FiveM Server Rules Template 2026: Copy, Paste & Customize

Server rules are one of those things every owner knows they need and almost nobody does well. Most rule sets are either a wall of bureaucratic legalese that nobody reads past rule three, or a three-line list so vague that staff have to make judgment calls on everything. Neither works.

Good rules are short enough to read, specific enough to enforce, and structured so that staff can point to an exact clause when taking action. The template below is designed for that — it covers everything a serious RP server needs without the padding. Copy it, drop it into your Discord announcements channel, and edit the parts in brackets to match your server.

Why Rules Actually Matter (Beyond the Obvious)

Rules are not just about keeping players in line. They do three things for your server that have a direct impact on retention and community health:

• They set expectations before players join. A player who reads your rules and disagrees with them leaves before joining. That is good — mismatched expectations are the root cause of most toxic player complaints.
• They protect your staff. When a moderator bans someone, the ban needs to reference a rule. Without that, every moderation decision becomes a personal dispute rather than a policy enforcement.
• They tell search engines you are a serious operation. Pages that clearly define community standards rank better and attract players who will actually respect the server.

Section 1: General Server Rules

These apply to all players at all times, regardless of in-character context.

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[SERVER NAME] — General Rules
Last updated: [DATE]
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1. RESPECT
   Treat all players and staff with basic respect. Harassment,
   hate speech, slurs, and targeted abuse are permanent ban offences
   with no appeal. Disagreement is allowed; personal attacks are not.

2. NO CHEATING OR EXPLOITING
   Use of modified clients, external software, or deliberate
   exploitation of bugs is a permanent ban. If you find a bug that
   gives an unfair advantage, report it to staff — do not use it.

3. NO ADVERTISING
   Do not advertise other servers, Discord communities, or social
   media accounts in any in-game or out-of-character channel without
   prior written staff permission.

4. ENGLISH IN OOC CHANNELS
   All out-of-character communication (OOC chat, support tickets,
   staff channels) must be in English so staff can moderate effectively.
   In-character conversations may use other languages.

5. ACCOUNT RESPONSIBILITY
   You are responsible for everything that happens on your account.
   Sharing an account that results in a ban is not grounds for appeal.
   One player, one account — ban evasion via alt accounts is a
   permanent ban.

Section 2: Roleplay Rules

These rules define the standard of RP the server expects. They are the most important section for an RP server and the most commonly violated.

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ROLEPLAY STANDARDS
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6. NEW LIFE RULE (NLR)
   If your character dies, you forget all events leading to that death.
   You may not return to the location of your death for [10–15] minutes.
   You may not seek revenge on the players involved in your death.

7. VALUE YOUR LIFE (VDM / RDM)
   Your character values their life. Do not attack or kill other players
   without a valid in-character reason and appropriate escalation.
   Vehicle Deathmatch (VDM) — using a vehicle as a weapon without
   prior RP — and Random Deathmatch (RDM) — attacking players without
   cause — are both serious offences.

8. NO METAGAMING
   Do not use out-of-character information in roleplay. This includes
   information from streams, Discord DMs, or OOC chat. What your
   character does not know in-character, they cannot act on.

9. NO POWERGAMING
   Do not force outcomes on other players without giving them the
   opportunity to respond. Do not perform actions your character could
   not realistically do. Do not use game mechanics to gain an advantage
   that would be impossible in reality.

10. STAY IN CHARACTER
    Remain in character during active roleplay scenarios. Use /ooc or
    /me for out-of-character messages. Breaking character during active
    scenes — especially police or criminal RP — ruins the experience for
    everyone involved.

11. PRIORITY COOLDOWNS
    After a major criminal event (bank robbery, store robbery,
    high-speed chase), a [30–60] minute cooldown applies before another
    major criminal event may be initiated. This prevents the server
    from becoming a constant warzone.

Section 3: Criminal and Police RP

Servers with active criminal RP need specific rules around robberies, hostage scenarios, and police interactions. Without these, criminal-police RP devolves into cop-baiting and mass shootouts.

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CRIMINAL & POLICE RP
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12. ROBBERY RULES
    All robberies require a minimum of [2–3] criminals and [1–2]
    police officers online to initiate. Store robberies do not require
    hostages. Bank robberies require a hostage RP scenario.
    Robberies in spawn-protected areas are not permitted.

13. HOSTAGE RULES
    A hostage must be a willing participant (OOC consent required).
    Hostages must be given the opportunity to comply with demands.
    Harming or killing a hostage without a valid RP reason is a
    ban offence.

14. POLICE CORRUPTION RP
    Police corruption roleplay is [allowed / not allowed] on this
    server. If allowed: corruption RP requires a staff-approved
    storyline and must not impact overall server fairness.

15. FLEE VS FIGHT
    Criminal players must make a genuine effort to flee before
    engaging officers. Immediately opening fire on police for minor
    offences without prior RP is considered RDM regardless of
    in-character justification.

16. SAFE ZONES
    The following areas are safe zones — no criminal activity,
    combat, or hostile RP may take place here:
    • [Hospital entrance and interior]
    • [Mechanic shop interiors]
    • [Spawn area — first [X] minutes after joining]

Section 4: Staff and Moderation

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STAFF & MODERATION
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17. STAFF AUTHORITY
    Staff decisions are final during active situations. If you
    disagree with a staff action, open a ticket after the situation
    is resolved — do not argue in OOC chat or in the support channel
    publicly.

18. STAFF IMPERSONATION
    Claiming to be a staff member when you are not, or claiming a
    staff member told you something they did not, is a permanent ban.

19. REPORTING PLAYERS
    Use [#report-a-player / in-game /report command] to report rule
    violations. Do not confront rule-breakers directly in OOC — this
    escalates situations and makes moderation harder.

20. PUNISHMENT SCALE
    Minor offences (first time): verbal warning
    Repeated minor / moderate offence: 1–7 day ban
    Serious offence (RDM, cheating, harassment): permanent ban
    Permanent bans may be appealed once at [appeal link].

Section 5: Technical and Performance Rules

These rules exist to protect server performance and stability. They are often skipped by new server owners and cause significant problems later.

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TECHNICAL RULES
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21. NO MODIFIED CLIENTS
    Running FiveM with modified game files, texture packs that are
    not server-provided, or any mod menu is a permanent ban.
    FiveM's built-in anticheat detects most client modifications.

22. NO STREAM SNIPING
    Watching a player's stream to gain positional information or
    advance knowledge of in-game situations is metagaming (Rule 8)
    and will be treated accordingly.

23. AFK LIMITS
    Players idle for more than [20–30] minutes will be automatically
    kicked to free server slots. Do not use AFK scripts or auto-clickers
    to avoid this.

24. VEHICLE SPAWNING
    Only spawn vehicles through authorised methods (dealerships,
    vehicle menu, approved commands). Spawning vehicles outside
    designated areas or in ways that damage server performance
    is a kickable offence.

Publishing Your Rules

Once your template is ready, publish it in at least three places:

• Discord — a #server-rules channel with read-only permissions. Pin it. Link it in your welcome message.
• In-game on first join — a rules acceptance screen or NUI popup that requires players to acknowledge the rules before spawning. Most whitelist scripts and framework menus support this.
• Your website or server listing page — players who find you via FiveM server lists or Google will look for rules before applying. Having them indexed improves trust and search ranking.

Keeping Rules Updated

Review your rules every 60–90 days, or whenever a new recurring problem appears on the server. Add a "last updated" date at the top so players know the document is maintained. When you make changes, post an announcement in Discord with a summary of what changed — players who already read the rules should not have to re-read the whole document to stay compliant.

Rules are a living document. The servers that keep players coming back for months are the ones that treat moderation as a product to be continuously improved — not a box to check at launch and forget.