Federal Rules of Civil Procedure

These are the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, as amended to December 1, 2024 1 .  Click on any rule to read it.

• RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE FOR THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURTS
• TITLE I. SCOPE OF RULES; FORM OF ACTION
  • Rule 1 . Scope and Purpose
  • Rule 2 . One Form of Action
• TITLE II. COMMENCING AN ACTION; SERVICE OF PROCESS, PLEADINGS, MOTIONS, AND ORDERS
  • Rule 3 . Commencing an Action
  • Rule 4 . Summons
  • Rule 4.1 . Serving Other Process
  • Rule 5 . Serving and Filing Pleadings and Other Papers
  • Rule 5.1 . Constitutional Challenge to a Statute—Notice, Certification, and Intervention
  • Rule 5.2 . Privacy Protection For Filings Made with the Court
  • Rule 6 . Computing and Extending Time; Time for Motion Papers
• TITLE III. PLEADINGS AND MOTIONS
  • Rule 7 . Pleadings Allowed; Form of Motions and Other Papers
  • Rule 7.1 . Disclosure Statement
  • Rule 8 . General Rules of Pleading
  • Rule 9 . Pleading Special Matters
  • Rule 10 . Form of Pleadings
  • Rule 11 . Signing Pleadings, Motions, and Other Papers; Representations to the Court; Sanctions
  • Rule 12 . Defenses and Objections: When and How Presented; Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings; Consolidating Motions; Waiving Defenses; Pretrial Hearing
  • Rule 13 . Counterclaim and Crossclaim
  • Rule 14 . Third-Party Practice
  • Rule 15 . Amended and Supplemental Pleadings
  • Rule 16 . Pretrial Conferences; Scheduling; Management
• TITLE IV. PARTIES
  • Rule 17 . Plaintiff and Defendant; Capacity; Public Officers
  • Rule 18 . Joinder of Claims
  • Rule 19 . Required Joinder of Parties
  • Rule 20 . Permissive Joinder of Parties
  • Rule 21 . Misjoinder and Nonjoinder of Parties
  • Rule 22 . Interpleader
  • Rule 23 . Class Actions
  • Rule 23.1 . Derivative Actions
  • Rule 23.2 . Actions Relating to Unincorporated Associations
  • Rule 24 . Intervention
  • Rule 25 . Substitution of Parties
• TITLE V. DISCLOSURES AND DISCOVERY
  • Rule 26 . Duty to Disclose; General Provisions Governing Discovery
  • Rule 27 . Depositions to Perpetuate Testimony
  • Rule 28 . Persons Before Whom Depositions May Be Taken
  • Rule 29 . Stipulations About Discovery Procedure
  • Rule 30 . Depositions by Oral Examination
  • Rule 31 . Depositions by Written Questions
  • Rule 32 . Using Depositions in Court Proceedings
  • Rule 33 . Interrogatories to Parties
  • Rule 34 . Producing Documents, Electronically Stored Information, and Tangible Things, or Entering onto Land, for Inspection and Other Purposes
  • Rule 35 . Physical and Mental Examinations
  • Rule 36 . Requests for Admission
  • Rule 37 . Failure to Make Disclosures or to Cooperate in Discovery; Sanctions
• TITLE VI. TRIALS
  • Rule 38 . Right to a Jury Trial; Demand
  • Rule 39 . Trial by Jury or by the Court
  • Rule 40 . Scheduling Cases for Trial
  • Rule 41 . Dismissal of Actions
  • Rule 42 . Consolidation; Separate Trials
  • Rule 43 . Taking Testimony
  • Rule 44 . Proving an Official Record
  • Rule 44.1 . Determining Foreign Law
  • Rule 45 . Subpoena
  • Rule 46 . Objecting to a Ruling or Order
  • Rule 47 . Selecting Jurors
  • Rule 48 . Number of Jurors; Verdict; Polling
  • Rule 49 . Special Verdict; General Verdict and Questions
  • Rule 50 . Judgment as a Matter of Law in a Jury Trial; Related Motion for a New Trial; Conditional Ruling
  • Rule 51 . Instructions to the Jury; Objections; Preserving a Claim of Error
  • Rule 52 . Findings and Conclusions by the Court; Judgment on Partial Findings
  • Rule 53 . Masters
• TITLE VII. JUDGMENT
  • Rule 54 . Judgment; Costs
  • Rule 55 . Default; Default Judgment
  • Rule 56 . Summary Judgment
  • Rule 57 . Declaratory Judgment
  • Rule 58 . Entering Judgment
  • Rule 59 . New Trial; Altering or Amending a Judgment
  • Rule 60 . Relief from a Judgment or Order
  • Rule 61 . Harmless Error
  • Rule 62 . Stay of Proceedings to Enforce a Judgment
  • Rule 62.1 . Indicative Ruling on a Motion for Relief That is Barred by a Pending Appeal
  • Rule 63 . Judge's Inability to Proceed
• TITLE VIII. PROVISIONAL AND FINAL REMEDIES
  • Rule 64 . Seizing a Person or Property
  • Rule 65 . Injunctions and Restraining Orders
  • Rule 65.1 . Proceedings Against a Security Provider
  • Rule 66 . Receivers
  • Rule 67 . Deposit into Court
  • Rule 68 . Offer of Judgment
  • Rule 69 . Execution
  • Rule 70 . Enforcing a Judgment for a Specific Act
  • Rule 71 . Enforcing Relief For or Against a Nonparty
• TITLE IX. SPECIAL PROCEEDINGS
  • Rule 71.1 . Condemning Real or Personal Property
  • Rule 72 . Magistrate Judges: Pretrial Order
  • Rule 73 . Magistrate Judges: Trial by Consent; Appeal
  • Rule 74 . [Abrogated (Apr. 11, 1997, eff. Dec. 1, 1997).]
  • Rule 75 . [Abrogated (Apr. 11, 1997, eff. Dec. 1, 1997).]
  • Rule 76 . [Abrogated (Apr. 11, 1997, eff. Dec. 1, 1997).]
  • [Rule 71A. Renumbered Rule 71.1]
• TITLE X. DISTRICT COURTS AND CLERKS: CONDUCTING BUSINESS; ISSUING ORDERS
  • Rule 77 . Conducting Business; Clerk's Authority; Notice of an Order or Judgment
  • Rule 78 . Hearing Motions; Submission on Briefs
  • Rule 79 . Records Kept by the Clerk
  • Rule 80 . Stenographic Transcript as Evidence
• TITLE XI. GENERAL PROVISIONS
  • Rule 81 . Applicability of the Rules in General; Removed Actions
  • Rule 82 . Jurisdiction and Venue Unaffected
  • Rule 83 . Rules by District Courts; Judge's Directives
  • Rule 84 . Abrogated, eff. Dec. 1, 2015
  • Rule 85 . Title
  • Rule 86 . Effective Dates
  • Rule 87 Civil Rules Emergency
• XII. APPENDIX OF FORMS (U.S. Courts site)
• XIII. SUPPLEMENTAL RULES FOR ADMIRALTY OR MARITIME CLAIMS AND ASSET FORFEITURE ACTIONS
  • Rule A . Scope of Rules
  • Rule B . In Personam Actions: Attachment and Garnishment
  • Rule C . In Rem Actions: Special Provisions
  • Rule D . Possessory, Petitory, and Partition Actions
  • Rule E . Actions in Rem and Quasi in Rem: General Provisions
  • Rule F . Limitation of Liability
  • Rule G . Forfeiture Actions in Rem
• XIV SUPPLEMENTAL RULES FOR SOCIAL SECURITY ACTIONS UNDER 42 U.S.C. § 405(g)
  • Rules 1 - 7
    

1 Title amended December 29, 1948, effective October 20, 1949.