2024 California Rules of Court
Rule 1.35. Optional forms
(a) Use of optional forms and acceptance for filing
Forms approved by the Judicial Council for optional use, wherever applicable, may be used by parties and must be accepted for filing by all courts.
(b) List of optional forms
Each optional Judicial Council form appears without an asterisk (*) on the list of Judicial Council forms in Appendix A to the California Rules of Court. The list is available on the California Courts website at www.courts.ca.gov/forms.
(Subd (b) amended effective January 1, 2015.)
(c) Identification of optional forms
Forms approved by the Judicial Council for optional use bear the words "Form Approved for Optional Use" or "Optional Form" in the lower left corner of the first page.
(d) Words on forms
Publishers and courts reprinting an optional Judicial Council form in effect before July 1, 1999, must add the words "Optional Form" to the bottom of the first page.
(e) No alteration of forms
Courts may not require the use of an altered optional Judicial Council form in place of the Judicial Council form. However, a judicial officer may modify a Judicial Council form order as necessary or appropriate to adjudicate a particular case.
(Subd (e) amended effective January 1, 2009.)
(f) No colored forms
Courts may not require that any optional Judicial Council form be submitted on any color of paper other than white.
Rule 1.35 amended effective January 1, 2015; adopted effective January 1, 2007; previously amended effective January 1, 2009.