Filing Stipulations and Proposed Orders

Proposed Orders vs. Stipulation and Proposed Order

Proposed Order or Document: A “Proposed Order or Document” is a document that requires a signature or information to be entered by a judge or court administration and does not include signatures of the parties and/or attorneys. Proposed orders MUST include a PDF and Word .docx version unless an exception applies. The Word .docx version of this document allows the judge or court administration to make changes to the document prior to signing.

• Proposed orders must include a caption listing parties, court file number, venue, etc.
• Proposed orders must include a Word .docx version unless otherwise advised. The Word .docx version is required so that the judicial officer can alter this document when preparing their order, i.e. proposed orders submitted for matters taken under advisement.
  • ***EXCEPTION FOR 3RD DISTRICT: Beginning October 13, 2025, as part of a necessary software update, filers will no longer have the option to upload a Word version (.docx) alongside the PDF when filing a proposed order. Please note that this change does not eliminate the requirement to provide Word versions of proposed orders entirely. Instead, Word versions will only be required upon request from the judge. If a judge requests a Word version, you will receive an email from the court instructing you to submit the Word version of the proposed order that was previously filed in PDF format. The court will then route the Word document to the appropriate judge.
• Correspondence should not be attached to the proposed order. Instead, correspondence should be separated and submitted using the appropriate filing code.
• If the proposed order references an attachment, that document should be attached to the proposed order, not filed as a separate document. i.e. Appendix A, child support worksheets, legal descriptions, etc.
• A document is considered a proposed order or document when it requires information be entered by court administration, such as a hearing date, or requires a signature by a judicial officer. Examples of documents that DAT frequently see that require information be added by court administration are notices of hearing, summons, and certificates of paternity.

 

Stipulation and Proposed Order: is a combined document that requires a judge’s signature and is also signed by the parties. This document requires two exact copies be filed, one as “Stipulation” and one as “Proposed Order or Document”. The proposed order version of a stipulation should NOT include a Word .docx version as changes should not be made to a document agreed upon and signed by the parties and these documents cannot be converted to a Word .docx without losing the signatures.

• It is required that Stipulation and Proposed Orders be submitted twice, once using the filing code “Stipulation” and once as “Proposed Order or Document”. No Word .docx version is required for the proposed order version (see “Separate Documents as Separate PDFs section in Registered User Filing Guide).
• The stipulation version gets file stamped and is a record on the case.
• when signed by the parties no Word .docx version is required because a document previously agreed to should not be altered.
• Stipulations that do not require/contain a place for signature by a judicial officer should only be submitted as “Stipulation”. If this document requires an order from a judicial officer a separate proposed order should be submitted and would then require a Word .docx version.
• Other combination documents would follow this same practice and require two versions be submitted, i.e. joint petitions for dissolution, marital termination agreements, settlement agreements, requests for service by alternate means, etc.

If a second version of a document is required, DAT will email the filer advising so. If the second version is not received within three (3) business days a deficiency notice will be sent.

 

Attachments to Stips & Orders (Appendix A, CS Calcs, Etc)

 

Per Court Admin – Frequently proposed orders require attachments that are in PDF format, i.e. a proposed dissolution order may require appendix A and/or the child support guidelines be attached. When submitting proposed orders with attachments, the attachment must also be attached to the Word .docx version as these documents should be identical. Below are instructions for combining a PDF and Word document.

• Open the Word document you want to add the PDF to. Click Inset > Object > Create from File. Browse for the PDF you want to insert. Click Okay.