Frequently Asked Questions
Browse FAQ Topics
Click on topic categories to view relevant FAQs.
Find a Case FAQs
Anyone can access PACER to view federal court records, but first you need to register for a PACER account.
Case information is available through PACER 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays.
Each court maintains its own case information. If you know the district or circuit in which the case is filed, search that court directly. If you do not know where the case is filed, use the PACER Case Locator.
The PACER Service Center is open to assist you at (800) 676-6856 between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or by email at pacer@psc.uscourts.gov.
You are automatically logged out when you close your browser. You can also log out by clicking log out on the main menu.
Most bankruptcy courts offer limited information through the Multi-court Voice Case Information System. Access to the system is currently offered at no cost and can be accessed by calling (866) 222-8029.
Learn more about this system and participating bankruptcy courts.
Contact the federal court where the case is filed to obtain information beyond the case summary, docket entries, and copies of documents.
If you cannot locate a case when searching a federal court’s case records by case number or party name, try using the PACER Case Locator. This will generate a listing of nationwide court locations and case numbers where a party is involved in federal litigation. If you cannot find the case party through the PACER Case Locator, then contact the federal court where you think the case was filed for assistance.
The PACER Case Locator is a national case locator index for all federal court records in district, bankruptcy, and appellate courts. Every 24 hours, typically nightly, the PACER Case Locator is updated with new case information.
Log in to the PACER Case Locator. If you are a registered PACER user, you automatically have access to the PACER Case Locator with your username and password.
A search will return the party name, the court where the case is filed, the case number, date filed, and date closed. You can access more detailed case information stored within CM/ECF from the case number in the PACER Case Locator.
Case information is available once it has been filed or entered in the court’s Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) system. Login to the National PACER Login to view documents.
Newly filed cases typically appear in the PACER Case Locator within 24 hours.
To see more detailed information about a case, access the court's CM/ECF site. You can access that site and other detailed case information from the PACER Case Locator by clicking on the case number.
Yes. Access privileges are suspended for any account that causes an unacceptable level of congestion or disruption to the operations of the PACER Service Center, a federal court, or another PACER user. Any attempt to collect data from PACER in a manner that avoids billing is strictly prohibited and may result in criminal prosecution or civil action.
It is the filer’s responsibility to redact and ensure private information is not included in the case files. Attorney’s must inform their clients that case files may be obtained electronically and to ensure private information is not included in the case files.
If there is a discrepancy found with case information, notify the court where the document or case is filed.
PACER provides access to millions of case file documents and docket information for all district, bankruptcy, and appellate courts. These are available immediately after they have been electronically filed.
Some case information is not available. Certain personal identifiers are removed or redacted before the record becomes public, including Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, the name of a minor, date of birth, and home addresses in a criminal case.
In addition, some documents may be unavailable to the general public, including:
- Documents from pre-2003 bankruptcy cases.
- Documents filed before Nov. 1, 2004 in criminal cases.
- Documents in social security and immigration cases.
If you are unable to locate the information you are seeking, contact the local court or the PACER Service Center at (800) 676-6856 between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or by email at pacer@psc.uscourts.gov.
No. PACER access is for federal courts only.
Documents are provided as “PDF” or “html.” Select File and then Save As in the browser toolbar. For docket sheets or reports make sure the file is saved with the extension ".html." Court documents are provided as PDF files.
U.S. Bankruptcy Courts
Search by case number, party name, Social Security number, or tax identification number.
U.S. District Courts
Search by case number, party name, or filing date range.
U.S. Courts of Appeals
Search by case number or party name.
PACER Case Locator
Search by case number, party name, social security, employer identification number, nature of suit, date filed, or date closed. A search returns basic case information, including the case number, court where the case is filed, date filed, date closed, and various other information depending on the search type. These results will also link to more detailed information stored within CM/ECF.
Only the last four digits of a Social Security Number (SSN) are displayed on court documents. However, a full SSN can be used to perform searches to identify debtors.
Some courts provide automatic case notification and alerts through Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds. PACER users can keep track of newly docketed events by subscribing to a court’s RSS feed, which is free and includes automatic notification of case activity, summarized text, and links to the document and docket report.
You can view the document or docket report linked from the RSS feed by logging into PACER.
Search for the court where the case is filed, using the Court CM/ECF Lookup, to find out if they have an RSS feed.
You are automatically logged out when you close your browser. You can also log out by clicking log out on the main menu.
When transcripts of court proceedings are produced, they are added to PACER 90 days later. Before a transcript is added to PACER, a copy is available in the clerk’s office for inspection only. Information on purchasing a transcript from the court reporter or transcriber within the 90-day can be provided by the clerk’s office. There is no maximum fee for transcripts in PACER.
To see more detailed information about a case, access the court's CM/ECF site. You can access that site and other detailed case information from the PACER Case Locator by clicking on the case number.
The Cases Report displays summary data for a range of cases. It can be used to produce a list of open or closed cases between a date range.
The Cases Report can be found under the Reports menu option in CM/ECF. The report is NOT subject to the 30-page limit on PACER charges, so users should use caution when running the report. There are a number of filtering options you can set before running a report to help limit the results.
In district and bankruptcy courts:
Electronic access to Social Security Administration case documents is limited to parties in the case. In addition, documents from criminal cases filed prior to November 1, 2004, are only available electronically to the parties in the case. Contact the clerk's office for information about viewing copies. Criminal documents filed after November 1, 2004, are available electronically through PACER.
In appellate courts:
Viewing certain document types (social security and immigration) in an appellate CM/ECF court may be restricted.
No. Sealed documents, including sealed indictments, are not available to the public and cannot be found on PACER.