Spokane Municipal Court

		
		
                                                       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 8-1/2 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.  Paragraphs shall be double-spaced unless a mandatory form authorizes the use of single
spacing.

     (2)  Colored pages are only allowed for certain court-approved forms.

     (3)  Handwriting Pleadings, Documents, and Papers:  To ensure access to the courts for any self-represented party,
pleadings may be submitted that are legibly handwritten in black or blue ink, double spaced (unless a mandatory form
authorizes the use of single spacing) using only one side of each page.

(b) ? (e)  Reserved by state rule

(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 an action when such form is available.  Mandatory local forms may be obtained free of charge
from the Spokane Municipal Court Clerk or 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 that "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
correct cause number and report/incident number in the caption or correspondence may not be filed and may be returned
to the presenter.