Electronic Filing

**The information on this page is specific to District Court e-filing.**

Superior Court's Electronic Filing page: https://www.clark.wa.gov/clerk/electronic-filing

 

Effective September 1, 2013, Clark County District Court will require all attorneys and government agencies to file documents and pleadings electronically. People who are not attorneys and wish to represent themselves must file paper documents.

 

E-file FTP site:  ftp://courts.efile.clark.wa.gov

 

Registration

Before you can e-file, you must first:

Clark County District Court E-File Registration form (PDF fillable)
*This form can also be used to update existing e-file accounts.

  • Submit a completed registration form to the District Court Administrative Offices, by mail (PO Box 9806, Vancouver, WA 98666-8806) or email (district.efile@clark.wa.gov). A user name and password will typically be issued within two to four weeks.
  • Submit two test documents. After receiving your login information, please submit a one-page document and a multi-page document (specify clearly on each that they are TEST DOCUMENTS). Once your documents are filed and processed by the Court, you will receive a confirmation email. If the email does not arrive in your inbox, please check your junk mail. If the email does not arrive in either your inbox or junk mail, please let us know at district.efile@clark.wa.gov.

After receiving confirmation from the courts, you are ready to e-file.

File format

Documents may be submitted to District Court as PDF, TIF or TIFF format. Please be sure your documents are legible with clear images before e-filing. Documents that do not meet these requirements will not be accepted.

  • Converting paper documents to TIFF – Scan your document with a scanner that can create a multi-page document image in Group Type 4 TIF format and is configured for 300x300 dpi, black and white, Group Type 4 compressed.
  • Converting electronic documents to TIFF – There are many options available online for converting electronic documents to TIFF. You can download file converter software or subscribe to online services. To identify the option that is right for you, use a search engine to search for keywords such as “file conversion software.”

E-file hours

Documents can be e-filed between 8:00am and 4:30pm, Monday through Friday, except legal holidays. Anything that does not download from the FTP site before the 4:30pm cut-off will be downloaded the following business day at 8:00am.

E-filers are responsible for making sure that their documents have been fully downloaded to the Court before their deadline.

Notes:

  • The e-file system time is set by the county's system time, which may or may not match your clock exactly.
  • The downloading process takes time. Dropping a document into the FTP site at 4:28pm may or may not download to the court that afternoon.

Instructions on uploading documents

Once your documents are filed and processed by the Court, a conformed copy will be emailed to you. Please be sure that your primary email address is listed at the bottom of your filing documents. Conformed copies will only be emailed to your primary email address. If your e-filing is not accepted, you will also be notified by email. Please be sure that your email provider allows you to receive emails with attachments of 25MB in size and larger. 

Documents accepted through e-filing

The new local rule, LGR 30 Mandatory Electronic Filing, applies to pleadings related to an open court case, new cases and answers to writs of garnishment. Documents longer than 500 pages can be filed electronically or by hand.

New District Court cases can be e-filed after the filing fee has been paid and a case number has been issued. Please indicate the case numbers and e-file a copy of the payment confirmation.

To obtain a civil case number, call District Court at (564) 397-2060.

Filing fees can be paid online with Point and Pay:
https://client.pointandpay.net/recurring/ClarkCountyDistCourtWA
**Please limit each transaction to five (5) cases.

Documents NOT accepted through e-filing

  • Foreign judgments
  • Original wills
  • Certified records of proceedings for purposes of appeal
  • Negotiable instruments
  • Bail bonds
  • Documents presented for filing during a court hearing or trial
  • Documents of foreign governments under official seal
  • Bench copies for the judicial office

Some District Court forms can be located on the Forms page.

E-File Tips