Civil Cases

The justice courts in Arizona, have exclusive jurisdiction or the authority to hear all civil actions when the amount involved, exclusive of interest, costs, and awarded attorney fees when authorized by law, is $10,000 or less.

How to Start a Civil Case

The Rules of Civil Procedure for the Superior Court of Arizona are followed in Justice Courts. In a regular civil proceeding, either party may be represented by an attorney. If you elect to represent yourself you have a responsibility to yourself and to the court to acquire sufficient knowledge to complete the forms properly and to follow your action through to conclusion. 

Carefully read the Civil Packet (PDF) before filling out any forms. Determine the proper venue for filing your claim. Select the name of the court by selecting the drop-down arrow at the top of the form.

Fill in all the fields that apply to you as the plaintiff or defendant. You will not be able to type information into those parts of the form reserved for court staff.

Note: You can save completed forms to your computer’s hard drive. If you want to clear the entire form to start over, select the reset tab at the bottom of the page.

Print out at least three completed copies of the form and bring them to the court with your fee (copy for you and a copy for each defendant (including any attorneys) listed).

You also may bring one completed form and have the court make four copies for you (you will be charged a $.50 per page copy fee if you choose this method).

If You Are a Defendant Filing a Counterclaim

If you are a defendant filing a counterclaim, the instructions for filling out and filing a counterclaim are the same as those for filing an initial civil lawsuit. When filing the counterclaim you must submit your answer to the plaintiff’s complaint at the same time you submit your counterclaim filing.