Skip to main content
US federal case numbers follow a standard format across all district and bankruptcy courts. Understanding the format helps you construct valid case_id values for DocketLayer queries. For state and Canadian courts, case ID formats vary by court. Each court’s expected format and an example are available in the case_id_format field of the /v2/status response.

​
US federal standard format

​
Case type codes

​
Examples

​
Finding a case number

Case numbers appear on all court filings and on the PACER docket sheet. You can look up case numbers on PACER using party name, attorney, or other search criteria.

​
Validation

DocketLayer validates case ID format on receipt. A malformed case ID returns a 400 error and no charge. Common mistakes:
  • Missing the colon separator between division and year: 124-cv-01234 is wrong, 1:24-cv-01234 is correct
  • Using a four-digit year: 1:2024-cv-01234 is wrong, 1:24-cv-01234 is correct
  • Including spaces or special characters other than the colon and hyphen separators