Arizona

Civil Procedure

Civil Procedure

Rule 5.2 – Form of Documents

(a) Caption. Documents filed with the court must contain the following information as single-spaced text, typed or printed, on the first page of the document:

(1) to the left of the center of the page starting at line 1:

(A) the filing attorney’s or self-represented litigant’s name, address, telephone number, and email address; and
(B) if an attorney, the attorney’s State Bar of Arizona attorney identification number; and any State Bar of Arizona law firm identification number, along with an identification of the party being represented by the attorney (e.g., plaintiff, defendant, third-party plaintiff);
(2) centered on or below line 6 of the page, the title of the court;
(3) below the title of the court and to the left of the center of the page, the title of the action or proceeding;
(4) opposite the title, in the space to the right of the center of the page, the case number of the action or proceeding;
(5) immediately below the case number, a brief description of the nature of the document; and
(6) below the document description, the judge to whom the case is assigned (if known).
(b) Document Format.

(1)Generally. Unless the court orders otherwise, all filed documents-other than a document submitted as an exhibit or attachment to a filing-must be prepared as follows:

(A)Text and Background. The text of every document must be black on a plain white background. All documents filed must be single-sided and should have line numbers at double-spaced intervals along the left side of the page.
(B)Type Size and Font. Notwithstanding any local rule,every typed document must use at least a 13-point type size. The court prefers proportionally spaced serif fonts, such as Times New Roman, Bookman, Century, Garamond, or Book Antiqua, and discourages monospaced or sans serif fonts such as Arial, Helvetica, Courier, or Calibri. Footnotes must be in at least a 13-point type size and must not appear in the space required for the bottom margin.
(C)Page Size. Each page of a document must be 8 ½ by 11 inches.

(i) Despite this general requirement, exhibits, attachments to documents, or documents from jurisdictions other than the State of Arizona and larger than the specified size must be folded to the specified size or folded and fastened to pages of the specified size.
(ii) Exhibits or attachments to documents smaller than the specified size must be fastened to pages of the specified size.
(iii) An exhibit, an attachment to a document, or a document from a jurisdiction other than the State of Arizona not in compliance with these provisions may be filed only if it appears that compliance is not reasonably practicable.
(D)Margins and Page Numbers. Margins must be set as follows: a margin at the top of the first page of not less than 2 inches; a margin at the top of each subsequent page of not less than 1-1/2 inches; a left-hand margin of not less than 1 inch; a right-hand margin of not less than 1/2 inch; and a margin at the bottom of each page of not less than 1/2 inch. Except for the first page, the bottom margin must include a page number.
(E)Handwritten Documents. Handwritten documents are discouraged but if a document is handwritten, the text must be legibly printed and not include cursive writing or script.
(F)Line Spacing. Text must be double-spaced and may not exceed 28 lines per page, but headings, quotations, and footnotes may be single-spaced. A single-spaced quotation must be indented on the left and right sides.
(G)Headings and Emphasis. Headings must be underlined, or be in italics or bold type. Underlining, italics, or bold type also may be used for emphasis.
(H)Citations. Case names and citation signals must be in italics or underlined.
(I)Originals. Unless filing electronically, only originals may be filed. If it is necessary to file more than one copy of a document, the additional copies may be photocopies or computer generated duplicates.
(J)Court Forms. Printed court forms may be single-spaced, but those requiring a judge’s or commissioner’s signature must be double-spaced. Printed court forms must be single-sided. All printed court forms must be on paper of sufficient quality and weight to assure legibility upon duplication, microfilming, or imaging.
(c) Electronically Filed Documents.

(1)Format.

(A)File Type. A document filed electronically that contains text, other than a scanned document image that is submitted under this rule, must be in a text-searchable .pdf, .odt, or .docx format or other format permitted by Administrative Order. A text-searchable .pdf format is preferred. A proposed order must be in a format that permits it to be modified, such as .odt or .docx or other format permitted by Administrative Order, and must not be password protected.
(B)File Size. A document may not exceed the file size limits allowed by the court’s electronic filing portal, but it may be broken up into multiple files to accommodate such a limit.
(2)Formats of Attachments.

(A)Generally. An exhibit and other attachment to an electronically filed document also may be filed electronically if it is attached to the same submission as either a scanned image or an electronic copy using an approved file type and format.
(B)Official Records. A scanned copy of an official record of a court or government body may be filed electronically if it contains the court’s or body’s official seal of authority or its equivalent.
(C)Notarized Documents. A scanned copy of a notarized document may be filed electronically if it contains the notary’s signature and stamp or seal.
(D)Certified Mail, Return Receipt Card. When establishing proof of service by a form of mail that requires a signed and returned receipt, the return receipt may be filed electronically if both sides of the return receipt card are scanned and filed.
(E)National Courier Service. When establishing proof of service by a national courier service, the receipt for such service may be filed electronically by scanning and filing the receipt.
(3)Bookmarks and Hyperlinks.

(A)Bookmarks. A bookmark is a linked reference to another page within the same document. An electronically filed document may include bookmarks. A document that is incapable of bookmarking may be made accessible by a hyperlink. The use of bookmarks is encouraged.
(B)Hyperlinks. A hyperlink is an electronic link in a document to another document or to a website. An electronically filed document may include hyperlinks. Material that is not in the official court record does not become part of the official record merely because it is made accessible by a hyperlink. The use of hyperlinks is encouraged.
(4)Originals. An electronically filed document (or a scanned copy of a document filed in hard copy) constitutes an “original” under Arizona Rule of Evidence 1002.

Ariz. R. Civ. P. 5.2

Amended effective January 1, 2017; amended August 31, 2017, effective January 1, 2018.