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Civil Cover Sheet

Federal · United States Courts · Effective July 23, 2026

This form is a Civil Cover Sheet used to start a civil case in federal court. It asks for basic information about the people involved, where they live, the legal basis for the lawsuit, and the general type of case.

Open the official PDFfrom United States Courts

Where this fits in a case

Start a case

Stage: Start a case

This form is required when filing a civil complaint to help the Clerk of Court start the official case record.

Either party may file.

Common questions

What is the purpose of this form?
This form is required for the Clerk of Court to start the civil docket sheet for a case. It does not replace the actual legal papers filed with the court.
Who should fill out this form?
The instructions suggest that an attorney filing the case should complete the form.

Revision history

No changes recorded since we started tracking this form on October 9, 2026. The current version took effect July 23, 2026.

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