Last updated 10/16/2025
Table of Contents
A. Communications with the Judicial Office
Method of Communication
All communications to the judicial office must be submitted by e-mail to CAD-DivisionRE@pbcgov.org, the dedicated division e-mail account. The subject line of any e-mail to the judicial office must contain the case number, case name, and relevant matter (e.g., 2024-CC-001234 – Doe v. Doe – 2-Hour Hearing Requested).
Ex parte Communications
All communications with the judicial office must comply with Canon 3 of the Code of Judicial Conduct, which prohibits a judge from initiating, permitting, or considering ex parte communications and from considering other communications outside the presence of the parties concerning a pending or impending proceeding, unless authorized by law. All parties must be copied on any e-mail directed to the judicial office, unless an ex parte communication is authorized by law.
The Court does not conduct proceedings over email. Other than scheduling and administrative matters, all communications and requests must be filed with the Clerk of Court, copied to all parties in the lawsuit, and set for hearing in open court.
Unsolicited Communications
Parties may only contact the judicial office in accordance with these procedures and instructions. Unsolicited communications from non-parties will not be considered by the court.
E-Filing Portal Contact Information
All attorneys and self-represented litigants must make and receive service by e-mail, which is generally through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, unless excused. Fla. R. Gen. Prac. & Jud. Admin. 2.516.
All attorneys and self-represented litigants must provide an e-mail address to receive signed orders electronically, unless excused. Fla. R. Gen. Prac. & Jud. Admin. 2.516. It is the responsibility of attorneys and self-represented litigants to update their contact information using Form 2.603 any time there is a change in the e-mail account registered for electronic service.
If you need assistance you may call the Clerk's self-help center at 561-355-7048. Please see the below link for how to e-file or mail your documents to the Clerk. Palm Beach County Clerk.
Response to Inquiries
The judicial assistant is not authorized to provide legal advice.
The judicial assistant strives to substantively respond to all inquiries within one business day. If the judicial assistant is unable to substantively respond within one business day, your message will be responded to as soon as possible. Unauthorized ex-parte communications will not receive a response.
Other Communication Procedures
Any e-mail sent to or from the judicial office may be a public record subject to disclosure
B Scheduling Procedures
Court Schedule
Trials are automatically scheduled on the day the case is filed. Parties shall consult the Uniform Differentiated Case Management Order and Order Setting Trial, issued on the day the case is filed, for the calendar call and trial date. The Court maintains the trial schedule on Divisional Instructions. Trial Docket Page. Cases that are exempt from Differentiated Case Management (i.e. small claims and landlord-tenant) are set for trial by the Court.
UMC
Uniform motion calendar (UMC) hearings: are scheduled by the parties through Online Scheduling as follows:
Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8:45 a.m.
UMC is strictly for non-evidentiary motions which can be heard in a total of 10 minutes (5 minutes per side).
Permitted at UMC: non-evidentiary motions, default final judgments, motions for summary disposition, and uncontested motions for summary judgment that can be heard in 10 minutes or less shall be set on the Uniform Motion Calendar.
DCM Conferences may be set on the Court's UMC calendar.
Permission of the Court is not required to set UMC's.
Not permitted at UMC: fees hearings, contested summary judgment motions, and any evidentiary matters are not appropriate for UMC and should be specially set for hearing.
Mandatory compliance with Local Rule No. 4 and Rule 1.202 regarding conferral prior to filing a motion and/or scheduling a hearing is strictly enforced
Special Set Hearing
Special Set hearings: are available for 15-minute blocks of time through Online Scheduling. The Court will open dates on the first of each month for hearing dates 30-60 days out.
Please do not reserve special set hearing time for a motion that can be heard in 5-10 minutes. Such motions should be set on the Court's UMC docket.
Mandatory compliance with Local Rule No. 4 and Rule 1.202 regarding conferral prior to filing a motion and/or scheduling a hearing is strictly enforced.
Scheduling Hearings
UMC hearings and 15-minute Special Set hearings must be reserved using Online Scheduling and will be heard on Zoom absent court order.
After confirming your hearing online, the Zoom link will be provided. The moving party shall provide notice of the Zoom information to all parties in the notice of hearing.
Evidentiary hearings and Special Set hearings more than 15 minutes must be requested by e-mail to CAD-DivisionRE@pbcgov.org with copy to opposing counsel and any self-represented litigant.
A party shall respond to a respond to a request to set a hearing within one (1) business day, unless out of the office. Any party may unilaterally set a hearing only if the opposing party does not respond after 3 good faith attempts have been made in accordance with Local Rule No. 4.
If the Court does not have hearing time that meets the availability of both parties after good faith attempts to schedule, the parties may email the Division and request hearing time.
Notice of Hearing
A notice of hearing must be filed and served on all parties immediately after reserving hearing time.
For Zoom hearings, after confirming your hearing online, the Zoom link will be provided. The moving party shall provide notice of the Zoom information to all parties in the notice of hearing.
For in-person hearings, the Notice of Hearing must state: Courtroom 6M, 205 N. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, FL 33401.
All notices of hearing must contain the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) notification required by Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.540.
Submission Deadlines
All motions must be filed and served at least seven (7) business days prior to a hearing. The court must receive courtesy copies of all materials for the hearing no later than three (3) business days before the hearing, through e-courtesy. The Court reviews all motions and supporting materials prior to the hearing. Please note that it takes up to three (3) days for filings to appear on the docket. Accordingly, at least three (3) business days in advance of the hearing, the parties must submit courtesy copies of all relevant materials to Chambers.
Courtesy copies must state the party name and document identification (i.e. "Plaintiff's Case Law"). Please submit all of your materials as one combined PDF with bookmarks (e-binder) if you are submitting numerous filings and/or case law. (When combining PDF's in Adobe, click "options" which will allow you to automatically create bookmarks using the file name of each PDF you are combining).
Any response that is not timely filed and provided to the Court through e-courtesy may be deemed waived.
Order of Proceedings
Matters will be heard in the order in which they appear on the docket or as otherwise determined by the Court for judicial efficiency.
Continuance Procedure
Motions for continuance are disfavored and will be granted only upon good cause shown. Successive continuances are highly disfavored. Lack of due diligence is not grounds for granting a continuance.
Motions for continuance of hearings other than trial must be filed as soon as the conflict becomes known and at least ten (10) days prior to the scheduled court date for which the continuance is sought, barring exigent circumstances. Except for good cause shown, the motion must be signed by the party requesting the continuance, as required by Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.545(e).
Motions to continue trial are strictly governed by Rule 1.460.
Motions for continuance must state with specificity: (1) the basis of the need for the continuance, including when the basis became known to the movant; (2) whether the motion is opposed; (3) the action and specific dates for the action that will enable the movant to be ready, including, but not limited to, confirming the specific date any required participants are available; and (4) the proposed date by which the case will be ready to proceed and whether that date is agreed by all parties. Except for good cause shown, the motion must be signed by the party requesting the continuance, as required by Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.545(e).
Cancelling Hearings
You must cancel hearings by one of the following methods. You must also immediately file and serve a notice of cancellation on opposing counsel and any self-represented litigant.
To cancel a hearing scheduled for UMC, login to Online Scheduling, select "Uniform Motion Calendar Scheduling" then select "Cancel Hearing" and follow the directions on the screen.
Please be considerate and cancel online any hearing that is no longer needed or resolved prior to the hearing date so that others may schedule their motions.
To cancel a special set hearing, a Notice of Cancellation must be filed with the Clerk and a copy e-mailed to the Judicial Assistant (CAD-DivisionRE@pbcgov.org). Also, the Notice MUST note the reason for cancellation.
Please be considerate and cancel any hearing that is no longer needed or resolved prior to the hearing date so that others may schedule their motions.
Other Scheduling Procedures
Landlord-Tenant cases: Residential final hearings and rent determination hearings are heard on Thursday mornings with mediation. These cases are set by the Court when the Court deems appropriate upon review of the file. Mediators are available at no charge to the parties.
All other eviction hearing requests may only be scheduled upon request to the Court, by uploading a proposed order.
C. Remote Appearance
Remote Appearance Procedure
The following Court events are held in person:
- Evidentiary hearings
- Special set hearings for 30 minutes or longer
- Trials (jury and non-jury)
- Pre-trial conferences and mediations
- Calendar Call for Jury Trials
- Calendar Call set pursuant to a Streamlined Track/Jury Trial DCMSJT
- Claims of exemption
- Landlord/tenant eviction hearings and mediations
The following Court events are held by Zoom (Zoom Link):
- UMC hearings (10 min. or less)
- Special set, non-evidentiary hearings 15 minutes or less
- Any hearing set by the Court for Zoom
- Calendar Call/CMC set pursuant to an Expedited Track/Non-Jury Trial DCMET
Records custodians may appear by Zoom for trial, using the above link. Otherwise, the Parties and Counsel may only appear by Zoom for these proceedings upon motion and order. Please do not call or email the Judicial Assistant about Zoom without reading these instructions. If all parties agree, please 1) file an agreed motion citing the circumstance that requires Zoom appearance; and 2) upload a proposed order in sufficient time before the hearing.
Platform Used
Zoom
Platform Meeting ID#
Requirements
- Any person appearing remotely must be in a private location that is quiet and free from distractions. Under no circumstances will a participant be permitted to appear remotely from a moving vehicle. Attorneys may not appear from a vehicle, even non-moving.
- Any person appearing remotely must dress and behave professionally in the same manner as if physically present in the courtroom.
- Any person appearing remotely must enable the person's camera when joining the proceeding and keep the camera turned on until instructed otherwise by the court.
- Any person appearing remotely must mute the person's microphone when joining the proceeding and keep the microphone turned off until instructed otherwise by the court.
- If a witness appears remotely, the party calling the witness must ensure the witness has a functioning camera and microphone and has tested the internet connection before the hearing. The oath will administered in accordance with Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.530.
Technology Needs
N/A
D. Submission of Orders and Judgments
Format
All proposed orders must be submitted in Word format and provided to opposing counsel and any self-represented litigant.
Formatting required: Please "preview" the proposed order to ensure it is formatted correctly. Using macros, columns, or paragraph tabs is not compatible with the OLS system; please remove all special formatting when submitting. Strict compliance with the Rules of Judicial Administration is required. Proposed orders must have a 3-inch margin in the top-right corner for final judgments and other specified orders; accordingly, all case captions should be left-aligned with no columns or tabs.
Submission Method
All Proposed Orders must be submitted through Online Scheduling. The Court is unable to accept paper orders or proposed orders by email.
Select the applicable date of hearing under "scheduled event."
Motions/supporting affidavits must be docketed: Proposed orders may not be submitted to the Court until the supporting motion and/or affidavits have been docketed by the Clerk. Filings take up to 3 days to be docketed, and the Court cannot review them until docketed. Any order that does not have a motion and/or affidavit on file (as applicable) will be deleted.
Attachments: Stamped copies of e-filed motions, affidavits and/or supporting documents necessary for the Court's review must be uploaded as attachments to the proposed order. They must be e-filed and docketed prior to uploading the proposed order, unless an e-filed stamped copy is attached.
Agreed orders: please indicate the order is agreed in the title and body of the order. If the form of the order is disputed, the submitting party must notify the Court of such disagreement in the comments.
Ex parte orders: Any motion that has not been expressly agreed to by the opposing party requires a hearing to be set and noticed by the moving party. Except for default or ex parte motions allowed by rule, the Court will not enter proposed orders without a hearing or agreement of the parties.
Please do not upload a proposed order unless one of the following is met:
- it is agreed;
- the hearing has already occurred; or
- it is proper to be considered ex parte. Proposed orders not in compliance will not be considered.
Envelopes must be delivered to the Court for mailing to any pro se parties.
All proposed orders and cover letters must be copied to all opposing parties in the lawsuit.
Self-represented litigants excused from e-mail service may submit proposed orders to the court by U.S. mail or hand-delivered to the judicial office.
Deadline for Submissions
Orders from hearings: Proposed orders from hearings that have already occurred must be uploaded within 48 hours after the hearing, unless the Court requested proposed findings of fact and law.
D. Courtesy Copies of Case Law and Other Documents
When Required
Courtesy copies are required for every hearing. The court must receive all materials for the hearing no later than three (3) business days before the hearing, through e-courtesy. The Court reviews all motions and supporting materials prior to the hearing. Please note that it takes up to three (3) days for filings to appear on the docket.
Any response that is not timely filed and provided to the Court through e-courtesy may be deemed waived.
Format
Courtesy copies must be submitted in PDF/a (text searchable) format.
Please submit all of your materials as one combined PDF with bookmarks (e-binder) if you are submitting numerous filings and/or case law. (When combining PDF's in Adobe, click "options" which will allow you to automatically create bookmarks using the file name of each PDF you are combining).
The e-binder must contain the following:
- Notice of Hearing
- Complaint (if applicable to hearing)
- Answer (if applicable to hearing)
- Motion
- Response
- Reply, if any
- Case law with pertinent sections highlighted
All exhibits and documents must be bookmarked for ease of locating.
Courtesy copies must state the party name and document identification (i.e. "Plaintiff's E-Binder").
Submission Method
Courtesy copies must be submitted to the court through e-courtesy.
Self-represented litigants excused from e-mail service may submit courtesy copies to the court by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to the judicial office.
Deadline for Submissions
Courtesy copies must be submitted to the court no later than three (3) business days before any hearing or trial, through e-courtesy. The Court reviews all motions and supporting materials prior to the hearing. Please note that it takes up to three (3) days for filings to appear on the docket. Accordingly, at least three (3) business days in advance of the hearing, the parties must submit courtesy copies of all relevant materials to Chambers.
F. Emergency and Other Urgent Matters
Requirements
If a party believes there is a factual basis for setting an emergency hearing, a detailed motion setting forth the following must be filed: (1) the issues to be resolved, (2) reasons why an emergency hearing is necessary, and (3) the amount of time needed for each party's presentation.
Scheduling
If the court determines that an emergency exists, the judge shall decide whether an emergency exists, and if so, shall schedule a hearing, enter any ex parte order deemed necessary, or take any other appropriate action. All parties shall make themselves available for the emergency hearing, barring exigent circumstances. Otherwise, the court will rule on the emergency motion on the papers.
Other Procedures Relating to Emergency and Other Urgent Matters
Only certain emergencies are sent to the designated emergency email account for county court. Please review Administrative Order 3.607.
G. Exhibits for Evidentiary Proceedings
Submission Method
Bring all exhibits to court with extra copies for opposing counsel/parties and the Court/Clerk.
Format
Exhibits must be labeled in the following format: see Evidence - Civil: Pre-Marking Guidelines | Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, Palm Beach County (mypalmbeachclerk.com).
All attorneys and self-represented litigants must bring sufficient copies of each exhibit for the clerk, the court, and each party to review during the hearing or trial.
H. Pretrial Procedures and Conferences
Case Management Conference (CMC)
Any party may request a CMC when a case requires.
The court strongly encourages the early use of CMCs in more complex cases, multiple-party litigation, or any case that might benefit from court intervention.
Unless excused by the court in advance, all CMCs are mandatory for attorneys and self-represented litigants. Parties represented by counsel are not required to appear at a CMC.
Attorneys who appear for the Case Management Conference must be prepared on all pending matters and issues in the case and have authority to make representations to the Court and enter into binding agreements concerning motions, issues, and scheduling. An appearing attorney must be prepared with all attorneys' availability for trial and future hearings as necessary. See Rule 1.200(j)(3). Failure to send an attorney with full knowledge of the case and authority as set forth above may result in sanctions.
Status Conference
See above.
Requirements
Any request for a CMC or status conference must articulate the reasons for the necessity of the conference and identify all pending motions.
Scheduling
Any party may schedule a CMC or DCM Conference through online scheduling. CMC/DCM Conferences may be set on the Court's Uniform Motion Calendar (UMC).
I. Setting Case for Trial
Procedure
Cases subject to DCM are set for trial on the day the case is filed. For cases exempt from DCM, parties shall file a notice for trial and alert the court. The Court typically sets cases for trial as soon as possible.
Notice Period
Per Rules of Civil Procedure.
J. Forms
Access
Division forms are available for download at: Division RE Forms and Orders Page.
Usage
Division forms must be used where available
K. Other Division Procedures
ADA Accommodations
If you need an ADA accommodation, please contact William Hutchings, Jr., Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator, Palm Beach County Courthouse, 205 North Dixie Highway West Palm Beach, Florida 33401; telephone number (561) 355-4380.
Interpreter Requests
Interpreters are not provided in civil cases. If an interpreter is needed for a hearing or trial, please secure one. For more information, see Court Interpreters Page.
Other Division Procedures
DCM Information
Please review A.O. 3.110, which outlines in detail the Civil Differentiated Case Management plan and procedures for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit: Administrative Order 3.110.pdf.
For additional DCM information: Civil Differentiated Case Management Forms & Orders.
Standing Order on Motion Practice
The Court has implemented a Standing Order on Motion Practice which governs the Court's ability to rule on most non-evidentiary pre-trial motions on the papers. Please carefully review the Order to ensure proper compliance.
Landlord-Tenant Matters
All Plaintiffs/Landlords must file a motion requesting any relief or final judgment, prior to submitting a proposed order or judgment. Final judgments will not be granted without a motion on file with the Clerk and docketed. Please attach a copy of the motion when uploading a proposed order, as filings take up to 3 days to appear on the docket.
Small Claims Pre-trials
Pre-trial Conferences for Small Claims are set every Thursday at 9:00, 9:30 or 10:00 a.m. All small claims must go to mediation and mediators are provided. If not resolved, the case will be set for trial.
Pre-trial Conferences are held in person. Only served cases will be called. All non-served cases will be continued pending service. Plaintiff must file a Return of Non-Service and obtain a new summons from the Clerk. It is the parties' responsibility to determine whether service has been effected when deciding whether appearance is necessary.
Any stipulation to waive the pre-trial must be filed with the Clerk and presented to the Court by uploading a proposed order with a courtesy copy of the stipulation attached at least three (3) days prior to pre-trial. The Court does not receive notifications of all filings in all cases. Accordingly, pre-trial is not waived unless the Court has been presented a stipulation with a proposed order to set trial through the proposed order option in OLS.
Motions for Attorney's Fees:
The Court utilizes a preliminary order with instructions to be followed in advance of the hearing. All Motions for Attorney's Fees and/or Costs shall attach a document detailing the time records and requested rate(s).
The moving party shall request a hearing date by contacting the Judicial Assistant by email at CAD-DivisionRE@pbcgov.org. The moving party must specifically identify the hearing as a fees hearing and request a preliminary order.