Judicial Council of California · United States

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California Judicial Council Civil Case Cover Sheet (Form CM-010 / CM010)

Open the blank California Form CM-010 (CM010) PDF in one click, check your civil case category and remedies sought, and export a court-ready PDF. Watermarked preview downloads are free with AI field detection for hand-filled PDFs up to 1 page, and there is nothing to install.

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For California civil litigation firms, collections practices, and paralegals

California litigation firm filing multiple civil complaints, unlawful detainers, Rule 3.740 collections, or Song-Beverly lemon law cases? Batch-fill Form CM-010, MC-025, and MC-030 packets from your case CSV.

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JustFill fills the CM-010 PDF for you. It does not file your case, pay filing fees, or give legal advice — you still file the completed sheet with the Superior Court alongside your first paper.JustFill is not affiliated with Judicial Council of California. This is an independent third-party tool to help you complete CM-010. Always download the current blank form from the official source and verify your completed copy before signing or submitting. Official CM-010 from Judicial Council of California

Quick answer

Form CM-010, Civil Case Cover Sheet (Rev. July 1, 2026), is the mandatory Judicial Council of California form filed with the first paper in a civil action — typically the complaint — so the court can classify the case and compile filing statistics. It records who is filing, the court, the case name, whether the case is limited ($35,000 or less) or unlimited, one case type from a coded list (the July 2026 revision added a Song-Beverly Act motor vehicle lemon law box), whether the case is complex under rule 3.400, the remedies sought, the number of causes of action and whether it is a class action. With JustFill you upload the blank CM-010 PDF, the AI auto-detects every field, you fill it in your browser, and the first clean completed PDF download is included at no charge.

Form
CM-010
Issued by
Judicial Council of California
Country
United States
Free allowance
Watermarked preview (hand-filled PDFs up to 1 page)
Official edition
CM-010, Rev. July 1, 2026 (Mandatory Form)
1-Click Multi-PDF B2B Form Packet (Pro)Enter shared fields once → Generate 2–3 PDFs together

Filing CM-010 as part of onboarding or client intake? Fill the full packet at once.

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1099 Contractor & Vendor Packet (W-9 + 1099-NEC)Vendor & AP · 2 Forms

Enter contractor and payer details once to fill the W-9 and the 1099-NEC copy for the recipient.

Shared fields: Contractor Name, Address, TIN, Payer Details, Box 1a Compensation

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Combine CM-010 with companion documents (e.g. W-9 + Direct Deposit Authorization + NDA, or I-9 + W-4 + State Withholding, or 2848 + 8821 + Tax Organizer) or batch-generate hundreds of copies from Excel/CSV.

Create a Shareable CM-010 Link →Batch Fill from Excel / CSV

What is CM-010?

Filing a civil case in California? Form CM-010 is the cover sheet that must accompany your first paper. JustFill turns the official Judicial Council PDF into a fillable form in your browser, so you can complete it without printing or handwriting. The sheet captures who is filing (attorney or self-represented party, with State Bar number where applicable), which Superior Court and county the case belongs to, the case name, and then six numbered items: the case type chosen from a coded list, whether the case is complex under rule 3.400, the remedies sought, the number of causes of action, whether it is a class action, and any known related cases. It is a mandatory form under California Rules of Court, rules 2.30, 3.220, 3.400–3.403 and 3.740, and Standards of Judicial Administration, standard 3.10. The current revision is dated July 1, 2026; page 2 carries the instructions and page 3 lists examples for every case type.

California Civil Litigation Workflow: Form CM-010 (Rev. July 1, 2026) Without XFA E-Filing Errors

Every civil complaint or initial petition filed in a California Superior Court must be accompanied by Form CM-010 (Civil Case Cover Sheet, Rev. July 1, 2026). Because the Judicial Council exports CM-010 from Adobe LiveCycle Designer 6.5 with XFA streams and RC4 owner encryption, opening the file in Chrome, Edge, or macOS Preview can trigger the "Please wait... If this message is not eventually replaced" error, and e-filing the unflattened file through an EFSP often fails clerk stamp validation.

JustFill loads a clean, unencrypted 3-page Form CM-010 (including the July 1, 2026 Song-Beverly Act motor vehicle lemon law checkbox 49) directly in your browser so litigation teams can fill a single cover sheet or batch-generate CM-010, MC-025, and MC-030 packets from Excel or CSV.

  • Save your law firm's attorney name, State Bar number, address, and email in the top-left caption box as a reusable template for every new civil complaint.
  • Combine Form CM-010 with Form MC-025 (Attachment), Form MC-030 (Declaration), Form DE-111 (Probate), and Form FW-001 (Fee Waiver).

Download the CM-010 form PDF — free

The official CM-010 (Rev. July 1, 2026) is free from the Judicial Council of California at courts.ca.gov — the short link courts.ca.gov/documents/cm010.pdf redirects to the current file. Because the Judicial Council exports CM-010 from Adobe LiveCycle Designer 6.5 with XFA streams and RC4 owner encryption, opening it in Chrome, Edge, Safari, or macOS Preview can display the "Please wait..." error or cause California Superior Court e-filing portals to reject the file unless it is flattened. JustFill loads a clean, unencrypted version in your browser so you can complete it online and export a court-ready flattened PDF (first clean download included at no charge). Copies printed before July 2026 lack the Song-Beverly lemon law box, so start from the current file.

Who fills out CM-010?

  • Plaintiffs filing the first paper in a California civil action, including self-represented parties
  • Attorneys filing a complaint or petition on a client’s behalf in a Superior Court
  • Defendants filing a complex case designation as a counter or joinder with their first appearance (rule 3.402)
  • Parties filing a collections case under rule 3.740, who must also serve the sheet on all other parties

Field-by-field breakdown

What each section of CM-010 asks for. JustFill’s AI will detect these fields automatically when you upload the PDF — review the breakdown below so you know what to enter.

Filing party and attorney details

Name of the attorney or party without an attorney, State Bar number, firm name, street address, city, state, ZIP, telephone, fax, email, and who the attorney acts for.

Court and case identity

The Superior Court of California county, its street and mailing address, city and ZIP, branch name, and the case name. The case number, judge and department are completed by the court.

Limited or unlimited (item 1 header)

Unlimited when the amount demanded exceeds $35,000; limited when it is $35,000 or less. There is also a complex case designation with counter and joinder boxes.

Item 1 — case type

Exactly one box from the coded list: auto tort, asbestos, product liability, medical malpractice, employment (including EDD decision review, 48), breach of contract, Song-Beverly Act motor vehicle lemon law (49, added July 1, 2026), rule 3.740 collections, insurance coverage, eminent domain, unlawful detainer, judicial review, provisionally complex types such as construction defect and comprehensive groundwater adjudication (47), and others, each with its own number. If a general and a more specific type both fit, check the specific one; with several causes of action, check the primary one.

Item 2 — complexity

Whether the case is complex under rule 3.400 and, if so, which factors apply: many separately represented parties, extensive motion practice, substantial documentary evidence, many witnesses, coordination with related actions elsewhere, or substantial postjudgment supervision.

Items 3–6 — relief and related matters

Remedies sought (monetary, nonmonetary or declaratory/injunctive relief, punitive), the number of causes of action, whether the case is a class action, and any known related cases — which are noticed separately on form CM-015.

Date and signature

The date, the typed or printed name, and the signature of the party or the attorney for the party.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • 1Not filing the cover sheet with the first paper. Rule 3.220 requires it, and the form states plainly that failure to file may result in sanctions.
  • 2Checking a general case type when a more specific one exists. The instructions say that if the case fits both, you must check the more specific one — since July 1, 2026 a motor vehicle lemon law claim goes under Song-Beverly Act (49), not breach of contract/warranty (06), even when the case pleads other claims too.
  • 3Filing only CM-010 and skipping a cover sheet required by local court rule — the form is filed in addition to it, not instead of it.
  • 4Getting the limited/unlimited box wrong. The dividing line is an amount demanded of more than $35,000 (unlimited) versus $35,000 or less (limited).
  • 5Forgetting to serve the sheet on every other party in a complex case under rule 3.400 or a collections case under rule 3.740 — in those two situations service is required, not optional.
  • 6Assuming the sheet has no consequences. It is used for statistics only UNLESS the case is a rule 3.740 collections case or is complex, where it carries substantive effect.

CM-010 example — what a filled-out form looks like

A fictional self-represented homeowner sues a contractor for $18,500 after a kitchen remodel was paid for and never finished. The complaint is the first paper, so the cover sheet is filed with it. A limited civil case, no complex designation.

Attorney or party without attorney / State Bar number

JANE EXAMPLE, 100 Sample Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 · (916) 555-0137 · jane@example.com · no State Bar number

A self-represented party gives their own contact details and leaves the bar number empty; "Attorney for" reads "Plaintiff, in pro per".

Superior Court of California, County of

SACRAMENTO — street and mailing address of the civil courthouse, branch name

Copy the address from the court's website for the courthouse where you file. The case number, judge and department boxes are for the clerk.

Case name

Jane Example v. Sample Kitchens, Inc.

Plaintiff versus defendant, exactly as captioned on the complaint.

Unlimited / Limited

Limited — amount demanded is $35,000 or less

$18,500 is under the $35,000 line. The complex case designation boxes (counter, joinder) stay empty; they are for defendants under rule 3.402.

Item 1 — case type

Contract — Breach of contract/warranty (06)

One box only. It is not a rule 3.740 collections case because the money was not acquired on credit, and it is not a Song-Beverly lemon law claim.

Item 2 — complex under rule 3.400?

No

Two parties, one contract, no coordination with other actions. The six factor boxes are only marked when the answer is Yes.

Item 3 — remedies sought

a. monetary

Damages only. Punitive damages would need box c and a supporting cause of action.

Item 4 — number of causes of action

2 (breach of contract; common counts)

Count the causes of action pleaded in the complaint.

Item 5 — class action? / Item 6 — related cases

No / none known, so no CM-015 is filed

Item 6 only asks you to file and serve a notice of related case if one exists.

Date, typed name and signature

09/02/2026 · JANE EXAMPLE · signature of party

The party signs when there is no attorney.

These values are made up. They are here to show what belongs on each line, not to be copied — every name, number, and address on your own CM-010 has to be your own.

How JustFill helps you complete CM-010

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For California civil litigation firms, collections practices, and paralegals

Preparing Form CM-010 Civil Case Cover Sheets for multiple filings? Start from Excel or CSV.

Lock your firm's State Bar caption block, import one civil case per Excel or CSV row, and export flattened CM-010 (Rev. July 1, 2026) PDFs that California Superior Court EFSP e-filing portals accept without XFA errors.

Bulk Fill from Excel/CSV (5–500 rows → ZIP)

Dedicated guide & CSV template: Batch fill Form CM-010 & California litigation packets from Excel/CSV

See the 5-row sample

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Frequently asked questions

With the first paper you file in the action or proceeding — usually the complaint. Small claims cases and cases filed under the Probate Code, Family Code or Welfare and Institutions Code are excepted.
The form itself warns that failure to file may result in sanctions under California Rules of Court, rule 3.220.
Unlimited if the amount demanded exceeds $35,000; limited if it is $35,000 or less.
Only if the case is complex under rule 3.400 et seq. or is a collections case under rule 3.740. In every other case the sheet is used for statistical purposes.
Item 6 asks you to file and serve a notice of related case; you may use Judicial Council form CM-015 for that.
The revision dated July 1, 2026, marked "Rev. July 1, 2026, Mandatory Form" in the footer of page 1. It added a Song-Beverly Act motor vehicle lemon law checkbox (49) to the Contract column and rewrote the page-3 examples. Courts can reject a superseded edition, so download the current PDF from courts.ca.gov rather than reusing an old copy.
The Judicial Council of California authors CM-010 in Adobe LiveCycle Designer 6.5 as an XFA form with RC4 owner encryption. Browser PDF viewers (Chrome, Edge, Safari) and macOS Preview struggle with XFA scripts, and California EFSP e-filing portals reject unflattened XFA/encrypted PDFs because the court clerk's electronic file stamp cannot be applied. When you fill CM-010 in JustFill and download the flattened PDF, all XFA streams and encryption restrictions are removed so the PDF passes EFSP validation.
Yes. High-volume California civil litigation practices (collections, unlawful detainer, lemon law, and personal injury firms) can save their firm's caption block as a template in JustFill, import a case list from Excel or CSV, and generate completed CM-010 cover sheets alongside MC-025 and MC-030 attachments in one ZIP archive.

Official source: CM-010 on Judicial Council of California’s website

Edition checked: CM-010, Rev. July 1, 2026 (Mandatory Form). Verified against the official source on · Verified in our Government Forms Fillability Study.

Form CM-010 is published by the Judicial Council of California. JustFill is not affiliated with the Judicial Council or any California court.

JustFill is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Judicial Council of California or any government agency. Always verify your completed form on the official version before signing or submitting.

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