From 47d2df413740270dc0f9ce9f099ef9b77261015d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Roberto Moura <roberto@ffmoura.com>
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 2026 15:48:28 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 01/10] Convert fill polygons to filled scatter traces

---
 plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py            | 25 ++++++++++++++++++++++
 plotly/matplotlylib/tests/test_renderer.py | 18 ++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 43 insertions(+)

diff --git a/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py b/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py
index 0a3c829945..69c781280d 100644
--- a/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py
+++ b/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py
@@ -908,6 +908,12 @@ def draw_path(self, **props):
         elif isinstance(props["mplobj"], mpatches.StepPatch):
             self.msg += "    Drawing a step path\n"
             self._draw_step_path(props)
+        elif (
+            isinstance(props["mplobj"], mpatches.Polygon)
+            and props["coordinates"] == "data"
+        ):
+            self.msg += "    Drawing a filled polygon\n"
+            self._draw_filled_polygon(props)
         else:
             self.msg += "    This path isn't a bar, not drawing\n"
             warnings.warn(
@@ -970,6 +976,25 @@ def _draw_step_path(self, props):
             )
         )
 
+    def _draw_filled_polygon(self, props):
+        """Draw a matplotlib Polygon patch as a filled scatter trace."""
+        style = props["style"]
+        verts = props["data"]
+        facecolor = _export_color(style["facecolor"])
+        edgecolor = _export_color(style["edgecolor"])
+        self.plotly_fig.add_trace(
+            go.Scatter(
+                x=self._convert_x_dates([v[0] for v in verts]),
+                y=[v[1] for v in verts],
+                mode="lines",
+                line=go.scatter.Line(color=edgecolor, width=style["edgewidth"]),
+                fill="toself",
+                fillcolor=facecolor,
+                xaxis="x{0}".format(self.axis_ct),
+                yaxis="y{0}".format(self.axis_ct),
+            )
+        )
+
     def draw_text(self, **props):
         """Create an annotation dict for a text obj.
 
diff --git a/plotly/matplotlylib/tests/test_renderer.py b/plotly/matplotlylib/tests/test_renderer.py
index 90f73bff36..2cc7be3dea 100644
--- a/plotly/matplotlylib/tests/test_renderer.py
+++ b/plotly/matplotlylib/tests/test_renderer.py
@@ -1150,6 +1150,24 @@ def test_uneven_custom_date_xtickvals_are_converted():
     )
 
 
+def test_fill_converts():
+    """plt.fill polygons convert to filled scatter traces."""
+    x = np.linspace(0, 2 * np.pi, 50)
+    fig, ax = plt.subplots()
+    ax.fill(x, np.sin(x), "g")
+
+    plotly_fig = tls.mpl_to_plotly(fig)
+
+    assert len(plotly_fig.data) == 1
+    trace = plotly_fig.data[0]
+    assert trace.type == "scatter"
+    assert trace.fill == "toself"
+    assert np.allclose(trace.x, x)
+    assert np.allclose(trace.y, np.sin(x))
+    assert trace.fillcolor == "#007F00"
+    assert trace.line.color == "rgba(0,0,0,0)"
+
+
 def test_custom_date_xtickvals_given_as_numbers_are_converted():
     """Custom date ticks given as matplotlib date numbers must be converted
     to date strings."""

From 211c63d41c8f9c1452ea7b9458aeb9f732f7ff07 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Roberto Moura <roberto@ffmoura.com>
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2026 08:41:32 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 02/10] Support legend labels on filled polygon traces

---
 plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py            |  9 ++++++++
 plotly/matplotlylib/tests/test_renderer.py | 24 ++++++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 33 insertions(+)

diff --git a/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py b/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py
index 69c781280d..a5cd4e3518 100644
--- a/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py
+++ b/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py
@@ -982,8 +982,17 @@ def _draw_filled_polygon(self, props):
         verts = props["data"]
         facecolor = _export_color(style["facecolor"])
         edgecolor = _export_color(style["edgecolor"])
+        mplobj = props.get("mplobj")
+        label = mplobj.get_label() if mplobj is not None else None
+        if not label or (isinstance(label, str) and label.startswith("_")):
+            label = None
+            showlegend = False
+        else:
+            showlegend = None
         self.plotly_fig.add_trace(
             go.Scatter(
+                name=label,
+                showlegend=showlegend,
                 x=self._convert_x_dates([v[0] for v in verts]),
                 y=[v[1] for v in verts],
                 mode="lines",
diff --git a/plotly/matplotlylib/tests/test_renderer.py b/plotly/matplotlylib/tests/test_renderer.py
index 2cc7be3dea..1b29b6178f 100644
--- a/plotly/matplotlylib/tests/test_renderer.py
+++ b/plotly/matplotlylib/tests/test_renderer.py
@@ -1168,6 +1168,30 @@ def test_fill_converts():
     assert trace.line.color == "rgba(0,0,0,0)"
 
 
+def test_fill_with_legend_label():
+    """plt.fill polygons with labels export their name and show in legend."""
+    fig, ax = plt.subplots()
+    ax.fill([0, 1, 2], [0, 2, 0], "b", label="Shaded Area")
+    ax.fill([0, 1, 2], [0, 1, 0], "g")
+    ax.plot([0, 1, 2], [1, 1, 1], "r-", label="Threshold")
+    ax.legend()
+
+    plotly_fig = tls.mpl_to_plotly(fig)
+
+    assert plotly_fig.layout.showlegend == True
+    assert len(plotly_fig.data) == 3
+
+    labeled_fill = next(
+        t for t in plotly_fig.data if t.fill == "toself" and t.name == "Shaded Area"
+    )
+    assert labeled_fill.showlegend is not False
+
+    unlabeled_fill = next(
+        t for t in plotly_fig.data if t.fill == "toself" and t.name is None
+    )
+    assert unlabeled_fill.showlegend is False
+
+
 def test_custom_date_xtickvals_given_as_numbers_are_converted():
     """Custom date ticks given as matplotlib date numbers must be converted
     to date strings."""

From adf16d7dd1af7770353304d5b04105ed254f1e33 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Roberto Moura <roberto@ffmoura.com>
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2026 08:46:11 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 03/10] Add changelog entry

---
 CHANGELOG.md | 2 ++
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+)

diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 32590d344f..b3bf115d85 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,8 +4,10 @@ This project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](http://semver.org/).
 
 ## Unreleased
 
+
 ### Added
 - Add support for converting matplotlib reference lines (`axhline`, `axvline`, and horizontal/vertical `axline`) as well as axes-coordinate lines into Plotly layout shapes in `mpl_to_plotly`, including support for date axes [[#5719](https://github.com/plotly/plotly.py/pull/5719)], with thanks to @robertoffmoura for the contribution!
+- Add support for converting matplotlib fill polygons (`plt.fill`) to filled scatter traces in `mpl_to_plotly`, with thanks to @robertoffmoura for the contribution!
 
 ### Fixed
 - Fix `mpl_to_plotly` tick marker mirroring, axis positioning, and trace visibility for twinned and overlaid subplots (such as `twinx` and `twiny`) [[#5310](https://github.com/plotly/plotly.py/pull/5310)], with thanks to @robertoffmoura for the contribution!

From 37b9679baf9e2132ddd71b77178759ff92dba9a1 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Roberto Moura <roberto@ffmoura.com>
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2026 09:03:23 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 04/10] Update changelog entry with PR number 5795

---
 CHANGELOG.md | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index b3bf115d85..9ab5a5ba03 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ This project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](http://semver.org/).
 
 ### Added
 - Add support for converting matplotlib reference lines (`axhline`, `axvline`, and horizontal/vertical `axline`) as well as axes-coordinate lines into Plotly layout shapes in `mpl_to_plotly`, including support for date axes [[#5719](https://github.com/plotly/plotly.py/pull/5719)], with thanks to @robertoffmoura for the contribution!
-- Add support for converting matplotlib fill polygons (`plt.fill`) to filled scatter traces in `mpl_to_plotly`, with thanks to @robertoffmoura for the contribution!
+- Add support for converting matplotlib fill polygons (`plt.fill`) to filled scatter traces in `mpl_to_plotly` [[#5795](https://github.com/plotly/plotly.py/pull/5795)], with thanks to @robertoffmoura for the contribution!
 
 ### Fixed
 - Fix `mpl_to_plotly` tick marker mirroring, axis positioning, and trace visibility for twinned and overlaid subplots (such as `twinx` and `twiny`) [[#5310](https://github.com/plotly/plotly.py/pull/5310)], with thanks to @robertoffmoura for the contribution!

From c00d54f60fff0f82bf5a2118144dfc40eb34df4f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Roberto Moura <roberto@ffmoura.com>
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2026 00:07:33 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 05/10] Read the polygon label from props['mplobj'] directly

---
 plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py | 3 +--
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py b/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py
index a5cd4e3518..231ae24998 100644
--- a/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py
+++ b/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py
@@ -982,8 +982,7 @@ def _draw_filled_polygon(self, props):
         verts = props["data"]
         facecolor = _export_color(style["facecolor"])
         edgecolor = _export_color(style["edgecolor"])
-        mplobj = props.get("mplobj")
-        label = mplobj.get_label() if mplobj is not None else None
+        label = props["mplobj"].get_label()
         if not label or (isinstance(label, str) and label.startswith("_")):
             label = None
             showlegend = False

From 27631a35847fed522c025901e2b3b5bc3296f2be Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Roberto Moura <roberto@ffmoura.com>
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2026 00:08:17 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 06/10] Share legend label handling in a _legend_label helper

---
 plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py | 37 +++++++++++++++------------------
 1 file changed, 17 insertions(+), 20 deletions(-)

diff --git a/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py b/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py
index 231ae24998..88bb55e673 100644
--- a/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py
+++ b/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py
@@ -41,6 +41,20 @@ def _per_path(values, i, default):
     return values[i % n] if n else default
 
 
+def _legend_label(label):
+    """Return the (name, showlegend) pair for a trace from an artist label.
+
+    matplotlib marks artists it leaves out of legends with "_nolegend_" and
+    auto-generated "_childN" labels. Empty labels and labels starting with
+    "_" give (None, False), which hides the trace from the plotly legend.
+    Other labels give (label, None), which keeps plotly's default legend
+    entry.
+    """
+    if not label or (isinstance(label, str) and label.startswith("_")):
+        return None, False
+    return label, None
+
+
 def _convert_collection_dash(linestyle):
     """Convert a matplotlib collection line style to a plotly dash string.
 
@@ -532,14 +546,7 @@ def draw_marked_line(self, **props):
                     ),
                 )
         if props["coordinates"] == "data":
-            label = props["label"]
-            # matplotlib uses "_nolegend_" and auto-generated "_childN"
-            # labels for artists that must not appear in a legend
-            if not label or (isinstance(label, str) and label.startswith("_")):
-                label = None
-                showlegend = False
-            else:
-                showlegend = None
+            label, showlegend = _legend_label(props["label"])
             marked_line = go.Scatter(
                 mode=mode,
                 name=label,
@@ -951,12 +958,7 @@ def _draw_step_path(self, props):
         if len(x) < 2:
             self.msg += "    Step path has fewer than 2 points, not drawing\n"
             return
-        label = props["mplobj"].get_label()
-        if not label or (isinstance(label, str) and label.startswith("_")):
-            label = None
-            showlegend = False
-        else:
-            showlegend = None
+        label, showlegend = _legend_label(props["mplobj"].get_label())
         self.plotly_fig.add_trace(
             go.Scatter(
                 x=x,
@@ -982,12 +984,7 @@ def _draw_filled_polygon(self, props):
         verts = props["data"]
         facecolor = _export_color(style["facecolor"])
         edgecolor = _export_color(style["edgecolor"])
-        label = props["mplobj"].get_label()
-        if not label or (isinstance(label, str) and label.startswith("_")):
-            label = None
-            showlegend = False
-        else:
-            showlegend = None
+        label, showlegend = _legend_label(props["mplobj"].get_label())
         self.plotly_fig.add_trace(
             go.Scatter(
                 name=label,

From e141300ef183163e222592526b054bd95977eda6 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Roberto Moura <roberto@ffmoura.com>
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2026 00:08:56 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 07/10] Build filled polygon traces in a shared
 _add_filled_trace helper

---
 plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py | 63 ++++++++++++++++-----------------
 1 file changed, 31 insertions(+), 32 deletions(-)

diff --git a/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py b/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py
index 88bb55e673..75ba7503db 100644
--- a/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py
+++ b/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py
@@ -857,6 +857,25 @@ def flush():
 
         flush()
 
+    def _add_filled_trace(
+        self, verts, facecolor, edgecolor, linewidth, name=None, showlegend=None
+    ):
+        """Add a filled scatter trace outlining `verts` on the current axes."""
+        self.plotly_fig.add_trace(
+            go.Scatter(
+                name=name,
+                showlegend=showlegend,
+                x=self._convert_x_dates([v[0] for v in verts]),
+                y=[v[1] for v in verts],
+                mode="lines",
+                line=go.scatter.Line(color=_export_color(edgecolor), width=linewidth),
+                fill="toself",
+                fillcolor=_export_color(facecolor),
+                xaxis="x{0}".format(self.axis_ct),
+                yaxis="y{0}".format(self.axis_ct),
+            )
+        )
+
     def _draw_filled_path_collection(self, props):
         """Draw a path collection (e.g. violin plot bodies) as filled polygons."""
         facecolors = mpltools.convert_rgba_array(props["styles"]["facecolor"])
@@ -864,22 +883,11 @@ def _draw_filled_path_collection(self, props):
         linewidths = mpltools.convert_linewidth_array(props["styles"]["linewidth"])
 
         for i, (verts, codes) in enumerate(props["paths"]):
-            facecolor = _per_path(facecolors, i, "rgba(0,0,0,0)")
-            edgecolor = _per_path(edgecolors, i, "rgba(0,0,0,0)")
-            linewidth = _per_path(linewidths, i, 0)
-            self.plotly_fig.add_trace(
-                go.Scatter(
-                    x=self._convert_x_dates([v[0] for v in verts]),
-                    y=[v[1] for v in verts],
-                    mode="lines",
-                    line=go.scatter.Line(
-                        color=_export_color(edgecolor), width=linewidth
-                    ),
-                    fill="toself",
-                    fillcolor=_export_color(facecolor),
-                    xaxis="x{0}".format(self.axis_ct),
-                    yaxis="y{0}".format(self.axis_ct),
-                )
+            self._add_filled_trace(
+                verts,
+                facecolor=_per_path(facecolors, i, "rgba(0,0,0,0)"),
+                edgecolor=_per_path(edgecolors, i, "rgba(0,0,0,0)"),
+                linewidth=_per_path(linewidths, i, 0),
             )
 
     def draw_path(self, **props):
@@ -981,23 +989,14 @@ def _draw_step_path(self, props):
     def _draw_filled_polygon(self, props):
         """Draw a matplotlib Polygon patch as a filled scatter trace."""
         style = props["style"]
-        verts = props["data"]
-        facecolor = _export_color(style["facecolor"])
-        edgecolor = _export_color(style["edgecolor"])
         label, showlegend = _legend_label(props["mplobj"].get_label())
-        self.plotly_fig.add_trace(
-            go.Scatter(
-                name=label,
-                showlegend=showlegend,
-                x=self._convert_x_dates([v[0] for v in verts]),
-                y=[v[1] for v in verts],
-                mode="lines",
-                line=go.scatter.Line(color=edgecolor, width=style["edgewidth"]),
-                fill="toself",
-                fillcolor=facecolor,
-                xaxis="x{0}".format(self.axis_ct),
-                yaxis="y{0}".format(self.axis_ct),
-            )
+        self._add_filled_trace(
+            props["data"],
+            facecolor=style["facecolor"],
+            edgecolor=style["edgecolor"],
+            linewidth=style["edgewidth"],
+            name=label,
+            showlegend=showlegend,
         )
 
     def draw_text(self, **props):

From 79c0e126a09a7af7a00e0a86fdae501038546060 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Roberto Moura <roberto@ffmoura.com>
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2026 00:44:05 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 08/10] Use an identity check for showlegend in
 test_fill_with_legend_label

---
 plotly/matplotlylib/tests/test_renderer.py | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/plotly/matplotlylib/tests/test_renderer.py b/plotly/matplotlylib/tests/test_renderer.py
index 1b29b6178f..10c2646812 100644
--- a/plotly/matplotlylib/tests/test_renderer.py
+++ b/plotly/matplotlylib/tests/test_renderer.py
@@ -1178,7 +1178,7 @@ def test_fill_with_legend_label():
 
     plotly_fig = tls.mpl_to_plotly(fig)
 
-    assert plotly_fig.layout.showlegend == True
+    assert plotly_fig.layout.showlegend is True
     assert len(plotly_fig.data) == 3
 
     labeled_fill = next(

From c576c8407c897eb571e1b11cb2b27d7d4e231407 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Roberto Moura <roberto@ffmoura.com>
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2026 00:44:08 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 09/10] Remove extra blank line under Unreleased in changelog

---
 CHANGELOG.md | 1 -
 1 file changed, 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 9ab5a5ba03..d85a725998 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ This project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](http://semver.org/).
 
 ## Unreleased
 
-
 ### Added
 - Add support for converting matplotlib reference lines (`axhline`, `axvline`, and horizontal/vertical `axline`) as well as axes-coordinate lines into Plotly layout shapes in `mpl_to_plotly`, including support for date axes [[#5719](https://github.com/plotly/plotly.py/pull/5719)], with thanks to @robertoffmoura for the contribution!
 - Add support for converting matplotlib fill polygons (`plt.fill`) to filled scatter traces in `mpl_to_plotly` [[#5795](https://github.com/plotly/plotly.py/pull/5795)], with thanks to @robertoffmoura for the contribution!

From 1a77a0e1c82717a561ae89e6e3a4021579e8a993 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Roberto Moura <roberto@ffmoura.com>
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2026 01:01:12 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 10/10] Order traces within each axes by matplotlib zorder

---
 plotly/matplotlylib/mpltools.py            |  1 +
 plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py            | 55 ++++++++++++++++++----
 plotly/matplotlylib/tests/test_renderer.py | 23 +++++++++
 3 files changed, 70 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)

diff --git a/plotly/matplotlylib/mpltools.py b/plotly/matplotlylib/mpltools.py
index 892282418e..b886b85007 100644
--- a/plotly/matplotlylib/mpltools.py
+++ b/plotly/matplotlylib/mpltools.py
@@ -329,6 +329,7 @@ def get_markerstyle_from_collection(props):
         # markersize=convert_size_array(props['styles']['size']),  # TODO!
         markersize=convert_size_array(props["mplobj"].get_sizes()),
         edgecolor=convert_rgba_array(props["styles"]["edgecolor"]),
+        zorder=props["styles"]["zorder"],
     )
     return markerstyle
 
diff --git a/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py b/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py
index 75ba7503db..9f1da88e2f 100644
--- a/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py
+++ b/plotly/matplotlylib/renderer.py
@@ -111,6 +111,29 @@ def __init__(self):
         self._processing_legend = False
         self._legend_visible = False
         self.axes_list = []
+        self._trace_zorders = []
+
+    def _add_trace(self, trace, zorder):
+        """Add a trace to the figure, recording its matplotlib zorder."""
+        self.plotly_fig.add_trace(trace)
+        self._trace_zorders.append(zorder)
+
+    def _sort_traces_by_zorder(self):
+        """Order the current axes' traces by matplotlib zorder.
+
+        plotly draws later traces on top and matplotlib draws artists in
+        ascending zorder, so the traces are stably sorted by zorder. Traces
+        with equal zorder keep the order they were drawn in.
+        """
+        n = len(self._trace_zorders)
+        start = len(self.plotly_fig.data) - n
+        order = sorted(range(n), key=self._trace_zorders.__getitem__)
+        if order != list(range(n)):
+            axes_traces = self.plotly_fig.data[start:]
+            self.plotly_fig.data = self.plotly_fig.data[:start] + tuple(
+                axes_traces[i] for i in order
+            )
+        self._trace_zorders = []
 
     def _convert_x_dates(self, x):
         """Convert x values to date strings when the x-axis is a date axis."""
@@ -318,6 +341,7 @@ def close_axes(self, ax):
 
         """
         self.draw_bars(self.current_bars)
+        self._sort_traces_by_zorder()
         self.msg += "  Closing axes\n"
         self.x_is_mpl_date = False
 
@@ -447,7 +471,7 @@ def draw_bar(self, coll):
         )  # TODO ditto
         if len(bar["x"]) > 1:
             self.msg += "    Heck yeah, I drew that bar chart\n"
-            self.plotly_fig.add_trace(bar)
+            self._add_trace(bar, trace[0]["zorder"])
             if bar_gap is not None:
                 self.plotly_fig["layout"]["bargap"] = bar_gap
         else:
@@ -560,7 +584,8 @@ def draw_marked_line(self, **props):
             )
             if self.x_is_mpl_date:
                 marked_line["x"] = self._convert_x_dates(marked_line["x"])
-            self.plotly_fig.add_trace(marked_line)
+            style = props["linestyle"] or props["markerstyle"]
+            self._add_trace(marked_line, style["zorder"])
             self.msg += "    Heck yeah, I drew that line\n"
         elif props["coordinates"] == "axes" and self._processing_legend:
             # dealing with legend graphical elements
@@ -778,7 +803,7 @@ def _draw_line_collection(self, props):
         def flush():
             if current_style is not None and grouped_x:
                 ec, lw, d = current_style
-                self.plotly_fig.add_trace(
+                self._add_trace(
                     go.Scatter(
                         x=grouped_x,
                         y=grouped_y,
@@ -791,7 +816,8 @@ def flush():
                         ),
                         xaxis="x{0}".format(self.axis_ct),
                         yaxis="y{0}".format(self.axis_ct),
-                    )
+                    ),
+                    props["styles"]["zorder"],
                 )
 
         for i, (verts, codes) in enumerate(props["paths"]):
@@ -858,10 +884,17 @@ def flush():
         flush()
 
     def _add_filled_trace(
-        self, verts, facecolor, edgecolor, linewidth, name=None, showlegend=None
+        self,
+        verts,
+        facecolor,
+        edgecolor,
+        linewidth,
+        zorder,
+        name=None,
+        showlegend=None,
     ):
         """Add a filled scatter trace outlining `verts` on the current axes."""
-        self.plotly_fig.add_trace(
+        self._add_trace(
             go.Scatter(
                 name=name,
                 showlegend=showlegend,
@@ -873,7 +906,8 @@ def _add_filled_trace(
                 fillcolor=_export_color(facecolor),
                 xaxis="x{0}".format(self.axis_ct),
                 yaxis="y{0}".format(self.axis_ct),
-            )
+            ),
+            zorder,
         )
 
     def _draw_filled_path_collection(self, props):
@@ -888,6 +922,7 @@ def _draw_filled_path_collection(self, props):
                 facecolor=_per_path(facecolors, i, "rgba(0,0,0,0)"),
                 edgecolor=_per_path(edgecolors, i, "rgba(0,0,0,0)"),
                 linewidth=_per_path(linewidths, i, 0),
+                zorder=props["styles"]["zorder"],
             )
 
     def draw_path(self, **props):
@@ -967,7 +1002,7 @@ def _draw_step_path(self, props):
             self.msg += "    Step path has fewer than 2 points, not drawing\n"
             return
         label, showlegend = _legend_label(props["mplobj"].get_label())
-        self.plotly_fig.add_trace(
+        self._add_trace(
             go.Scatter(
                 x=x,
                 y=y,
@@ -983,7 +1018,8 @@ def _draw_step_path(self, props):
                 fillcolor=_export_color(style["facecolor"]),
                 xaxis="x{0}".format(self.axis_ct),
                 yaxis="y{0}".format(self.axis_ct),
-            )
+            ),
+            style["zorder"],
         )
 
     def _draw_filled_polygon(self, props):
@@ -995,6 +1031,7 @@ def _draw_filled_polygon(self, props):
             facecolor=style["facecolor"],
             edgecolor=style["edgecolor"],
             linewidth=style["edgewidth"],
+            zorder=style["zorder"],
             name=label,
             showlegend=showlegend,
         )
diff --git a/plotly/matplotlylib/tests/test_renderer.py b/plotly/matplotlylib/tests/test_renderer.py
index 10c2646812..3b60d852f8 100644
--- a/plotly/matplotlylib/tests/test_renderer.py
+++ b/plotly/matplotlylib/tests/test_renderer.py
@@ -1192,6 +1192,29 @@ def test_fill_with_legend_label():
     assert unlabeled_fill.showlegend is False
 
 
+def test_fill_stacks_below_line_by_zorder():
+    """A fill (zorder 1) exports before a line (zorder 2), so plotly draws
+    the line on top as matplotlib does."""
+    fig, ax = plt.subplots()
+    ax.fill([0, 1, 1], [0, 0, 1], "b")
+    ax.plot([0, 1], [0.5, 0.5], "r")
+
+    plotly_fig = tls.mpl_to_plotly(fig)
+
+    assert [t.fill for t in plotly_fig.data] == ["toself", None]
+
+
+def test_fill_with_higher_zorder_stacks_above_line():
+    """A fill given a higher zorder than a line exports after the line."""
+    fig, ax = plt.subplots()
+    ax.fill([0, 1, 1], [0, 0, 1], "b", zorder=3)
+    ax.plot([0, 1], [0.5, 0.5], "r")
+
+    plotly_fig = tls.mpl_to_plotly(fig)
+
+    assert [t.fill for t in plotly_fig.data] == [None, "toself"]
+
+
 def test_custom_date_xtickvals_given_as_numbers_are_converted():
     """Custom date ticks given as matplotlib date numbers must be converted
     to date strings."""