Free Pleading Paper Generator: Numbered Lines, Completed Caption

Pleading paper is the lined, numbered paper used for court filings in California and several other states. Each page carries a column of line numbers down the left margin, most commonly 28 of them, separated from the text by a double vertical rule, with a single vertical rule at the right edge of the text. The numbers let a judge or opposing counsel cite any passage precisely, for example "page 4, lines 12 through 15." A filing on pleading paper also begins with a caption: the filer's name and contact block, the court name, the parties, the case number, and the title of the document.

You need pleading paper when the court you are filing in requires the numbered format for typed filings. The format is most strongly associated with California state courts, and it is also used in a number of other states, while many courts elsewhere do not use it at all. There is no universal rule: whether numbered paper is required, and exactly how it must be formatted, is set by each court's own rules. Before filing, check the formatting rules of your specific court and any standing orders of the assigned judge, or look at documents other parties have filed in the same court.

The traditional page has 28 numbered lines because it pairs 12 point type with an exact 24 point line pitch on a US Letter page: 28 lines of double-spaced text fill the writing area between a one inch top margin and a narrow bottom margin. The fixed grid means every copy of a filing has identical line positions, which is what makes citations to page and line numbers reliable. Some courts use a 26 line layout instead, which leaves more room at the bottom of the page for footer material.

Both formats use the same numbered left margin and the same line spacing; the difference is how many numbered lines fit on the page. 28 line pleading paper is the traditional and most common layout. A 26 line page ends the numbered area two lines higher, leaving a deeper bottom margin, and some courts prefer or require it. This generator produces either layout with one click. If you are not sure which your court expects, check its local rules or copy the format of a recent filing in the same court.

Word has a built-in mechanism for the numbered margin: section line numbering, found under Layout, Line Numbers, with the count set to restart on each page. To reproduce true pleading paper you also need an exact 24 point line spacing so 28 lines fill the page, page borders for the vertical rules, and the correct margins. Getting all four settings consistent by hand is fiddly, which is why the Word download from this generator arrives preconfigured: line numbering, line pitch, rules, margins, and the caption are already set, so you can simply keep typing and Word keeps numbering.

The caption is everything above the body of the document. The top left lines hold the filer block: the attorney or self-represented party's name, bar number if any, firm, address, telephone, email, and a line stating who they appear for, or "In Pro Per" for a self-represented filer. The court name follows, centered in capitals. Below that, the parties appear on the left, separated by a column of closing parentheses from the case number, the document title, and any judge, department, and hearing information on the right. This generator fills the whole caption from a short form.

Requirements differ from district to district, and many federal courts do not use the numbered-margin format that state courts in California made familiar. Some districts do expect line-numbered paper, others only regulate margins, font size, and spacing. The only safe answer is the specific court's own local rules and the assigned judge's standing orders. If the rules are silent, filings already on the docket in your case are a practical guide to the format the court accepts.

Yes. Paste or type your text into the body field and it flows onto the numbered lines, double-spaced by default, continuing onto as many pages as it needs, with the caption on page one. If you prefer to draft elsewhere, download the Word file: it carries the numbered margin, the rules, and the caption, so the format holds while you write. And if you leave the body empty, you get clean blank pleading paper pages to print.

The traditional format uses a 12 point serif face, most commonly Times New Roman, on an exact 24 point line pitch so the text sits on the numbered grid. Courts set their own requirements for font, size, and spacing, and some accept or prefer other faces. This generator outputs 12 point Times New Roman in both the PDF and the Word file, which is the conventional starting point; adjust it if your court's rules say otherwise.

Yes. The generator is free, produces the complete document with no watermark, and requires no signup and no email address. The caption and body are built in your browser, and the Word file is assembled on your own machine. We offer the tool because people who need pleading paper sometimes also need a complete motion or declaration drafted, and that is the paid service we sell.

The double vertical rule separates the line-number column from the text, and the single rule on the right marks the outer edge of the writing area. Together with the numbers they define the fixed grid that makes page-and-line citations possible. They are a standard part of the traditional format, and both the PDF and the Word download from this generator draw them on every page automatically.