" rather than on a fixed day count.
- Binder
- Not addressed. No binder, notebook, tab or index requirement is published for Department B. Court-wide Rules 2.8.04, 11.1.01 and 11.1.02 apply as they do everywhere else.
- In limine
- Not addressed. No Department B policy, and the county rules provide for in limine motions only in Rule 2.2.02 (civil long cause) and Rule 5.1.06 (criminal jury trials).
- Difference
- It does not differ, and it publishes nothing to differ with. The only department-specific published facts are the case types and the Zoom coordinates on the Remote Appearance page, and the court-wide rule that all restraining order requests are filed and heard at Watsonville. Worth flagging for scope: only the civil harassment restraining order calendar and the small claims overflow are civil. The juvenile justice and misdemeanor portions of this department's assignment are out of scope.
The order in its own words
"Juvenile Justice, Misdemeanor, Civil Harassment, & Small Claims (when assigned from Department A)" (Remote Appearance page, Department B case types). Confirmed present. The Restraining Orders page adds: "All restraining orders requests are filed and heard at the Watsonville court location at 1 Second Street, Watsonville, CA 95076."
Why your department can set a different date
Partial, and narrower than in most counties. The county rule itself fixes the document list and the filing deadline, so the core of the trial binder question is answered by Rule 2.2.02(c) and not by a department. What the rule hands off is courtroom mechanics after the case is called. Rule 2.2.02(a) provides that "Counsel may be referred immediately from the Calendar Call to the assigned trial judge for initial trial proceedings, such as motions in limine and scheduling," and Rule 2.2.02(e) sets the in limine response deadline at 2 court days "or as ordered by the assigned trial judge." The court's evidence submission guideline pushes the whole exhibit deadline for long cause trials to the trial judge: "As directed by the Judge once assigned a courtroom for trial." Rule 1.3.01(g) lets the court order paper courtesy copies case by case. The practical consequence is that the assigned trial judge is not identified until the Calendar Call, which is the Thursday two weeks before trial, and the same date on which everything is due at noon.
How your courthouse changes things
Two courthouses. Santa Cruz at 701 Ocean Street and Watsonville at 1 Second Street. The Civil Division page states that the Civil Division "in Santa Cruz, located at the Santa Cruz Courthouse, processes all civil matters, including general civil, name change applications, probate and unlawful detainer cases," and that small claims is filed and heard only at Watsonville and restraining orders are filed at Watsonville. Nothing in Division Two varies the trial-document rules by courthouse. Per the Judicial Assignments page the two general civil departments are both in Santa Cruz: Department 5 (Hon. Syda K. Cogliati, Civil, LPS, CARE, Unlawful Detainer, CEQA, Writ of Mandates, Complex Litigation) and Department 10 (Hon. Timothy Schmal, Civil, Petitions for Name or Gender Change, Probate).
County rules, area by area
These are the 34 rules this court publishes county wide. They apply everywhere in the county, and your department can require more.
Trial readiness conference
thursday two weeks before trial, keyed to trial Long cause civil trials are called at the Civil Long Cause Master Calendar Call, held on the Thursday two weeks before the trial date at 1:30 p.m. in the master calendar judge's department. Counsel must be prepared to give the court all relevant trial data, and may be sent directly from the Calendar Call to the assigned trial judge for motions in limine and scheduling. Every trial document deadline runs from this event.
Rule text and note
Civil Long Cause Master Calendar Call. All long cause trials will be called on the Thursday two weeks before the date set for trial at 1:30 p.m. in the department of the master calendar judge. Counsel must be prepared to advise the Court of all relevant trial data at that time. Counsel may be referred immediately from the Calendar Call to the assigned trial judge for initial trial proceedings, such as motions in limine and scheduling.
Santa Cruz uses neither trial readiness conference nor final status conference in civil. The Calendar Call is the functional equivalent and the only civil pretrial conference the rules create. The offset is a named weekday, not a day count, so it is written here as thursday_two_weeks_before_trial. Do not compute the date from the rule text. The rule does not say which Thursday, and the two natural readings are a full week apart: for a Monday trial, the Thursday of the week two weeks before the trial week is 11 days out, while the Thursday on or before trial date minus 14 days is 18 days out. Take the Calendar Call date off the trial setting minute order, or call the civil clerk at (831) 420-2200, because all eight Rule 2.2.02(c) deadlines key to it at noon. Subdivision lettering confirmed by rendering printed page 15 to an image at 150 dpi; Rule 2.2.06 independently cross-references Rule 2.2.02 (c).
Trial binder
See the rule, keyed to trial There is no general civil trial binder or trial notebook rule. The closest published requirement is the court's evidence submission guideline, which applies by its own heading to parties appearing remotely or who have received notice of an opposing party's intent to appear remotely, and which directs attorneys to convert all exhibits to electronic form and e-file the evidence as a single PDF carrying a cover sheet and index.
Rule text and note
Attorneys: All exhibits must be feasibly converted to electronic means. Evidence shall be efiled as a single PDF document with a cover sheet and index identifying the items. Proof of service may be attached or submitted as a separate document.
This is a court-published guideline posted on the court's own Local Rules page, not a numbered local rule, so it carries less force than Division Two. Read the scope. The heading limits it to parties appearing remotely, and the opening paragraph says a party appearing in person who has received no notice of remote appearance "may bring your evidence to court with you." The court labels the companion video guideline "(in-person and remote)" on the Local Rules page and does not so label this one, which cuts against applying it to an all in-person trial. If it applies, a single indexed PDF is the Santa Cruz substitute for a tabbed paper binder. The deadline is in the next row and differs for short cause and long cause.
Set by the court Paper copies of e-filed documents are not required as a matter of course. The court may order them case by case.
Rule text and note
The Court may order the delivery of paper courtesy copies of electronically filed documents.
This is the provision that answers the paper binder question for general civil. Nothing standing requires chambers copies, tabs or a set number of binders. Electronic filing is required in civil under Rule 1.3.01, whose opening sentence reads: "Electronic filing is required for civil, family, probate, LPS, appellate, criminal (subsequent filings only), juvenile justice (subsequent filings only), and dependency case types." Subdivision lettering confirmed by rendering printed page 8 to an image, which shows (d) through (g) exactly as cited here.
21 days before trial In a CEQA case the petitioner must prepare a trial notebook and deliver it to the trial judge 21 days before the hearing, or when the reply brief is filed, whichever is later. It has to contain the petition, all answers, the briefs, any motions set for hearing at trial, the statement of issues, and anything else the parties agree on. It is marked Chambers Copy.
Rule text and note
Petitioner shall prepare a trial notebook that must be delivered to the trial judge 21 days before the date of the hearing or at the time the Reply Brief is filed, whichever is later. The trial notebook must consist of the petition, all answers, the briefs, any motions set to be heard at trial, the statement of issues, and any other documents agreed upon by the parties. Any submitted trial notebooks are for the convenience of the trial judge and shall be marked "Chambers Copy".
This is the only trial notebook rule in the entire Santa Cruz rule set and it is CEQA only. It sits under Rule 2.11, Cases Involving the California Environmental Quality Act, inside Division Two, and by its terms binds the petitioner. Do not carry it over to a general civil trial. The rules index's only Trial Notebook entry points to page 30, which is this rule. The deadline is the later of 21 days before the hearing or the reply brief filing, so a late reply pushes it out rather than in. Revised 1/1/26. Single unlettered paragraph, confirmed by reading printed page 30.
21 days before trial In a CEQA case the petitioner, working with the responding parties, must prepare excerpts of the key administrative record for the trial judge and submit them to the clerk 21 days before the hearing or when the reply brief is filed, whichever is later. The excerpts must include every page cited in any party's brief plus the page before and after each cited page, in a searchable readable electronic format or in three-ring binders, marked Chambers Copy.
Rule text and note
Petitioner, in cooperation with the responding parties, must prepare a collection of the key Administrative Record for the use of the trial judge. The excerpts shall be submitted to the clerk of the court 21 days before the date of the hearing or at the time the Reply Brief is filed, whichever is later. The collection shall contain each page of the Administrative Record cited in any of the parties' briefs, including the page before and the page following the cited page in the Administrative Record. The collection of Administrative Record excerpts must be in an electronic format that is both searchable and readable or housed in three-ring binders. Any submitted administrative record excerpts are for the convenience of the trial judge and shall be marked "Chambers Copy".
CEQA only, same caveat as Rule 2.11.04. This is the one place in the rules where three-ring binders are named as an accepted format, and even there electronic is the stated alternative. Note the cooperation duty: this is the only civil trial submission in Santa Cruz that is expressly joint. Revised 1/1/26. The body of the rules titles it Administrative Record Excerpts; the rule history appendix at the back of the same PDF titles it Administrative Record Documents.
Trial documents
At the trial readiness conference For a long cause civil trial, eight categories of trial document are all due at the same moment: 12 noon on the day of the Calendar Call. Proposed jury instructions, motions in limine, witness lists, exhibit lists, trial briefs, proposed jury voir dire and questionnaires, proposed statements of the case, and proposed special verdict forms. The rule says filed, not lodged and not merely served.
Rule text and note
All proposed jury instructions, motions in limine, witness lists, exhibit lists, trial briefs, proposed jury voir dire/questionnaires, proposed statements of the case, and proposed special verdict forms shall be filed no later than 12 noon the day of the Calendar Call.
This single sentence is the whole civil trial-document regime in Santa Cruz. Everything lands at once on the Thursday two weeks before trial, at noon, not on a staggered schedule. Watch the interaction with e-filing: Rule 1.3.01(e) deems a document received by 11:59 p.m. filed that court day, but Rule 2.2.02(c) sets its own noon cutoff for these eight documents, so file before noon rather than relying on the general rule. Electronic filing is required in civil under Rule 1.3.01. The rule sets no separate service deadline and no meet and confer obligation.
Witness lists
At the trial readiness conference Witness lists in a long cause civil trial are filed no later than 12 noon on the day of the Calendar Call. The rule prescribes no content or format for the list.
Rule text and note
All proposed jury instructions, motions in limine, witness lists, exhibit lists, trial briefs, proposed jury voir dire/questionnaires, proposed statements of the case, and proposed special verdict forms shall be filed no later than 12 noon the day of the Calendar Call.
Per party, not joint. Nothing in Division Two requires a joint witness list, an offer of proof, time estimates or a designation of expert versus percipient witnesses. I read Division Two in full, including the full rule list from Rule 2.1.01 through Rule 2.11.05. Rule 2.2.02(c) is silent on short cause trials, so the only trial document the rules require in a short cause case is the trial brief under Rule 2.2.06.
Exhibit lists
At the trial readiness conference Exhibit lists in a long cause civil trial are filed no later than 12 noon on the day of the Calendar Call. The rule prescribes no numbering convention, no joint list and no exchange requirement.
Rule text and note
All proposed jury instructions, motions in limine, witness lists, exhibit lists, trial briefs, proposed jury voir dire/questionnaires, proposed statements of the case, and proposed special verdict forms shall be filed no later than 12 noon the day of the Calendar Call.
The exhibit list is separate from the exhibits themselves. Submission of the actual evidence runs through the court's evidence submission guideline and Rule 11.1.01, both of which have their own rows below.
7 court days before trial Under the court's evidence submission guideline, evidence must be served on every opposing party and submitted to the court 7 court days before a civil short cause trial. For a long cause trial set on the Master Calendar there is no fixed date: the assigned trial judge sets it once a courtroom is assigned.
Rule text and note
Civil Short Cause Trials 7 court days prior
The same table's long cause row reads "Long Cause Trials" over "(set for Master Calendar)" against "As directed by the Judge once assigned a courtroom for trial" with no period. So for a long cause construction defect case the exhibit submission deadline is court_set and will not be known until after the Calendar Call, even though the exhibit list itself is due at noon that same day under Rule 2.2.02(c). The table also carries Probate, Family Law and Small Claims at 7 court days and Unlawful Detainers at 5 court days, all outside this scope. The guideline adds: "Unless directed otherwise by the judge, service may be completed by any method including mail, email, fax, or personal delivery." Same remote-appearance scope caveat as the row above.
At trial Any evidence stored on removable media must arrive accompanied by an exhibit list that states each exhibit on the device in the order it appears on the device.
Rule text and note
Evidence stored on removable storage devices, including but not limited to flash drives/USB's, memory sticks and compact discs, shall be accompanied by an exhibit list. The list shall state each exhibit on the device in the order they appear.
Division Eleven applies court wide, not just to criminal. Note the ordering requirement: the list has to track the device's own order, not the order counsel intends to use at trial. Subdivision lettering confirmed by rendering printed page 107, which shows (a) through (e).
Jury instructions
At the trial readiness conference Proposed jury instructions in a long cause civil trial are filed no later than 12 noon on the day of the Calendar Call. The rule does not require a joint set, does not address disputed versus agreed instructions, and sets no format.
Rule text and note
All proposed jury instructions, motions in limine, witness lists, exhibit lists, trial briefs, proposed jury voir dire/questionnaires, proposed statements of the case, and proposed special verdict forms shall be filed no later than 12 noon the day of the Calendar Call.
CRC 2.1055 supplies the format and the joint-submission mechanics the local rule leaves out. Rule 1.1.02 provides that the local rules "are intended to supplement and in no way reduce any requirements of the California Rules of Court."
Verdict forms
At the trial readiness conference Proposed special verdict forms in a long cause civil trial are filed no later than 12 noon on the day of the Calendar Call.
Rule text and note
All proposed jury instructions, motions in limine, witness lists, exhibit lists, trial briefs, proposed jury voir dire/questionnaires, proposed statements of the case, and proposed special verdict forms shall be filed no later than 12 noon the day of the Calendar Call.
The rule names special verdict forms specifically. It does not mention general verdict forms or a general verdict with special findings. Read literally it requires a proposed special verdict form when one is being sought and is silent on the other two options.
Statement of the case
At the trial readiness conference A proposed statement of the case in a long cause civil trial is filed no later than 12 noon on the day of the Calendar Call. The rule prescribes no content, no length and no joint preparation.
Rule text and note
All proposed jury instructions, motions in limine, witness lists, exhibit lists, trial briefs, proposed jury voir dire/questionnaires, proposed statements of the case, and proposed special verdict forms shall be filed no later than 12 noon the day of the Calendar Call.
This is the short neutral statement read to the jury panel, distinct from the trial brief required by Rule 2.2.06. Both are due at the same moment. The only Santa Cruz rule that details what a trial statement must contain sits in Division Four, Probate, and does not reach general civil.
Trial brief
5 court days before trial A trial brief is mandatory in every civil trial in Santa Cruz, court trial or jury trial, and must summarize the facts expected to be presented and the issues to be tried. In a short cause trial it is due at least 5 court days before the trial date. In a long cause trial the deadline is the Calendar Call noon cutoff, captured in the next row.
Rule text and note
Trial briefs are required for all civil court trials and jury trials. Trial briefs shall summarize the facts expected to be presented and the issues to be tried. See Rule 2.2.02 (c) for the deadline for trial briefs in long cause trials. For short cause trials, trial briefs are due at least 5 court days before the date set for trial.
The offset on this row is the short cause deadline only. Do not apply it to a long cause trial. This is one of the few genuinely mandatory civil trial documents in the county: the rule says required, not may. It is a single unlettered paragraph, so cite Rule 2.2.06 with no subdivision, confirmed by rendering printed page 16. No page limit, no format requirement. Revised 7/1/23 and again 7/1/25, so the court is maintaining it.
At the trial readiness conference In a long cause civil trial the trial brief is filed no later than 12 noon on the day of the Calendar Call.
Rule text and note
All proposed jury instructions, motions in limine, witness lists, exhibit lists, trial briefs, proposed jury voir dire/questionnaires, proposed statements of the case, and proposed special verdict forms shall be filed no later than 12 noon the day of the Calendar Call.
Rule 2.2.06 sends the reader here by express cross-reference: "See Rule 2.2.02 (c) for the deadline for trial briefs in long cause trials." That cross-reference independently corroborates the subdivision lettering of Rule 2.2.02, because the letters are auto-numbered in the Word source and are stripped by pdftotext.
Motions in limine
At the trial readiness conference Motions in limine in a long cause civil trial are filed no later than 12 noon on the day of the Calendar Call. Counsel may be sent from the Calendar Call straight to the assigned trial judge to argue them.
Rule text and note
All proposed jury instructions, motions in limine, witness lists, exhibit lists, trial briefs, proposed jury voir dire/questionnaires, proposed statements of the case, and proposed special verdict forms shall be filed no later than 12 noon the day of the Calendar Call.
The hearing date for the in limine motions is not fixed by rule. Rule 2.2.02(a) says counsel "may be referred immediately from the Calendar Call to the assigned trial judge for initial trial proceedings, such as motions in limine and scheduling," so the hearing can be the same afternoon, before the 2 court day response window in Rule 2.2.02(e) has run. Plan the opposition as though it is due with the motion.
At the trial readiness conference Every civil in limine motion must be in writing, must be limited to a single subject, and the motions must be numbered consecutively. The whole set may be e-filed as one document.
Rule text and note
Motions in Limine. All in limine motions must be in writing. Each motion shall be limited to a single subject and the motions shall be numbered consecutively. In limine motions may be electronically filed as one document.
An express carve-out from the usual one document per file expectation: the in limine set may be combined into one PDF. No oral in limine motions. Do not confuse this with Rule 1.3.01(k), whose In Limine Motions subdivision addresses criminal cases and points to Rule 5.1.06 in Division Five. Subdivision confirmed by rendering printed page 16.
2 court days before the trial readiness conference Responses to civil motions in limine must be filed at least 2 court days before the scheduled hearing on the motions, or on whatever schedule the assigned trial judge orders. A response may address only the subject of the motion it answers and must carry the same number as that motion.
Rule text and note
Responses to motions in limine must be filed at least 2 court days before the scheduled date for the hearing on motions in limine, or as ordered by the assigned trial judge. Responses shall address only the subject of the motion and shall be numbered the same as the motions.
The anchor is the in limine hearing date, not the Calendar Call and not the trial date, and the rules do not fix when that hearing occurs. Because the motions themselves are not due until noon on the Calendar Call day, a hearing held promptly after the Calendar Call can leave no room for the 2 court days. The "or as ordered by the assigned trial judge" clause is the release valve and the main department-level delegation in the civil trial rules.
Other
See the rule, keyed to trial Evidence submitted late may be excluded. The decision rests with the judicial officer and the only stated escape is good cause.
Rule text and note
The untimely submission of evidence may mean that it will be excluded barring good cause. This is at the determination of the judicial officer.
This is the only exclusion consequence the court publishes on the trial-preparation side. Nothing comparable attaches to the Rule 2.2.02(c) trial-document deadline. The guideline also states: "At the trial or evidentiary hearing, parties will need to address the court regarding their documents and ask that items be moved into evidence for consideration."
At trial Exhibits in a format that cannot be e-filed, such as a CD, DVD or USB drive, are submitted only in the courtroom, and the submitting party has to bring the equipment needed to view or present them.
Rule text and note
Exhibits in a format that is not appropriate for electronic filing (i.e. CD/DVD/USB Drive) shall be submitted in the courtroom only. The submitting party shall be responsible for providing the necessary equipment to view/present the exhibits.
Read this against Rule 11.1.01(f), which says audio and video capability to display and enlarge exhibits is available in each courtroom, and against the Courtroom Technology page, which says cables are not provided. The equipment obligation in 1.3.01(d) is on counsel.
At trial The clerk will not accept or retain a trial exhibit that is bulky, meaning over one cubic foot, or heavy, meaning over three pounds, or that is hazardous, toxic or biological. Admitted evidence is otherwise retained for the minimum statutory period.
Rule text and note
Except as provided in this rule, evidence admitted in any case shall be retained by the Court for the minimum time required by law, unless good cause is shown to extend the retention period. The Executive Officer/Clerk of the Superior Court will not accept or retain exhibits that are bulky, heavy, or designated as hazardous or toxic waste material or any biological material.
The thresholds are in the rule's own footnotes: "bulky" objects are those exceeding 1 cubic foot in volume, and "heavy" objects are those exceeding 3 lbs. by weight. This bites in a construction defect trial where destructive-testing samples, stucco cores, window assemblies or pipe sections are the proof. Plan to substitute photographs under Rule 11.1.01(f). Footnote markers 1 through 4 sit after bulky, heavy, material and material in the printed text and were dropped from the quotation above.
At trial For any exhibit the clerk will not retain, photographs, technical reports or identical dummy objects go in instead of the original. Foam boards and enlarged photographs used at trial have to be replaced with 8 1/2 by 11 photographs at the end of the case, because the court will not store foam boards.
Rule text and note
For exhibits that fall into one of the above classifications, photographs, technical reports or identical dummy objects shall be used in lieu of the original object. Foam boards or enlarged photographs that are used in a case shall be replaced by 8 1/2" x 11" photographs or copy of photographs at the end of the case. The Court will not store foam boards at the conclusion of a case. Audio/video capabilities to display and enlarge exhibits are available for use by attorneys and parties in each of the courtrooms.
The obligation runs at the conclusion of the case, not before trial, so the anchor is the trial date read forward. Worth knowing before the demonstratives get built: blow-ups have to be downsized for the record afterward, and every courtroom can enlarge electronically instead. The fraction prints in the PDF as a one-half glyph and is transcribed here as 1/2. Subdivision confirmed by rendering printed page 108.
At trial All civil trial exhibits, including deposition transcripts and administrative records, are returned to the offering party at the end of trial. That party must keep them in the same condition until 60 days after final judgment or dismissal of the entire case.
Rule text and note
All exhibits and other material offered in evidence or otherwise presented at a civil, probate, or family law trial or hearing, including transcripts of depositions and administrative records, will be returned at the conclusion of trial to the custody of the offering party. The custodial party must maintain all exhibits and other material in the same condition as received from the clerk until 60 days after a final judgment or dismissal of the entire case is entered.
Counsel becomes the custodian of the trial record the moment trial ends, which matters for an appeal. Single unlettered paragraph, so cite Rule 11.1.02 with no subdivision. This is the only place the word deposition appears anywhere in the Santa Cruz local rules, verified by full-text search of the July 1, 2026 edition.
At the motion filing Exhibits attached to any document filed with the court must be separated by a plain 8 1/2 by 11 slip sheet carrying the exhibit designation in the middle of the page in 36 point type. Physical tabs are prohibited in anything submitted for filing.
Rule text and note
Exhibit attachments to pleadings shall be separated by a standard size 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper with a title identifying the sequence of the exhibit. This shall appear in the middle of the page using 36 pt. font. No tabs shall be included in any documents submitted for filing. California Rules of Court must be followed, including Rules 2.256 and 3.1110.
This governs exhibits attached to filed documents, which includes the in limine motions and any declaration filed with the trial documents. The no-tabs rule is the direct answer to anyone assuming a tabbed binder: Santa Cruz wants 36 point slip sheets instead. Single unlettered paragraph, confirmed by rendering printed page 23. It sits in Rule 2.8, Miscellaneous Law and Motion Rules, inside Division Two, Civil Rules. The fraction prints as a one-half glyph.
At trial Whenever an audio recording is offered into evidence, an accurate written transcription has to accompany it unless the trial judge orders otherwise.
Rule text and note
Whenever an audio recording is offered for admission into evidence, an accurate written transcription must accompany it, unless otherwise ordered by the trial/hearing judicial officer.
Division Nine, Miscellaneous, applies court wide and is not limited to criminal. Single unlettered paragraph, confirmed by rendering printed page 102. This reaches any recorded homeowner interview, recorded board meeting, recorded walkthrough narration or video carrying an audio track that is being offered as evidence, so budget transcription time before trial. Rule 9.1.01 says nothing about when the transcription has to be produced, only that it must accompany the recording when the recording is offered.
Varies, keyed to trial The court does not provide an official court reporter for unlimited civil trials. A party who wants a verbatim record must arrange for and hire a private certified court reporter pro tempore.
Rule text and note
For matters where the court does not provide a court reporter due to unavailability, any party who desires a verbatim record of a court proceeding must arrange for or hire a private certified court reporter pro tempore to report any scheduled hearing or trial. See California Rule of Court 2.956, subsections (c) and (d) for rules governing procuring reporters.
Rule 9.1.02(f)(2) lists "Unlimited civil trials" and "Civil law and motion" among the subject matters where official court reporters are not provided. Note the odd lettering: the subdivisions of Rule 9.1.02 print starting at (e), not (a), a Word auto-numbering artifact carried over from the preceding rule. I rendered printed pages 102 and 103 and the letters read (e), (f), (g), (h). Cite them as printed. The rule sets no local deadline for retaining the reporter, hence varies; the only stated deadline is the fee-waiver exception in 9.1.02(h), which requires Judicial Council form FW-020 at least 10 calendar days before the date set for trial. Rule 9.1.03, the former civil court reporter request rule, was revoked 1/1/18 and folded into 9.1.02.
3 days before trial Counsel who want to set up and test their own presentation equipment before a trial date must email the court technology department at least 3 days before the court date. The courtrooms supply screens, a document camera, a sound system and HDMI and USB-C inputs, but cables are not provided.
Rule text and note
If you would like to setup and test prior to a scheduled court date with your equipment please email the court technology department at helpdesk@santacruzcourt.org. You must make your request at least 3 days prior to court date.
A court-published web page, not a numbered rule, so treat it as court guidance rather than a rule with teeth. It says 3 days, not 3 court days. The page lists what Departments 1 through 7 and 10 in Santa Cruz carry: an ADA assisted listening device, a 75 inch wall screen for evidence presentation, a digital document camera on plaintiff's counsel table and at the witness location, HDMI and USB-C inputs on the attorney tables, a multimedia sound system, and 28 inch screens at both attorney tables and the witness. Two traps for a construction defect trial: "Cables are not provided" and USB-C cables must be version 3 or 4 to carry audio and video. Watsonville Departments A through D carry the same package with a document camera on each counsel table.
Varies, keyed to trial A video offered as trial evidence is handled one of two ways. The court prefers the video be uploaded to a public video-sharing platform and the link emailed to all parties and to the court before the hearing, with the case number and hearing date in the subject line, using civilinfo@santacruzcourt.org for civil. The alternative is screen sharing from a laptop or computer during a Zoom appearance.
Rule text and note
Once the video has been uploaded a link to the video shall be submitted as follows: Emailed to all parties and the court prior to the hearing. Make sure to include in the subject line your case number and hearing date.
No fixed deadline, only "prior to the hearing." The guideline warns that a video uploaded as private will not be viewable and that screen sharing should not be done from a phone or tablet. Relevant in construction defect work for expert walkthrough and destructive-testing video. This is a guideline posted on the Local Rules page and the Civil Division page, not a numbered rule, and the court labels it "(in-person and remote)" on both pages, so unlike the evidence submission guideline it is not limited to remote appearances. If the video carries an audio track offered for its content, Rule 9.1.01 also requires a written transcription.
5 court days before the mandatory settlement conference If the parties stipulate into the court's Judicial Mediation Program, counsel must prepare and lodge a confidential mediation brief at least 5 court days before the mediation date. It may not exceed 10 pages plus up to 20 pages of exhibits. Missing that deadline can draw monetary sanctions, loss of the mediation date, or both.
Rule text and note
Counsel shall prepare and lodge a confidential mediation brief at least five court days prior to the mediation date. The brief shall not exceed 10 pages but may include necessary exhibits of up to 20 additional pages. Failure to comply with the requirement of timely lodging a mediation brief may result in monetary sanctions, the mediation being vacated, or both.
The anchor is the judicial mediation date, not a mandatory settlement conference date. Santa Cruz has no civil MSC rule: Rules 2.2.04 and 2.2.05 print in the current edition as revoked 1/1/09 and preempted by the California Rules of Court. Judicial mediation is voluntary under Rule 7.1.01, which states that "No cases will be ordered to mediation without the stipulation of all parties," and is requested on Judicial Council form CM-110 or by filing local form SUPCV-1012 at least 10 days before the case management conference. Under Rule 7.1.02 the case management judicial officer generally mediates, and by agreeing the parties waive any conflict if the case returns to that officer for trial. This is the only civil rule in the county that sets a page limit on a brief, and the only one that attaches a sanction to a pretrial filing deadline. Subdivision lettering confirmed by rendering printed page 99.
5 court days before the mandatory settlement conference The face page of a judicial mediation brief must state whether counsel and the person with settlement authority will attend in person or remotely. A person with authority to settle has to participate in the entire mediation.
Rule text and note
Counsel shall specify on the face page of the mediation brief whether counsel and the person with authority to settle the matter will participate in the mediation in person or remotely.
The full-participation requirement comes from Rule 7.1.02, which reads: "A person who has the authority to settle the matter must participate in the entire mediation." Rule 7.1.03(c) adds that parties are encouraged to exchange briefs and may lodge a second, judge-only confidential brief. Rule 7.1.02 also disfavors continuances: absent good cause, a request filed less than ten days before the mediation date will be denied, and local form SUPCV-1013 plus a separate declaration is required.
See the rule, keyed to trial In a CEQA case the party preparing the administrative record must lodge one copy in a searchable, readable electronic format complying with CRC 3.2207. A paper copy may also be lodged, but only if it complies with CRC 3.2208 and is bound in three-ring binders.
Rule text and note
In accordance with California Rule of Court 3.2206 the party preparing the administrative record must lodge one copy of the record in an electronic format that is both searchable and readable and complies with California Rule of Court 3.2207. If the party also wishes to lodge a paper copy, it must comply with California Rule of Court 3.2208 and be bound in three ring binders.
CEQA only. Electronic is mandatory and paper is optional, which is the pattern across this court. The lodging deadline itself comes from CRC 3.2206, not from the local rule. Rule 2.11.01 adds that the format of the record is governed by CRC 3.2205. Revised 1/1/26.
Set by the court General civil cases are set for trial at the case management conference, which the clerk sets roughly 120 days after the initial pleading is filed.
Rule text and note
General civil cases shall be set at the case management conference.
Rule 2.1.01 supplies the timing: the clerk appends a "CASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM INFORMATION AND SETTING" document to the initial pleading, "The first conference date shall be set approximately 120 days from the date of filing of the initial pleading," and the filing party has to serve notice of it. Collection cases under CRC 3.740(a) go to roughly 360 days. Rule 2.2.01(b) covers family law and (c) covers probate, confirmed by rendering printed page 15. Because the trial date is set at the CMC and the trial documents key off that date, the CMC is where the whole trial calendar gets fixed. It is also where the jury demand has to be announced, see the jury fee row below.
At trial Short cause civil trials are calendared on the daily 8:30 a.m. Law and Motion Calendar, not on the Master Calendar, so there is no Calendar Call and no Rule 2.2.02(c) document package. The only trial document the rules require in a short cause case is the trial brief.
Rule text and note
Short Cause Trials will be calendared on the daily 8:30 a.m. Law & Motion Calendar.
This is the fork in the road for the whole trial-preparation question, and the rules never define which side a case falls on. Short cause means the trial brief at 5 court days under Rule 2.2.06 and evidence at 7 court days under the evidence guideline. Long cause means the full Rule 2.2.02(c) package at noon on the Calendar Call. CRC 3.735(a) supplies the usual five hour threshold but Santa Cruz does not adopt or restate it. I searched the full July 1, 2026 edition for both terms and neither is defined anywhere. Single unlettered paragraph, confirmed by rendering printed page 16.
See the rule, keyed to trial Jury fees are paid as provided by statute. The local rule states no deadline of its own, so the deadline is the one in Code of Civil Procedure section 631, which in a Santa Cruz civil case is the date scheduled for the initial case management conference.
Rule text and note
Jury fees are to be paid as provided in Code of Civil Procedure §§ 631 et seq.
Do not read this as a 365 day deadline. I pulled CCP 631 from leginfo on 2026-09-14. Subdivision (c) makes the $150 nonrefundable fee under subdivision (b) due on or before the date scheduled for the initial case management conference. The 365 day figure is subdivision (c)(2), a fallback that applies only where no case management conference is scheduled, or in the pre June 28, 2012 situations in (c)(2) and (c)(3). Santa Cruz always schedules one: Rule 2.1.01 has the clerk set it about 120 days after the initial pleading is filed. So the operative deadline is that first CMC date, months earlier than 365 days. Two waiver traps under CCP 631(f): (f)(5) waives jury trial for failing to pay the fee timely, and (f)(4) waives it for failing to announce that a jury is required at the time the case is first set for trial, which in Santa Cruz is the case management conference under Rule 2.2.01(a). Relief from waiver is discretionary under CCP 631(g). Separately, CCP 631(e) requires a deposit of each day's jury fees and mileage at the beginning of the second and each succeeding day of trial, and (f)(6) waives jury trial for missing it. The Civil Division page links a Deposit of Civil Jury Fees FAQ.
What happens if you miss it
Rules 2.2.02 and 2.2.06 carry no sanction clause. I read both in full and neither states any consequence for a late or missing trial document. The published consequences that do exist elsewhere are these. The court's evidence submission guideline: "The untimely submission of evidence may mean that it will be excluded barring good cause. This is at the determination of the judicial officer." Rule 7.1.03(a) on judicial mediation briefs: "Failure to comply with the requirement of timely lodging a mediation brief may result in monetary sanctions, the mediation being vacated, or both." Rule 2.4.04 on informal discovery conferences: "Failure to comply with this requirement may result in monetary sanctions, termination of the informal discovery conference, or both." Rule 1.3.01(f): "The court may impose sanctions for violation of these requirements," on redaction. Rule 2.10.01: "Sanction Requests. All requests for sanctions not ruled upon are deemed denied." So a late trial brief or witness list in Santa Cruz is governed by the general sanction powers under the Code of Civil Procedure and the California Rules of Court, not by a local consequence provision.
Is a trial binder required at all?
No general civil trial binder or trial notebook is required in Santa Cruz. I read Division Two (Civil Rules) in full, plus Division Eleven (Exhibits), Rule 1.3 (Electronic Filing) and the rule set's own index, and the words trial notebook appear in exactly one rule: Rule 2.11.04, which applies only to CEQA petitioners. The index's only Trial Notebook entry points to that rule. There is no general civil requirement of tabs, an index, chambers copies, a joint binder or a copy count. Rule 2.8.04 affirmatively prohibits physical tabs in anything submitted for filing and requires 36 point slip sheets instead. Paper is the exception rather than the rule: electronic filing is mandatory in civil under Rule 1.3.01, and Rule 1.3.01(g) says only that the court "may order the delivery of paper courtesy copies of electronically filed documents." The functional substitute for a binder is the court's evidence submission guideline, which directs that "Evidence shall be efiled as a single PDF document with a cover sheet and index identifying the items," though its stated scope is parties appearing remotely. For a CEQA writ the picture is different and specific: Rule 2.11.04 requires the petitioner to deliver a trial notebook to the trial judge 21 days before the hearing or on filing the reply brief, whichever is later, containing the petition, all answers, the briefs, any motions set for trial and the statement of issues, marked "Chambers Copy," and Rule 2.11.05 requires administrative record excerpts on the same schedule in searchable electronic form or in three-ring binders. For a construction defect trial on the Master Calendar, the practical answer is to e-file the Rule 2.2.02(c) package by noon on the Calendar Call day, then ask the assigned trial judge at the Calendar Call what he or she wants in the courtroom, because the evidence deadline for long cause trials is expressly left to that judge and no department publishes its preference.
What this page does not tell you
Not published by this court
Finding
- No civil trial readiness conference and no final status conference. I read Rule 2.2 (Setting Cases for Trial) in full. It sets no pretrial conference of any name. The only Trial Readiness Conference in the entire rule set is Rule 5.1.06, which is in Division Five, Criminal Practice, and the rules index confirms it by listing 'Trial Readiness Conference: Criminal ... 83' with no civil counterpart. The civil anchor is instead the Civil Long Cause Master Calendar Call under Rule 2.2.02(a).
- No civil mandatory settlement conference rule. Rule 2.2.04 (Settlement Conferences) and Rule 2.2.05 (Settlement Conference Statement) are both printed in the current rules as revoked: 'Revoked 1/1/09 Preempted by California Rules of Court.' The index's 'Settlement Conferences: Civil ... 16' entry points to those revoked rules. Civil settlement runs instead through the voluntary Judicial Mediation Program, Rules 7.1.02 and 7.1.03, and Rule 7.1.01 states that 'No cases will be ordered to mediation without the stipulation of all parties.'
- No civil issue conference. Division Two contains no rule of that name or function, and the index has no such entry.
- No general civil trial binder or trial notebook requirement. The words trial notebook appear in exactly one rule in the whole set, Rule 2.11.04, which by its placement under Rule 2.11 applies only to cases involving the California Environmental Quality Act and by its terms binds only the petitioner. The index's only Trial Notebook entry points to page 30, that CEQA rule. No general civil rule requires tabs, an index, a joint binder, chambers copies or a set number of copies.
- No deposition designation rule. The word deposition appears once in the entire rule set, in Rule 11.1.02 on exhibit retention, and deposition designations are absent from the eight document categories listed in Rule 2.2.02(c).
- No joint trial document requirement in civil. Rule 2.2.02(c) speaks in terms of documents 'filed,' not a joint submission, and Division Two contains no joint witness list, joint exhibit list or joint statement requirement. Compare Rule 2.4.04, which does require a Joint Statement for an informal discovery conference, and Rule 2.11.05, which does require the CEQA petitioner to act 'in cooperation with the responding parties.' The drafters use joint language when they want it.
- No page limit, format requirement or content requirement for a civil trial brief beyond one sentence. Rule 2.2.06 is a single unlettered paragraph. It says only that trial briefs 'shall summarize the facts expected to be presented and the issues to be tried.' Contrast Rule 7.1.03(a), which caps a judicial mediation brief at 10 pages plus 20 pages of exhibits.
- No stated consequence for missing the Rule 2.2.02(c) trial-document deadline. Rules 2.2.02 and 2.2.06 contain no sanction, exclusion or waiver provision.
- No local definition of long cause or short cause. Rules 2.2.02 and 2.2.03 use both terms as the dividing line for every trial-document deadline but neither defines them, and no definition appears anywhere else in the rules.
Still open
Gap
- Whether either civil department issues its own trial-document, exhibit or binder order. The rules contemplate direction from the assigned trial judge in three places and the evidence guideline sends the long cause exhibit deadline to that judge, but the court publishes nothing. I enumerated every internal link and every PDF on the court's home page, Local Rules page, Local Forms page, Divisions page, Civil Division page, Judicial Assignments page, Civil Tentative Rulings page and Courtroom Technology page, and the phrase standing order appears nowhere on the site.
- Where the long cause threshold falls in practice. CRC 3.735(a) defines a short cause case as one estimated at five hours or less, but Santa Cruz does not adopt or restate any threshold, so which set of deadlines applies to a given case is not answerable from the local rules alone.
- What the master calendar judge actually wants at the Calendar Call. Rule 2.2.02(a) requires counsel to be prepared to advise the court of 'all relevant trial data' and does not itemize it.
- Whether the evidence submission guideline applies to a fully in-person civil trial. Its heading limits it to parties appearing remotely and its opening paragraph says a party appearing in person who has received no notice of remote appearance 'may bring your evidence to court with you.' Whether the single-PDF, cover-sheet and index requirement is enforced when nobody appears remotely is not stated.
- Whether the January 1, 2026 edition, still posted alongside the July 1, 2026 edition under the heading Current Local Rules, governs anything. I worked from the July 1, 2026 edition, which is later and which every page footer identifies as the operative version. I did not diff the two editions.
- Whether courtesy copies are expected in practice for a civil trial. Rule 1.3.01(g) permits the court to order them and no standing order or department practice is published.
- Whether a Santa Cruz case management conference order or trial setting order adds trial-document requirements in an individual case. Rule 2.1.01 describes the clerk appending a 'CASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM INFORMATION AND SETTING' document at filing, but no template is published and none appears on the Local Forms page.
- The trial-document practice of the complex litigation department. Rule 2.2.08 says only that 'The court follows the California Rules of Court for Complex Litigation matters,' and Department 5 carries the complex assignment. No complex guidelines are published.
Sources
Superior Court of California, County of Santa Cruz. Effective July 1, 2026.
Every document read for this county, 7 items
Effective July 1, 2026. Title page reads "Rules of Court / Effective July 1, 2026" and every page footer reads "Local Rules July 1, 2026". The court's Local Rules page lists this edition first under "Current Local Rules", above a January 1, 2026 edition.
- Superior Court of California, County of Santa Cruz, Local Rules of Court, effective July 1, 2026. The consolidated rule set, 175 PDF pages. Downloaded with curl, converted with pdftotext -layout, and read in full for Division Two (Civil Rules), Division Seven (Arbitration and Mediation), Division Eleven (Exhibits), Rule 1.3 (Electronic Filing) and the alphabetical index. Subdivision letters do not survive text extraction, so pages 15, 16, 8, 23, 30, 99, 107 and 108 were rendered to images with pymupdf and read visually to confirm every lettered citation below.
- The court's Local Rules page. Confirms the July 1, 2026 edition is current, links the January 1, 2026 edition, links the evidence submission and video evidence guidelines, and states there are no proposed rule changes out for comment.
- Evidence Submission for Non-Criminal Trials and Evidentiary Hearings for Parties Appearing Remotely, dated 2/04/2022, posted on the Local Rules page. Covers civil. Sets the attorney single-PDF, cover-sheet and index requirement, a deadline table by case type, and the exclusion consequence. Re-downloaded to an isolated folder and MD5-matched to confirm identity.
- Video Evidence Presentation in the Courtroom, dated 5/9/2022, posted on the Local Rules page and the Civil Division page. Sets the two permitted methods for playing video at trial and the civil email address for submitting a video link.
- Judicial Assignments page. Lists Department 5 (Hon. Syda K. Cogliati) and Department 10 (Hon. Timothy Schmal) as the civil departments. Carries no standing orders, no department procedures and no links to either.
- Civil Division page. Filing hours, courthouse allocation, and links to tentative rulings, hearing scheduling and the class settlement guidelines. No trial preparation or binder content.
- Local Forms page, full list. Checked for a trial readiness, trial setting or trial document form. The only trial-related civil form is SUPCV-1013, Application and Stipulation for Order to Continue Trial. No trial document or binder form exists.
Court rules change and department assignments change every January. Check the court’s own page and your department’s order before relying on this.
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