Legal authority cited:

Los Angeles Superior Court Local Rule 3.52 (LASC Local Rule 3.52) (opens in a new tab)
Requires all trial exhibits, other than those anticipated in good faith for impeachment, to be exchanged and pre-numbered before any reference by counsel or a witness in Los Angeles Superior Court civil cases.
Los Angeles Superior Court Local Rule 3.53 (LASC Local Rule 3.53) (opens in a new tab)
Los Angeles Superior Court's most efficient marking method: arabic numeral blocks per party; multi-page documentary exhibits are internally paginated.

Source links open in a new tab.

Detailed Exhibit Pre-Marking Rules

Last reviewed January 15, 2026

Los Angeles Superior Court Exhibit Requirements

LA Superior Court has detailed exhibit pre-marking requirements. Under Local Rule 3.52, trial exhibits other than good-faith impeachment exhibits must be exchanged and pre-numbered.

Los Angeles County exhibit facts at a glance

LA Superior Court Local Rule 3.52 requires every trial exhibit — other than good-faith impeachment exhibits — to be exchanged and pre-numbered before counsel or a witness refers to it.
LA Superior Court Local Rule 3.53 describes the most efficient marking method as arabic-numeral blocks allocated per party, such as plaintiff exhibits 1 to 200 and the first defendant's exhibits 201 to 400.
Local Rule 3.53 requires documentary exhibits of more than one page to be internally paginated in sequential numerical order.
Counsel should bring enough complete exhibit sets to trial for the court, the witness stand, and counsel table; confirm the exact number with the assigned department.
Lists of pre-marked exhibits must be served and filed at least five days before the Final Status Conference (FSC), not five days before trial.
Use the exhibit labels required by your court’s local rules and case order. Some courts use letters for one party and numbers for another; others use numbers or assigned ranges for every party. Confirm the scheme before labeling the set.
Use the exhibit labels required by your court’s local rules and case order. Some courts use letters for one party and numbers for another; others use numbers or assigned ranges for every party. Confirm the scheme before labeling the set.
Exhibits that are not pre-marked and exchanged on time may be excluded from evidence at trial absent a showing of good cause.

Critical: Exhibits that are not pre-numbered and exchanged on time can be excluded. Confirm the number of exhibit sets your assigned department expects at trial.

Stamp Plaintiff Exhibits Stamp Defendant Exhibits

Opens the tool set up for Los Angeles County — plaintiff: Numbers starting at 1; defendant: Letters starting at A.

LA-Specific Exhibit Pre-Marking Requirements

Pre-Numbering (Mandatory)

Local Rule 3.52 requires every trial exhibit, except those anticipated in good faith for impeachment, to be exchanged and pre-numbered before counsel or a witness refers to it.

Uniform Block Numbering

Local Rule 3.53 describes arabic-numeral blocks per party (for example, plaintiff 1 to 200, first defendant 201 to 400) as the most efficient marking method and requires internal pagination of multi-page documentary exhibits.

5-Day FSC Deadline

Lists of pre-marked exhibits must be served and filed at least five days before the Final Status Conference.

Numbers / Letters Convention

Use the exhibit labels required by your court’s local rules and case order. Some courts use letters for one party and numbers for another; others use numbers or assigned ranges for every party. Confirm the scheme before labeling the set.

Local Rules 3.52 & 3.53

Local Rule 3.52 - Marking of Exhibits

Requires all trial exhibits, other than those anticipated in good faith for impeachment, to be exchanged and pre-numbered before any reference by counsel or a witness.

Local Rule 3.53 - Uniform Method of Marking Exhibits

Recommends arabic numerals allocated in sequential blocks to each party (e.g., plaintiff 1-200, first defendant 201-400, second defendant 401-600), with multi-page exhibits internally paginated.

Trial Exhibit Preparation Checklist

Pre-number all trial exhibits before referencing them (Local Rule 3.52)

Use the uniform block-numbering method for exhibit numbers (Local Rule 3.53)

Confirm the number of exhibit sets your assigned department expects at trial

Prepare an exhibit index with numbering ranges

Exchange pre-marked exhibit lists 5 days before the FSC (Local Rule 3.25(f))

File exhibit list with court

Bring additional copies for jury if applicable

Number every page of a multi-page exhibit

One option in stamp setup, Number every page of each exhibit, prints Exhibit 1 on the first page and Exhibit 1-2, Exhibit 1-3 through the last page in the stamp itself, with a hyphen or a period. Preview every page free; the exact-export check reads each page's stamp back before the file is delivered.

How it worksThe feature page: the clicks, the rule texts and the film.Open the California sample binderFour fictional exhibits stamped on arrival, every page numbered. Nothing is uploaded.Step-by-step helpWhere the option is, 1-2 or 1.2, the first page, and how to replicate the example.

Before you file

ExhibitPrep formats documents. It does not provide legal advice, submit filings, or determine whether evidence is admissible or a filing meets court requirements.

Some guidance has not been verified against current official sources. A citation supports only its stated claim and scope. Compare the finished PDF with current court instructions and orders in your case. Follow the filing review checklist.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does LA Superior Court require exhibits to be pre-numbered before trial?

Yes. Los Angeles Superior Court Local Rule 3.52 requires every trial exhibit (other than good-faith impeachment exhibits) to be exchanged and pre-numbered before counsel or a witness refers to it. Local Rule 3.53 describes the most efficient marking method as arabic numerals with a block of numbers allocated to each party (for example, plaintiff 1 to 200, first defendant 201 to 400), and multi-page documentary exhibits must be internally paginated in sequential numerical order. ExhibitPrep stamps that directly: Exhibit 1 on the first page, then Exhibit 1-2, 1-3 on every later page. Exhibits that are not pre-marked and exchanged on time can be excluded at the Final Status Conference absent a showing of good cause.

How many exhibit binder sets does LA Superior Court expect at trial?

Bring enough complete sets for the court, the witness stand and counsel table, and check the department's orders for the required number. Jury trials commonly require a fourth set, and some departments ask for a courtesy copy for the clerk.

Why is the LA exhibit exchange deadline tied to the FSC instead of the trial date?

LASC schedules the Final Status Conference (FSC) roughly a week before trial specifically to resolve exhibit and motion-in-limine disputes before jury selection begins. Lists of pre-marked exhibits must be served and filed at least five days before the final status conference, not before the trial date.

Do plaintiffs and defendants label exhibits differently in Los Angeles County?

Does LA Superior Court use File & ServeXpress for e-filing exhibits?

Most LASC civil departments, including the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, use File & ServeXpress for electronic filing, with a typical file-size cap around 25 MB per document. Confirm the exact limit and accepted format with your assigned department, since complex-litigation courtrooms sometimes set stricter rules.

Ready for LA Superior Court?

Create pre-numbered, properly formatted exhibits that meet LA's Local Rules 3.52 and 3.53 requirements.