To set up PACER alerts for federal cases, register for a free PACER account, log into the CM/ECF system for the court where the case is filed, and add the case number under the email settings inside the Utilities menu. The email notifications themselves are free. You only pay if you click through to view the underlying documents, and even then a quarterly waiver often keeps casual users at zero.
Register for PACER First
You need a PACER account before anything else. Registration is free and open to anyone, not only attorneys.1PACER: Federal Court Records. Register for an Account The same account works across appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts nationwide.2United States Courts. Find a Case (PACER)
Use an email address you actually check. Every alert lands there.
Add a Case to Your Notifications
Log into the CM/ECF system for the specific federal court handling the case. Each court runs its own CM/ECF instance, so a bankruptcy case in one district and a civil case in another mean two separate logins on two separate CM/ECF sites, though your PACER credentials work on all of them.
From the top menu bar, click Utilities, then choose Maintain Your Email or Maintain Your Account. Inside that screen, open Email Information. That’s the configuration page where cases get added.
Enter the case number you want to follow. Once the system verifies it, the case appears in a list along the lines of “These cases will send notice per filing.” You should see “(interest)” next to the case, which confirms you’re subscribed as a non-party observer rather than an attorney of record.
Menu labels shift a little between courts because not every court is on the same CM/ECF version. If the wording on your screen doesn’t match exactly, the court’s help desk can point you to the equivalent option.
Per-Filing Alerts or a Daily Summary
The email screen lets you pick how often notifications arrive. A per-filing alert reaches you the moment each document is docketed. A daily summary bundles the day’s activity into one message. Pick per-filing if timing matters and you may need to react. Pick the summary if you’re monitoring casually and want a cleaner inbox.
Add Coworkers as Secondary Recipients
If a paralegal, associate, or supervisor also needs the alerts, add them as secondary email addresses on the same Email Information screen. Look for Secondary email addresses and add a new one.3nced.uscourts.gov. Adding Secondary Email Addresses
You’ll be asked whether the secondary address should receive notice for every case tied to your account. Answer Yes to forward all of your alerts to them. Answer No if you want the secondary recipient to receive alerts for only certain cases, then remove the cases they shouldn’t see from that address’s notification list.
Secondary recipients get the same free look at each document that the primary account holder gets, under the same conditions.3nced.uscourts.gov. Adding Secondary Email Addresses Click through the submit buttons after making changes; some courts require confirming twice.
What the Alert Email Contains
Each alert includes the text of the docket entry, a unique electronic document stamp, a list of everyone who received the same notification, and a hyperlink to the filed document.4PACER: Federal Court Records. When a User Files a Pleading With the Court, Does the System Automatically Serve the Other Parties District and bankruptcy courts label it a Notice of Electronic Filing (NEF); appellate courts call it a Notice of Docket Activity (NDA). The content is essentially the same.
The docket entry text alone often tells you what happened. You can see that a motion was filed, an order was entered, or a hearing was rescheduled without opening the document itself. That matters because clicking the hyperlink is where fees can start.
When the Link Won’t Open the Document
Some filings won’t open even though you got the alert. Sealed documents, including sealed indictments, aren’t available through PACER at all; the docket entry may appear, but the link returns a permission error.5PACER: Federal Court Records. Why Am I Receiving the Message You Do Not Have Permission to View This Document
Social Security and immigration cases carry a broader restriction: only the attorney of record can view the PDFs remotely through the notification link.6PACER: Federal Court Records. Why Can’t I See PDF Documents That Are Filed in Criminal, Social Security, or Immigration Cases Through the NEF Email If you’re monitoring one of those as a non-party, the alert will still reach you, but the document won’t open.
What Clicking the Link Costs
The alert email is free. Charges begin only when you open the linked document. The standard rate is $0.10 per page, capped at $3.00 per document no matter how long it is.7PACER: Federal Court Records. PACER Pricing – How Fees Work Those rates remain in effect for 2026.8U.S. Courts. Appendix 2 – Electronic Public Access Program FY2026
Attorneys of record and parties get one free look at each document through the notification link. The free look expires when you first open the document or 15 days after the notification is sent, whichever comes first.4PACER: Federal Court Records. When a User Files a Pleading With the Court, Does the System Automatically Serve the Other Parties Save or print during that first view; anything after triggers regular fees. Forwarding the alert email to someone else before you click preserves the free look for whoever opens it first.
If you’re following a case as an interested observer rather than a party or attorney of record, don’t count on the free look. Official guidance limits it to registered parties and their counsel.
PACER also waives fees entirely if quarterly usage stays at $30 or less.7PACER: Federal Court Records. PACER Pricing – How Fees Work At the $3.00 per-document cap, that’s roughly ten full documents a quarter before anything is actually billed. Court opinions are free regardless and don’t count against the threshold.2United States Courts. Find a Case (PACER) For most people tracking one or two cases, PACER ends up costing nothing.
Changing or Canceling Alerts
Your active subscriptions live on the same Email Information screen where you set them up. From there you can swap the email address tied to a case, change the frequency, or remove a case from the list to stop its alerts. Removal takes effect immediately.
RSS Feeds as an Alternative
Some federal courts publish RSS feeds of docket activity. Subscribing is free and delivers a summary of each entry along with links to the document and docket report.9PACER: Federal Court Records. How Can I Receive Case Alerts Using an RSS Feed Viewing the documents still requires a PACER login and the usual fees.
Not every court offers a feed. The Court CM/ECF Lookup tool on the PACER website shows which do. For following specific cases, the email subscription route above is usually more practical.