Illinois: e-filing rejection standards

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Illinois is unusual in publishing an actual rejection standards table — "Electronic Filing Rejection Standards, Illinois Courts of Review", effective September 1, 2024 — mapping each rejection reason to its rule authority. Most reasons are procedural (signatures, captions, fees), but the PDF-mechanics entries are exactly the ones a pre-check catches.

The PDF-related rejection standards

#	Rejection reason	The rule
11	Document incomplete, illegible, unreadable, or completely blank	ILSC Rules 10 & 131. The clerk's own examples: "Scan is not dark enough. Handwriting is illegible." Blank forms and missing contact info land here too.
17	Multiple documents submitted as one document	"Multiple filings cannot be submitted in a single .PDF file. Please separate the documents and resubmit each separately." (Electronic Document Standards & ILSC Rule 10)
18	Single document submitted as multiple documents	"Please combine all pages of the single document into one .PDF file and resubmit." Explicit exception: cases where EFM file-size limits force splitting.
28	Not in compliance with the Electronic Document Standards	The eFileIL Electronic Document Standards catch-all — "rejected for the following reason(s) [INSERT DEFICIENCIES]".

The AOIC's own avoidance list

The Illinois courts' published tips ("12 Ways to Avoid a Rejected E-Filing") add the practical layer:

#8 Separate documents: "Each e-filed document should be a separate PDF file" — a motion and its notice of motion are two files, each uploaded as a Lead document.
#9 Check for legibility: "Poorly scanned, illegible, or improperly aligned PDF files will be rejected. Make sure your documents are not upside down, blank, or have bled through to the other side." Separator pages must be marked as such.
Timing: the clerk has 24–48 business hours to review; a rejected filing is treated as if never filed, so refile before the deadline (Rule 10(d) relief exists for good cause).

The combine/split judgment call

#17 and #18 point in opposite directions, so the test is what is "one document": a motion and its notice are two documents (split); a single order with all its pages is one (merge); exhibits attach to the document they belong to. Size is the only sanctioned reason to split one document — and if you do, remember the pieces still need searchable text and consistent pagination. Our combine/split guide walks the decision; the scan quality guide covers #11's causes.

Illinois pre-flight: every filing = one PDF per document · scans legible, dark, right-side up, no bleed-through · under EFM size limits · text-searchable. Check mechanically before you file.

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FAQ

Can I file several motions as one PDF in Illinois?

No. Rejection standard #17: 'Multiple filings cannot be submitted in a single .PDF file' — separate the documents and resubmit each separately. The inverse, #18, rejects a single document split across multiple PDFs (unless forced by EFM file-size limits).

Will Illinois reject an illegible scan?

Yes. Standard #11 covers 'Document incomplete, illegible, unreadable, or completely blank' with the clerk's examples including 'Scan is not dark enough'. The AOIC's guidance adds: not upside down, not blank, no bleed-through, properly aligned.

What happens when an Illinois e-filing is rejected?

The clerk has 24-48 business hours to review; a rejected filing is treated as if never filed, so deadlines still run — refile before the deadline or seek relief under Rule 10(d) for good cause.

EFileReady — general information, not legal advice. Sources: Illinois Courts of Review "Electronic Filing Rejection Standards" (eff. 9/1/2024) and illinoiscourts.gov e-filing tips. Florida requirements · All guides

Illinois: e-filing rejection standards

The PDF-related rejection standards

The AOIC's own avoidance list

The combine/split judgment call

FAQ

Basis & sources