Court redaction rules by state: what each state lets a filing show
Most states limit what a court filing may show of Social Security numbers, account numbers and birth dates. Here is the rule in all 50 states and D.C.
DocArmor Team
Forty-five states and the District of Columbia have a statewide rule or statute that limits what a civil court filing may show of a Social Security number, and nearly all of them cover financial account numbers too. They split on how much may remain. Of those, 26 states allow the last four digits of a Social Security number, as Federal Rule 5.2 does, while 14 states and D.C. allow none of it. Birth dates and minors' names vary most: some states keep only the year or the initials, some allow none of either, and many don't mention them.
The table below gives each state's rule and links to it. The harder part is the filing that crosses a state line, because a document redacted for one court can still break the rule in the next.
How to read the table
Each row is the statewide rule or statute that governs what a civil filing in the state's general trial court may show. "Last four" means only the last four digits may appear, "Year" means the year of birth, and "None of it" means no part may appear in the public filing. "Not listed" means the rule doesn't name that item, though a court can still order it protected. Where a full number is needed, most rules send it to a sealed copy or a confidential form instead.
Each row was checked against the court's or legislature's own published text in October 2026. Vermont publishes its access rules through LexisNexis, so its row reflects what the state's electronic filing rules say about them.
Court redaction rules in all 50 states and D.C.
The first two columns name the state and its rule, and the rest show what a filing may show of each item. Federal Rule 5.2 allows the last four digits of a Social Security or account number, the year of a birth date and a minor's initials.
| State | Rule | Social Security number | Financial account number | Birth date | Name of a minor | Also covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Rule 5.1 | Last four | Last four | Not listed | Not listed | Taxpayer ID, last four |
| Alaska | Civil Rule 90.1(f), family cases only | Confidential sheet | Cards last four, bank accounts last three, if the filer chooses | Not listed | Not listed | |
| Arizona | Rule 5.1(e) | Last four | Last four | Not listed | Not listed | |
| Arkansas | Rule 5(c)(2) and Administrative Order 19 | None of it | None of it | Not listed | Not listed | PINs |
| California | Rule 1.201 | Last four | Last four | Not listed | Not listed | |
| Colorado | No filer rule; courts redact on release under CJD 05-01 | Court redacts | Court redacts | Not listed | Not listed | Driver's license and tax ID, redacted by the court |
| Connecticut | Practice Book § 4-7 | None of it | None of it | None of it | Not listed | Driver's license, health insurance ID, mother's maiden name |
| Delaware | Superior Court Directive 2007-6 | Last four | Last four | Year | Initials | |
| District of Columbia | Rule 5.2 | None of it; write "SS#" | Last four | Year | Initials | Taxpayer ID "TID#", driver's license "DL#" |
| Florida | Rule 2.425 | None of it | Bank and card: none of it; others: last four | Year | Initials | Driver's license, passport, insurance, phone, email |
| Georgia | § 9-11-7.1 and Rule 36.17 | Last four | Last four | Year | Not listed | Taxpayer ID, last four |
| Hawaii | Court Records Rules 2.19 and 9 | Last four | Last four | Year | Initials | Social service reports |
| Idaho | Electronic Filing Rule 15 | Last four | Last four | Year | Initials | Driver's license, state ID, employer ID, last four |
| Illinois | Rule 138 | Last four | Last four | Not listed | Not listed | Driver's license and card numbers, last four |
| Indiana | Access to Court Records Rule 5 | Not the complete number | Not the complete number | Not listed | Not listed | PINs, passwords |
| Iowa | Rules 16.602 to 16.606 | Last digit | Part of the number | Year | Initials | Taxpayer ID, PINs, other unique numbers |
| Kansas | eCourt Rule 24 | Last four | Last four | Year | Nonparty minors: first name, initials or pseudonym | Driver's license, passport, VIN, student and patient numbers; email; home address |
| Kentucky | CR 7.03 | Last four | None of it | Year | Not listed | Taxpayer ID, last four |
| Louisiana | Code of Civil Procedure art. 253, attorney filings | Last four | None of it | Not listed | Not listed | Taxpayer ID, state ID, driver's license |
| Maine | Electronic Court Systems Rule 4 | Last four | Last four | Not listed | Not listed | |
| Maryland | Rule 1-322.1 | None of it | Last four, medical accounts too | Not listed | Not listed | Taxpayer ID |
| Massachusetts | SJC Rule 1:24 | Last four | Last four | Not listed | Not listed | Driver's license, passport, last four; a parent's birth surname, first initial |
| Michigan | MCR 1.109(D)(9) | None of it | None of it | None of it | Not listed | Driver's license, state ID, passport |
| Minnesota | General Rule of Practice 11 | None of it | Last four | Not listed | Not listed | Employer and taxpayer IDs; tax returns, pay stubs and statements |
| Mississippi | Rule 5.1 and electronic courts procedures | Last four | Last four | Year | Initials | |
| Missouri | Rule 55.025 | Not the full number | Not the full number | Not the full date | Name and address | Driver's license, state ID |
| Montana | Rule 5.2 | Last four | Last four | Year | Not listed | Taxpayer ID, last four |
| Nebraska | § 6-1521 | None of it | None of it | None of it | Not listed | Gender |
| Nevada | NRS 239B.030 | Last four | None of it, if paired with an access code | Not listed | Not listed | Driver's license, last four; health insurance ID |
| New Hampshire | Superior Court Rule 13B | None of it | None of it | None of it | Not listed | Driver's license, health insurance ID, mother's maiden name |
| New Jersey | Rule 1:38-7 | None of it | None of it, unless the account is in dispute | Not listed | Not listed | Driver's license, plate and insurance policy numbers; military status |
| New Mexico | Rule 1-079, asks parties to avoid | Last four | Last four | Year | Not listed | Driver's license, taxpayer ID, last four |
| New York | 22 NYCRR 202.5(e) | Last four | Last four | Year | Initials | Businesses' tax IDs |
| North Carolina | § 132-1.10(d) | Last four | Last four | Not listed | Not listed | Driver's license, passport, employer ID, last four; PINs, passwords |
| North Dakota | Rule 3.4 | Last four | Last four | Year | Initials | Taxpayer ID, last four |
| Ohio | Superintendence Rule 11.13 | Last four | None of it | Not listed | Abuse and neglect cases: initials | Employer and employee IDs |
| Oklahoma | District Court Rule 31, optional | Last four, if the filer chooses | Last four, if the filer chooses | Not listed | Not listed | Driver's license, taxpayer ID |
| Oregon | UTCR 2.100, on request | Separated on request | Separated on request | Separated on request | Not listed | Driver's license, maiden name |
| Pennsylvania | Public Access Policy § 7.0 | None of it | None of it, unless the account is in dispute | Minors only: none of it | Initials | Driver's license, state ID; abuse victims' contact details |
| Rhode Island | Article X, Rule 8 and public access rules | Not the full number | None of it | Not listed | Juveniles: name and address | Driver's license, passport, state ID; account statements |
| South Carolina | Rule 41.2 | None of it | Last four | Year | Initials, or first name and last initial | Driver's license, passport; addresses, city and state |
| South Dakota | § 15-15A-9 | None of it | None of it, medical accounts too | Not listed | Criminal cases: "minor" and a number | Taxpayer ID; tax returns and other financial documents |
| Tennessee | § 20-6-102 | Last four | Last four | Year | Initials | Taxpayer ID, last four |
| Texas | Rule 21c | None of it | None of it | None of it | None of it | Driver's license, passport, taxpayer ID, home address |
| Utah | Rule 4-202.09 | Last four | Last four | Not listed | Initials | Driver's license, state and last four; nonparty addresses, city, state and ZIP |
| Vermont | Public access rules 6(b) and 7 | Not public | Not public | See rule | See rule | Passport |
| Virginia | § 8.01-420.8 | Last four | Last four | Not listed | Not listed | Driver's license, last four |
| Washington | GR 31(e) | Last four | Last four | Not listed | Not listed | Driver's license |
| West Virginia | Rule 5.2 | Last four | Last four | Only if necessary | Initials, in juvenile and abuse cases | Addresses, only if necessary |
| Wisconsin | § 801.19 | None of it | None of it | Not listed | Not listed | Employer and taxpayer IDs, driver's license, passport |
| Wyoming | Access to Case Records Rule 7 | Last four | Last four | Year | Initials | Victims' addresses in criminal cases |
Where a rule allows less than the full number, most give the full one a place outside the public file: a sealed copy, a reference list or a confidential form.
Where the states part ways
In 23 states, Social Security and account numbers cut to the last four digits, as for federal court, meet the state rule. Elsewhere the rule asks for more or for less, and many states add items the federal rule doesn't list.
No digits at all
In 14 states and D.C., no part of a Social Security number may stay in a public filing. A W-2 cut to "XXX-XX-0931" passes in Arizona and fails in Minnesota. D.C. replaces the number with "SS#" and a taxpayer ID with "TID#". A comment to Iowa's rules gives the last digit alone as its example of a partial number.
Birth dates and minors' names
These are where states most often leave the federal rule. Alabama's committee left both out on purpose, noting that many state filings need them, for example to show when child support ends. Louisiana removed full birth dates from its list on August 1, 2026. Connecticut, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Texas allow none of the date, and Missouri protects the names and addresses of minors.
Beyond the federal four
Kansas has the longest list. Its rule cuts vehicle identification, student ID, patient, loan and customer numbers to the last four digits, and keeps email addresses, passwords and home addresses out entirely. Nebraska keeps gender out of filings. Massachusetts protects a parent's birth surname, Connecticut a mother's maiden name and New Jersey a person's military status. Minnesota and South Dakota treat whole financial documents, such as tax returns, as nonpublic.
Five states without a general rule
Alaska's rule covers divorce, custody and similar family cases, where Social Security numbers go on a confidential sheet. Colorado has no statewide redaction rule for filers; instead, a Chief Justice Directive has its courts redact Social Security, driver's license and account numbers before releasing records. New Mexico asks parties to avoid these items, but a party's decision that one is necessary can't be sanctioned. Oklahoma lets filers cut numbers to the last four digits without requiring it, and Oregon lets a filer ask to keep them separate.
What the rules make the filer do
Almost every rule says the clerk won't check, so the filer carries the risk. Beyond redacting, the rules add steps of their own:
- Separate forms. Illinois impounds a "Notice of Confidential Information Within Court Filing", and Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin each have a confidential form for the full numbers.
- Certification. Missouri and Pennsylvania require a certificate of compliance with every filing, Kansas with every document, and New Jersey in the case information statement.
- Visible redaction. Massachusetts wants a redacted document marked with the filer's name and the date, with every redaction's location visible. Arkansas wants an opaque mark or a note such as "[Information Redacted]".
- Unredacted originals. Connecticut, Kentucky and Massachusetts make the filer keep the unredacted original, and Arkansas requires it to be filed under seal.
- Penalties. In North Carolina a violation is an infraction with a fine of up to $500 for each one. Kentucky can strike the filing, and Illinois can award fees when the violation was willful.
A checklist before you file in another state's court
- The state's rule has been checked, along with the court's local rules and any order in the case.
- Social Security numbers show no digits in the 14 states and D.C. that allow none, and no more than the last four anywhere else.
- Account numbers meet the state's limit, including the states that allow none of the number.
- Birth dates show only the year where that's the rule, and none of the date in Connecticut, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Texas.
- Minors appear by initials, or by the descriptor the state asks for.
- The state's extra items are handled, such as driver's license and passport numbers, home addresses or health insurance IDs, on scanned cards as well as in text.
- Any full number the court needs is on the confidential form or sealed copy the state requires, and any required certificate is attached.
- Redacted data is removed, not covered, in the image as well as the text, and the document properties and comments are clean.
Where DocArmor fits
DocArmor's Legal & Court Filings (FRCP 5.2) template covers Social Security and taxpayer ID numbers, birth dates, minors' names and financial account numbers. For a state's extra items, extend it with your own rules or plain-English instructions, such as "driver's license numbers, VINs and email addresses" for a Kansas filing. OCR reads scanned exhibits and discovery, redacted content is removed and checked on every page, and metadata, attachments and form values are stripped. Every finding goes to a reviewer before export, because what has to go depends on the court the filing is headed for.
This post is general information about state court rules, not legal advice. Rules change, and local rules and orders can add to them, so check the current rule for your court and case. For a closer look at California, Texas, Florida and New York, see state court redaction rules, and where a federal-ready filing falls short.
Frequently asked questions
Which states don't allow any part of a Social Security number in a court filing?
Fourteen states and the District of Columbia: Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin. D.C. has filers write "SS#" in its place. Where the full number is needed, most of them route it to a sealed copy or a confidential form.
Do I have to redact a birth date in a state court filing?
It depends on the state. Sixteen states and D.C. allow only the year, as Federal Rule 5.2 does, while Connecticut, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Texas allow none of the date. Many states, including California, Illinois and Maryland, don't list birth dates at all, and Louisiana removed them from its list on August 1, 2026.
Which state has the strictest court redaction rules?
Texas and Kansas stand out. Texas Rule 21c lets no part of a Social Security number, account number or birth date remain, and it covers home addresses and the names of anyone who was a minor when the suit was filed. Kansas eCourt Rule 24 has the longest list, from vehicle identification and student ID numbers to email addresses and home addresses.
What if a state has no redaction rule for court filings?
Five states have no general rule that requires it: Alaska, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Oregon. Alaska's rule covers family cases, Colorado's courts redact some numbers before releasing records, New Mexico asks parties to avoid them, Oklahoma lets filers shorten them and Oregon lets filers ask to keep them separate. Local rules and court orders can still apply.
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