Guide
North Carolina Table of Authorities: Ten-Page Rule
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North Carolina’s appellate authorities-table rule uses a ten-page threshold, not an every-filing requirement. Rule 26(g)(2) calls for a subject index and table of authorities in documents composed for an appeal and presented to either appellate court unless they are less than ten pages long; records on appeal are handled separately by Rule 9. Rule 28 connects ordinary brief contents to Rule 26(g).
Source-access limitation: the official current-codification links returned HTTP 403 during the 2026-10-14 check. This guide explains the actual Rule 26 and Rule 28 text read on Court Rules Network, a secondary publisher, not a freshly verified official full rule. Confirm the operative court text before filing.
Build and review your North Carolina table of authorities. Start with the North Carolina preset. Confirm the actual court and table settings before export; detected courts and samples can change the initial selection.
The threshold in the text actually read
“shall, unless they are less than ten pages in length, be preceded by a subject index of the matter contained therein, with page references, and a table of authorities” — Rule 26(g)(2), as reproduced by Court Rules Network. Official codification access was blocked; this quotation is from the secondary reproduction.
This appellate document-format rule reaches beyond brief titles: check petitions and motions against their length, specific rules and orders. Rule 28(b)(1) places the subject index and table after the cover “as required by Rule 26(g),” and (c) uses that reference for appellees. Rule 28(h) provides no express blanket reply exemption.
| Filing or issue | Requirement and review action |
|---|---|
| Nine-page appellate document | Below Rule 26(g)(2)’s ten-page threshold; check any separate requirement or order. |
| Exactly ten-page appellate document | Not less than ten; include the subject index and authorities table under the reproduced rule. |
| Longer ordinary appellant or appellee brief | Rule 28 refers table requirements to Rule 26(g); review both provisions. |
| Reply brief | Apply the general appellate document rule and any specific requirements; no blanket reply-table waiver stated in Rule 28(h). |
| Record on appeal | Express exception; Rule 9 governs in this respect. |
| Trial-court memorandum | This appellate provision is not a standalone statewide trial-table mandate. |
Subject index, authorities table and word count differ
The subject index locates topics; the authorities table locates cited law. One cannot substitute for the other. Keep cases alphabetical and include applicable constitutional, statutory and secondary-source categories. The excerpt supplies no passim permission; retain traceable page references.
Page thresholds and word counts are separate. Rule 28(j)(1)’s reproduced Court of Appeals provision excludes tables and indexes from word counts, while including body citations and footnotes. That does not establish an exclusion of table pages from the ten-page threshold. If front matter or attachments put a filing near that boundary, resolve the counting method through operative official instructions or clerk guidance rather than assuming a subtraction.
From a brief PDF to an editable Word table
- Export the brief to PDF. Retain matching Word for insertion. Use printed brief-page numbers, not viewer sheet numbers.
- Open the Table of Authorities generator. Select North Carolina; verify actual court selection, heading and category order.
- Review every entry and page against the PDF. Check complete citations and short forms, merge genuine duplicates and add omissions. Review the subject index separately. The app does not restyle citations.
- Export editable Word. PDF-only downloads a .docx table. Matching Word plus a text-layer PDF can insert ordinary table text. DOCX-only instead creates TA and TOA fields for Word for Windows to build and update.
- Re-export and recheck. Insertion and later edits can move references. Inspect the final PDF and regenerate if needed. Check all other filing requirements separately; the tool does not format the whole brief or add PDF bookmarks.
The located official codification is dated September 2, 2025, not today. Official PDF, index and appellate-portal access failed; the browser showed a Cloudflare block. Secondary reproductions show an October 10, 2026 modification date but warn of possible outdated text. Resolve that freshness limitation against official rules before filing.
Frequently asked
Does exactly ten pages trigger the rule?
Yes under the text reproduced in Rule 26(g)(2): the exception is for documents less than ten pages long. Exactly ten falls outside that exception. Confirm the operative official text before filing because official access was blocked in this review.
Do all short briefs need a table?
Rule 28 refers the ordinary appellant and appellee table requirement to Rule 26(g), which contains the threshold. Separate orders or document-specific requirements can matter; do not describe the general rule as an unconditional every-brief mandate.
Is a table required in every trial motion?
No such requirement follows from this appellate rule. Identify the trial court, local rules and judge’s instructions separately.
Does a Court of Appeals table use up the word allowance?
Rule 28(j)(1)’s reproduced text excludes the table from Court of Appeals brief word counts. That is not a finding about every Supreme Court filing or about how to measure the ten-page threshold.
Is the official rule freshly verified here?
No. The official PDF and rule portal returned 403, while the secondary Rule 26 and Rule 28 texts were read. The access limitation is disclosed so readers can distinguish useful guidance from an official-current-text verification.
Sources and access status
- North Carolina Judicial Branch: Rules of Appellate Procedure, codified 2 September 2025Official PDF located but returned HTTP 403 on 2026-10-14; its full text was not read. Alternate official current and archived PDF links were also blocked.nccourts.gov
- North Carolina Judicial Branch: current rules indexOfficial page returned 403; browser showed Cloudflare access block on 2026-10-14. Not evidence of fresh official rule verification.nccourts.gov
- Court Rules Network: North Carolina Rule 26, Filing and ServiceSecondary publisher’s actual rule reproduction read 2026-10-14, including (g)(1)–(3); site modification date October 10, 2026. Source for the quoted ten-page wording; not an official court portal.courtrules.net
- Court Rules Network: North Carolina Rule 28, Briefs—Function and ContentSecondary reproduction read 2026-10-14, including (b), (c), (h) and (j); site modification date October 10, 2026. Publisher warns text may not reflect latest amendments.courtrules.net
Sources
- North Carolina Judicial Branch: Rules of Appellate Procedure, codified 2 September 2025nccourts.gov
- North Carolina Judicial Branch: current rules indexnccourts.gov
- Court Rules Network: North Carolina Rule 26, Filing and Servicecourtrules.net
- Court Rules Network: North Carolina Rule 28, Briefs—Function and Contentcourtrules.net
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