809.62 or 809.70, the brief shall accompany the motion and shall be filed within the time permitted for the opposing party to file a response to the petition. If an unpublished opinion is cited under s. 809.23 (3) (a) or (b), a copy of the opinion shall be provided in an appendix to the brief. (c) Except as provided in par. (b), the motion shall be filed not later than 14 days after the respondent’s brief is filed, and the brief shall be filed within the time specified by the court. If an unpublished opinion is cited under s. 809.23 (3) (a) or (b), a copy of the opinion shall be provided in an appendix to the brief. (d) A nonparty brief shall comply with sub. (1) (e) and (f). (8) NUMBER, FORM, PAGINATION, AND LENGTH OF BRIEFS AND APPENDICES. (a) Number. 1. For electronic filing users, each brief or appendix shall be filed and served using the electronic filing system as provided in s. 809.801 (6) (a). The filing party shall serve one copy of the brief and appendix on each paper party by traditional methods.
RULES OF APPELLATE PROCEDURE
809.19
2. A paper party shall file, serve, and receive paper documents by traditional methods as provided in s. 809.80. A paper party shall file one copy of each brief or appendix with the court and serve one copy on every other paper party by traditional methods. (b) Form. A brief or appendix must conform to the following specifications: 1. Created by a process that produces a clear, black image on a white background. Cover pages shall be white. Carbon copies may not be filed. 2. Formatted to fit 8.5 by 11 inch paper. 3. a. The use of word processors or typewriters is encouraged but not required. b. If a monospaced font is used: 10 characters per inch; double-spaced. c. If a proportional serif font is used: minimum 13 point body text, 11 point for block quotes and footnotes. Italics may be used only for citations, headings, emphasis and foreign words; bold may be used only for citations, headings, and emphasis. Line spacing in body text must be between 1.15 and 1.5 lines or an equivalent line spacing; additional space between paragraphs is permitted but not required. Block quotes and footnotes must be single-spaced. d. If handwriting is used: the text must be legibly printed and not include cursive writing, except the person’s signature. e. Margins must be a minimum of a 1.25-inch margin on the right and left sides and a minimum of a 1-inch margin on the top and bottom. 4. The pages of paper documents must be secured together at the top left corner. (bm) Pagination. A brief or appendix must have page numbers centered in the bottom margin using Arabic numerals with sequential numbering starting at “1” on the cover. (c) Length. 1. For a brief filed by a party under sub. (1), (5), or (6) (a), (b), or (c), or by a guardian ad litem under sub. (6m), those portions of the brief referred to in sub. (1) (d), (e) and (f) shall not exceed 50 pages if a monospaced font or handwriting is used, or 11,000 words if a proportional serif font is used. 2. For a reply brief filed under sub. (4) or (6) (d), those portions referred to in sub. (1) (e) and (f) shall not exceed 13 pages if a monospaced font or handwriting is used, or 3,000 words if a proportional serif font is used. 3. For a brief filed under sub. (7), those portions of the brief referred to in sub. (1) (e) and (f) shall not exceed 13 pages if a monospaced font or handwriting is used, or 3,000 words if a proportional serif font is used. (8g) CERTIFICATIONS. (a) Briefs; certification regarding form and length. 1. Counsel shall submit with the brief a signed certification that the brief meets the form and length requirements of sub. (8) (b), (bm), and (c) in the following form: I hereby certify that this brief conforms to the rules contained in s. 809.19 (8) (b), (bm), and (c) for a brief. The length of this brief is .... [pages] [words]. Signed: .... Signature 2. For purposes of the certification of length under this paragraph, counsel filing a brief may use the word count produced by a commercial word processor available to the general public. The word count shall include the words of any text included in the brief in the form of an image. (b) Appendices; certification regarding contents and confidentiality. 1. An appellant’s counsel shall submit with the appendix a signed certification that the appendix meets the content
May 22, 2026, are designated by NOTES. (Published 5-22-26)
809.19
RULES OF APPELLATE PROCEDURE
and confidentiality requirements of sub. (2) (a) and (am) in the following form: CERTIFICATION BY ATTORNEY I hereby certify that filed with this brief is an appendix that complies with s. 809.19 (2) (a) and that contains, at a minimum: (1) a table of contents; (2) the findings or opinion of the circuit court; (3) a copy of any unpublished opinion cited under s.