List rulebook rules

GET

api

rulebooks

{rulebook_id}

rules

curl 'https://api.courtrules.app/api/v1/rulebooks/california-rules-of-court/rules?q=opening%20memorandum&has_requirements=true' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

import requests

resp = requests.get(
    "https://api.courtrules.app/api/v1/rulebooks/california-rules-of-court/rules",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"},
    params={"q": "opening memorandum", "has_requirements": "true"},
)
rules = resp.json()["rules"]

const params = new URLSearchParams({ q: "opening memorandum", has_requirements: "true" });
const resp = await fetch(
  `https://api.courtrules.app/api/v1/rulebooks/california-rules-of-court/rules?${params}`,
  { headers: { Authorization: "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" } },
);
const { rules } = await resp.json();

{
  "rules": [
    {
      "number": "3.764",
      "slug": "3.764",
      "citation": "Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.764",
      "revision_id": "87a3abf3-5690-421d-8c21-e64305fefbf3",
      "heading": "Motion to certify or decertify a class or amend or modify an order certifying a class",
      "outline": [
        { "label": "Title Three", "heading": "Civil Rules" },
        { "label": "Division 7", "heading": "Civil Case Management" },
        { "label": "Chapter 6", "heading": "Management of Class Actions" }
      ],
      "legal_status": "in_force",
      "effective_from": "2026-01-01",
      "observed_at": "2026-10-19T04:31:34.421+00:00",
      "removed": false,
      "requirement_count": 16,
      "extraction_status": "succeeded",
      "site_url": "https://www.courtrules.app/rules/california-rules-of-court/3.764"
    },
    {
      "number": "3.1113",
      "slug": "3.1113",
      "citation": "Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.1113",
      "revision_id": "50dd0291-ae07-48d0-b490-23555244dcf1",
      "heading": "Memorandum",
      "outline": [
        { "label": "Title Three", "heading": "Civil Rules" },
        { "label": "Division 11", "heading": "Law and Motion" },
        { "label": "Chapter 2", "heading": "Format of Motion Papers" }
      ],
      "legal_status": "in_force",
      "effective_from": "2017-01-01",
      "observed_at": "2026-10-19T04:34:37.532+00:00",
      "removed": false,
      "requirement_count": 27,
      "extraction_status": "succeeded",
      "site_url": "https://www.courtrules.app/rules/california-rules-of-court/3.1113"
    }
  ],
  "meta": {
    "total": 2,
    "returned": 2,
    "limit": 100,
    "offset": 0,
    "next_offset": null,
    "rulebook_id": "california-rules-of-court",
    "q": "opening memorandum",
    "has_requirements": true
  }
}

Returns the rules of one rulebook in the order the rulebook prints them, without their text. Each rule carries its number, citation, heading, place in the rulebook, status, and how many requirements we read from it. Search the number, heading and text with q, then read a rule’s text with /rulebooks/{rulebook_id}/rules/{number} and its requirements with /extracted-rules. Results are paged with limit and offset: meta.total is the number of matching rules, and meta.next_offset is the offset of the next page, or null on the last page.

string

required

Rulebook identifier from /rulebooks, such as california-rules-of-court.

string

Words to find in a rule’s number, heading or operative text. Every word must appear; a word may appear in any of the three. Not case-sensitive. History notes and committee comments are not searched. Example: opening memorandum.

string

Only rules with this status: in_force, repealed or reserved.

boolean

true: only rules whose current text has at least one requirement. false: only rules with none, including rules whose requirements have not been read yet. Leave it out for both.

number

Maximum rules per page. Defaults to 100, maximum 500.

number

Number of matching rules to skip. Defaults to 0. Pass meta.next_offset from the previous page to read the next one.

curl 'https://api.courtrules.app/api/v1/rulebooks/california-rules-of-court/rules?q=opening%20memorandum&has_requirements=true' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

import requests

resp = requests.get(
    "https://api.courtrules.app/api/v1/rulebooks/california-rules-of-court/rules",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"},
    params={"q": "opening memorandum", "has_requirements": "true"},
)
rules = resp.json()["rules"]

const params = new URLSearchParams({ q: "opening memorandum", has_requirements: "true" });
const resp = await fetch(
  `https://api.courtrules.app/api/v1/rulebooks/california-rules-of-court/rules?${params}`,
  { headers: { Authorization: "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" } },
);
const { rules } = await resp.json();

{
  "rules": [
    {
      "number": "3.764",
      "slug": "3.764",
      "citation": "Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.764",
      "revision_id": "87a3abf3-5690-421d-8c21-e64305fefbf3",
      "heading": "Motion to certify or decertify a class or amend or modify an order certifying a class",
      "outline": [
        { "label": "Title Three", "heading": "Civil Rules" },
        { "label": "Division 7", "heading": "Civil Case Management" },
        { "label": "Chapter 6", "heading": "Management of Class Actions" }
      ],
      "legal_status": "in_force",
      "effective_from": "2026-01-01",
      "observed_at": "2026-10-19T04:31:34.421+00:00",
      "removed": false,
      "requirement_count": 16,
      "extraction_status": "succeeded",
      "site_url": "https://www.courtrules.app/rules/california-rules-of-court/3.764"
    },
    {
      "number": "3.1113",
      "slug": "3.1113",
      "citation": "Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.1113",
      "revision_id": "50dd0291-ae07-48d0-b490-23555244dcf1",
      "heading": "Memorandum",
      "outline": [
        { "label": "Title Three", "heading": "Civil Rules" },
        { "label": "Division 11", "heading": "Law and Motion" },
        { "label": "Chapter 2", "heading": "Format of Motion Papers" }
      ],
      "legal_status": "in_force",
      "effective_from": "2017-01-01",
      "observed_at": "2026-10-19T04:34:37.532+00:00",
      "removed": false,
      "requirement_count": 27,
      "extraction_status": "succeeded",
      "site_url": "https://www.courtrules.app/rules/california-rules-of-court/3.1113"
    }
  ],
  "meta": {
    "total": 2,
    "returned": 2,
    "limit": 100,
    "offset": 0,
    "next_offset": null,
    "rulebook_id": "california-rules-of-court",
    "q": "opening memorandum",
    "has_requirements": true
  }
}

Response fields

array

The rules on this page, in rulebook order: by position in the book, then by id. Empty when nothing matches.

Show Rule

string

Official rule number without the word Rule, exactly as the rulebook prints it. Numbers can hold dots, colons, hyphens and letters.

string

URL form of the number, as used in site_url

string

How to cite the rule

string

Identifier of this version of the rule. It changes when the rule’s heading, place in the rulebook, text, status or effective date changes.

string

The rule’s heading

array

Where the rule sits in the rulebook, from the top level down. Each level has a label such as Division 11 and a heading.

string

in_force, repealed or reserved

string | null

Date the current text took effect, as the official source states it (YYYY-MM-DD). null when the source gives no date.

string

When we first saw this version of the rule on the official source

boolean

true when the official source no longer lists the rule. A removed rule keeps the heading, status and text it had when it was last listed, and it has no requirements.

integer

Requirements read from the rule’s current text: the number of results /extracted-rules returns for this rule. Check extraction_status before reading 0 as none.

string

succeeded: the text was read, and requirement_count is final. 0 means the text states none of the requirements that are read: limits, deadlines, formats, copies, filing, service, fees, sealing and contact with the court. A definition, a statement of scope and a rule about mediators, court staff or a court program often have none; the text is still in the rule. pending: not read yet, so the count is 0 for now. failed: reading did not work, so the count is 0. skipped: nothing is read from this rule, because it has no operative text or is too long to process.

string

The rule’s page on courtrules.app

object

Show Meta

integer

Number of rules matching the filters, across all pages

integer

Number of rules in this page

integer

Page size requested

integer

Number of matching rules skipped

integer | null

Offset of the next page, or null on the last page

string

The rulebook listed

string

The search you sent, when present

string

The legal_status filter you sent, when present

boolean

The has_requirements filter you sent, when present

Paging

Read a whole rulebook by following next_offset until it is null:

import requests

rules, offset = [], 0
while offset is not None:
    page = requests.get(
        "https://api.courtrules.app/api/v1/rulebooks/california-rules-of-court/rules",
        headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"},
        params={"limit": 500, "offset": offset},
    ).json()
    rules += page["rules"]
    offset = page["meta"]["next_offset"]

An offset at or past the last rule returns 200 with an empty rules array and the true meta.total. If the official source changes while you page, a rule can move between pages; read again from offset=0 when you need a consistent copy.

Filtering behavior

Search. Every word in q must appear in the rule’s number, heading or operative text. A % or _ in q matches itself.
Status and requirements. legal_status and has_requirements combine with each other and with q. has_requirements=true and has_requirements=false together cover every rule exactly once.
Removed rules stay in the list, with removed: true. They never match has_requirements=true.

Errors

400: Invalid parameters

Returned for a value the endpoint cannot use, such as limit=0 or has_requirements=yes. Each failing parameter is named.

400

{
  "error": "Invalid request",
  "details": [
    {
      "path": "limit",
      "message": "Number must be greater than or equal to 1"
    }
  ],
  "docs_url": "https://docs.courtrules.app/api-reference/rulebook-rules"
}

404: Rulebook not found

Returned when no rulebook has this identifier. A search with no match is 200 with an empty list, not a 404.

404

{
  "error": "Rulebook 'no-such-rulebook' not found.",
  "suggestion": "Use GET /api/v1/rulebooks to list the rulebooks you can read.",
  "docs_url": "https://docs.courtrules.app/api-reference/rulebooks"
}

Each rule in the answer counts as one row against your daily row limit.

curl 'https://api.courtrules.app/api/v1/rulebooks/california-rules-of-court/rules?q=opening%20memorandum&has_requirements=true' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

import requests

resp = requests.get(
    "https://api.courtrules.app/api/v1/rulebooks/california-rules-of-court/rules",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"},
    params={"q": "opening memorandum", "has_requirements": "true"},
)
rules = resp.json()["rules"]

const params = new URLSearchParams({ q: "opening memorandum", has_requirements: "true" });
const resp = await fetch(
  `https://api.courtrules.app/api/v1/rulebooks/california-rules-of-court/rules?${params}`,
  { headers: { Authorization: "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" } },
);
const { rules } = await resp.json();

{
  "rules": [
    {
      "number": "3.764",
      "slug": "3.764",
      "citation": "Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.764",
      "revision_id": "87a3abf3-5690-421d-8c21-e64305fefbf3",
      "heading": "Motion to certify or decertify a class or amend or modify an order certifying a class",
      "outline": [
        { "label": "Title Three", "heading": "Civil Rules" },
        { "label": "Division 7", "heading": "Civil Case Management" },
        { "label": "Chapter 6", "heading": "Management of Class Actions" }
      ],
      "legal_status": "in_force",
      "effective_from": "2026-01-01",
      "observed_at": "2026-10-19T04:31:34.421+00:00",
      "removed": false,
      "requirement_count": 16,
      "extraction_status": "succeeded",
      "site_url": "https://www.courtrules.app/rules/california-rules-of-court/3.764"
    },
    {
      "number": "3.1113",
      "slug": "3.1113",
      "citation": "Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.1113",
      "revision_id": "50dd0291-ae07-48d0-b490-23555244dcf1",
      "heading": "Memorandum",
      "outline": [
        { "label": "Title Three", "heading": "Civil Rules" },
        { "label": "Division 11", "heading": "Law and Motion" },
        { "label": "Chapter 2", "heading": "Format of Motion Papers" }
      ],
      "legal_status": "in_force",
      "effective_from": "2017-01-01",
      "observed_at": "2026-10-19T04:34:37.532+00:00",
      "removed": false,
      "requirement_count": 27,
      "extraction_status": "succeeded",
      "site_url": "https://www.courtrules.app/rules/california-rules-of-court/3.1113"
    }
  ],
  "meta": {
    "total": 2,
    "returned": 2,
    "limit": 100,
    "offset": 0,
    "next_offset": null,
    "rulebook_id": "california-rules-of-court",
    "q": "opening memorandum",
    "has_requirements": true
  }
}

Overview

Endpoints

Policies

Response fields

Paging

Filtering behavior

Errors

400: Invalid parameters

404: Rulebook not found

​Response fields

​Paging

​Filtering behavior

​Errors

​400: Invalid parameters

​404: Rulebook not found

Response fields

Paging

Filtering behavior

Errors

400: Invalid parameters

404: Rulebook not found