District Court New South Wales

Practice notes

General Practice Notes

Item number Title
1 District Court General Practice Note 1 - Pronunciation of Names and Forms of Address (PDF, 90.3 KB) (PDF, 90.3 KB)
2 District Court General Practice Note 2 - Generative AI Practice Note and Judicial Guidelines (PDF, 206.8 KB)

Criminal jurisdiction (current)

Item number Title
2 Circuit Sittings of the District Court (PDF, 17.9 KB)
Circuit Sittings of the District Court (DOC, 41.5 KB)
revised 18 December 2009
3 Provision of Psychiatric Reports to Correctional Facilities (PDF, 10.3 KB)
Provision of Psychiatric Reports to Correctional Facilities (DOC, 36.0 KB)
4 Media Access to Sexual Assault Proceedings Heard in Camera (PDF, 11.1 KB)
Media Access to Sexual Assault Proceedings Heard in Camera (DOC, 38.5 KB)
5 Management of Prescribed Sexual Offence Proceedings (PDF, 16.8 KB)
Management of Prescribed Sexual Offence Proceedings (DOC, 36.5 KB)
6 Sexual Assault Case List (PDF, 15.7 KB)
Sexual Assault Case List (DOC, 39.5 KB)
8 Removal of Judgments from the Internet (PDF, 18.0 KB)  
Removal of Judgments from the Internet (DOC, 39.5 KB)
10 Work Health and Safety Act Prosecutions (PDF, 17.6 KB)
Work Health and Safety Act Prosecutions (DOC, 46.5 KB) issued 6 December 2011
​11 Child Sexual Offence Evidence pilot - Downing Centre (PDF, 26.1 KB)
Child Sexual Offence Evidence pilot - Downing Centre (DOC, 48.5 KB)
issued 6 August 2019
13 Call Over for Trials in Circuit Sittings (PDF, 39.0 KB)  
Call Over for Trials in Circuit Sittings (DOC, 46.0 KB)  
Commencing 1 December 2016
16
 ​Work health and Safety Act Prosecutions (PDF, 58.9 KB) 
issued 4 June 2021
18 Criminal trials (PDF, 207.9 KB)
Criminal trials  (DOC, 144.0 KB)
Readiness Hearing Guidance (and forms) (DOC, 133.5 KB)
District Court Criminal Practice Note 18 - Additional Venue (DOCX, 54.5 KB)
19 Criminal trials at circuit sittings (PDF, 242.9 KB)
Criminal trials at circuit sittings (DOC, 127.5 KB)
Readiness Hearing Guidance (and forms) (DOC, 133.5 KB)
20 District Court Criminal Practice Note 20 (PDF, 22.9 KB)
21 Appeals against Conviction (PDF, 52.4 KB)
Appeals against Conviction  (DOC, 29.0 KB)
Commencing 18 April 2022
22 Revocation of Practice Note 22 (PDF, 8.2 KB) 
23 Collection Notice Health Records DC Trials  (PDF, 68.1 KB) 

District Court Criminal Practice Note 23 - Resumption of Jury Trials and in person appearances in Judge Alone Trials    (PDF, 55.3 KB)
Replaced 22 April 2022
24

District Court Criminal Practice Note 24 - Applications for leave for in person appearances in Trials and Sentence Hearings of WHS Prosecutions (PDF, 160.8 KB)

District Court Criminal Practice Note 24 - Applications for leave for in person appearances in Trials and Sentence Hearings of WHS Prosecutions (DOC, 45.5 KB)
Practice Note 24 is suspended
25

District Court Criminal Practice Note 25 - Applications for Leave for In Person Appearances in Sentence Proceedings  (PDF, 186.2 KB)

District Court Criminal Practice Note 25 - Applications for Leave for In Person Appearances in Sentence Proceedings  (DOC, 67.5 KB)
Practice Note 25 is suspended
26

District Court Criminal Practice Note 26 - Walama List Sentencing Procedure (PDF, 115.8 KB)

District Court Criminal Practice Note 26 - Walama List Sentencing Procedure (DOC, 77.5 KB)
28 District Court Practice Note 28 - Child Sexual Offence Evidence (PDF, 347.3 KB)

Criminal jurisdiction (archived)

Item number ​Title
1 Listing Procedures at Courts with Full Time sittings (PDF, 19.3 KB) 
Listing Procedures at Courts with Full Time sittings (DOC, 45.0 KB) 
revised 18 December 2009
​7 ​Management of Country Circuit Lists (PDF, 41.5 KB) 
Management of Country Circuit Lists (DOC, 36.0 KB) 
replaced by PN 2 on 18 December 2009
​9 ​Standard Case Management Directions (PDF, 10.2 KB) 
​Standard Case Management Directions (DOC, 34.5 KB) 
replaced by revised PN on 14 July 2017
9 Standard Case Management Directions (DOC, 7.4 KB) 
Standard Case Management Directions (DOC, 53.2 KB) 
revised Practice Note commenced 14 July 2017
12 ​Readiness Hearings (DOC, 16.9 KB) 
Readiness Hearings (DOCX, 26.5 KB) 
revised 10 August 2018
14 ​AVL readiness hearings for circuit sittings (PDF, 23.8 KB) 
​AVL readiness hearings for circuit sittings (DOC, 44.5 KB) 
revised 13 August 2018
15 Sentence matters (PDF, 11.1 KB) 
Sentence matters (DOC, 61.2 KB) 
4 July 2018
17 AVL call-over for circuit sittings (PDF, 17.5 KB) 
​AVL call-over for circuit sittings (DOC, 45.0 KB) 
issued 5 November 2018
18

District Court Criminal Practice Note 18 - Criminal Trials (PDF, 240.0 KB) 
District Court Criminal Practice Note 18 - Criminal Trials (DOC, 66.0 KB) 
replaced 2 August 2021

Criminal trials (PDF, 203.8 KB) 
Criminal trials  (DOC, 142.0 KB)  
replaced 27 May 2022
19

Criminal trials at circuit sittings (PDF, 96.5 KB) (
Criminal trials at circuit sittings (DOC, 128.5 KB) 
Replaced 16 February 2022

District Court Criminal Practice Note 19 -  Criminal Trials at Circuit Sittings  (PDF, 243.5 KB) 
District Court Criminal Practice Note 19 -  Criminal Trials at Circuit Sittings (DOC, 59.0 KB) 
replaced 2 August 2021

Criminal trials at circuit sittings (PDF, 240.5 KB)

20


21


22

District Court Criminal Practice Note 20 – Sentence Matters (PDF, 20.9 KB) 
replaced 31 August 2020.

Appeals against Conviction (PDF, 17.0 KB) 
Appeals against Conviction (DOC, 28.5 KB) 
Replaced 18 April 2022

Vacated Trials due to COVID-19 (PDF, 13.4 KB) 
Vacated Trials due to COVID-19 (DOC, 28.5 KB)
23

District Court Criminal Practice Note 23 - Resumption of Jury Trials and in person appearances in Judge Alone Trials   (PDF, 332.3 KB)
Replaced 22 April 2022

District Court Criminal Practice Note 23 - Resumption of Jury Trials and in person appearances in Judge Alone Trials (DOC, 161.0 KB)

District Court Criminal Practice Note 23 Additional Venues updated 26 October 2021 (DOCX, 52.6 KB)
25

District Court Criminal Practice Note 25 - Applications for Leave for In Person Appearances in Sentence Proceedings (PDF, 183.9 KB)

District Court Criminal Practice Note 25 - Applications for Leave for In Person Appearances in Sentence Proceedings (DOC, 64.5 KB)
27

District Court Criminal Practice Note 27 - Jury Trials and Judge Alone Trials (PDF, 153.9 KB)

District Court Criminal Practice Note 27 - Jury Trials and Judge Alone Trials (DOC, 88.5 KB)

Court Users FAQs (PDF, 201.9 KB)

Note: "Practice Note 27 is suspended from 11 April 2023"


Civil jurisdiction (current)

Item number Title
- Rescinding Previous Practice Notes in Force before the Civil Procedure Act 2005 (PDF, 9.1 KB)
Rescinding Previous Practice Notes in Force before the Civil Procedure Act 2005 (DOC, 34.0 KB)
1 Case Management in the General List (PDF, 802.0 KB)
revised Practice Note commenced 18 September 2023
Case Management in the General List  (DOCX, 51.9 KB) 
revised Practice Note commenced 18 September 2023
​1A ​Case Management in Country Sittings (PDF, 172.0 KB)
​Case Management in Country Sittings (DOC, 84.0 KB)
commenced 6 April 2018
1B Online Courts (PDF, 34.7 KB) 
Online Courts (DOC, 67.0 KB) 
Commencing 31 October 2018
1C Attendance at Civil Proceedings by Audio Visual Link (AVL)  (PDF, 269.9 KB)       Attendance at Civil Proceedings by Audio Visual Link (AVL)  (DOC, 71.5 KB)  Commencing 29 January 2024
5 Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 (PDF, 22.0 KB) 
Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 (DOC, 48.0 KB)
6 Defamation (DOC, 19.9 KB)
Defamation (DOCX, 27.2 KB)
7 Court Approval of Settlement (PDF, 51.9 KB)
revised Practice Note commenced 31 August 2020
8 Early Return of Subpoenas (PDF, 92.9 KB)
Early Return of Subpoenas (DOC, 51.5 KB)
amended 15 June 2011
10 Inactive List (PDF, 10.3 KB)
Inactive List (DOC, 37.0 KB)
11 Access to Court Files by Non-Parties (DOC, 23.8 KB)
Access to Court Files by Non-Parties (DOC, 46.0 KB)
12 Coal Miners' Workers Compensation List (PDF, 22.8 KB)
Coal Miners' Workers Compensation List (DOC, 48.5 KB)
revised 14 April 2014
15 Pre-judgment interest rates (PDF, 13.3 KB)
Pre-judgment interest rates (DOC, 37.0 KB) 
commenced 1 July 2010
16

Applications for leave for in person appearances in Civil Trials (PDF, 164.6 KB)

Practice Note 16 is suspended

Civil jurisdiction (archived)

Item number Title
1 Case Management in the General List (PDF, 167.8 KB) (PDF, 167.8 KB)
revised Practice Note commenced 31 August 2020
1 Case Management in the General List (PDF, 61.3 KB)
Case Management in the General List (DOC, 81.0 KB)
rescinded on 31 August 2020
2 Case Management in the Commercial List (DOC, 41.5 KB)
Case Management in the Commercial List (DOC, 66.5 KB)
rescinded on 23 October 2009
3 Case Management in the Construction List (DOC, 23.5 KB)
Case Management in the Construction List (DOC, 72.5 KB)
revoked on 7 September 2009
4 Proceedings under Property (Relationships) Act 1984 and Family Provision Act 1982 (PDF, 15.0 KB)
Proceedings under Property (Relationships) Act 1984 and Family Provision Act 1982 (DOC, 42.0 KB)
revoked on 7 September 2009
7 Court Approval of Settlement (PDF, 17.4 KB)
Court Approval of Settlement (DOC, 44.5 KB)
revised 31 August 2020
9 Summons and Motions (PDF, 12.0 KB)
Summons and Motions (DOC, 36.0 KB)
revoked on 7 September 2009
13 Amendments to Case Management (DOC, 20.0 KB)
Amendments to Case Management (DOC, 40.5 KB)
revoked on 7 September 2009
14 Extension of Time for Service of Statements of Claim in Debt Claims (PDF, 10.4 KB)
Extension of Time for Service of Statements of Claim in Debt Claims (DOC, 34.0 KB)
revoked 17 March 2014
Last updated:

20 Dec 2024

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