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Frequently-Asked QuestionsPhoenix Clerk's Office 602-322-7200
Tucson Clerk's Office 520-205-4200
05/02/2013





Where is the office located?

PHOENIX
The courthouse is located at 401 West Washington Street, on the southwest corner of 4th Avenue and Washington Street. Click Here for more details.

TUCSON
The courthouse is located at 405 West Congress Street, on the southwest corner of Congress and Granada. Click Here for more details.

FLAGSTAFF
The courthouse is located at 123 North San Francisco Street. Click Here for more details.

YUMA
The courthouse is located at 325 West 19th Street. Click Here for more details.

KINGMAN
When court is scheduled at this location, visit the Bureau of Land Management Building, 2755 Mission Boulevard. Click Here for more details.

GRAND CANYON
When court is scheduled at this location, visit the Magistrate Court Building. Click Here for more details.

PAGE
When court is scheduled at this location, visit the Wahweap Ranger Station. Click Here for more details.

What is the mailing address?

United States District Court
District of Arizona - Phoenix Division
Sandra Day O'Connor U.S. Courthouse, Suite 130
401 West Washington Street, SPC 1
Phoenix, AZ 85003-2118

United States District Court
District of Arizona - Tucson Division
Evo A. DeConcini U.S. Courthouse
405 West Congress Street, Suite 1500
Tucson, AZ 85701

What are the hours of operation?

The Clerk's Office is open from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except legal holidays.

Where do I file pleadings?

Attorneys filing in the District of Arizona are required to file electronically. Documents that are not to be filed electronically per the Administrative Policies and Procedures Manual may be filed at these locations:

The Phoenix Division is comprised of the following counties: Maricopa, Pinal, Yuma, La Paz and Gila. All documents that are not subject to electronic filing are filed and maintained at 401 West Washington Street, Suite 130, Phoenix, Arizona.

The Prescott Division is comprised of the following counties: Apache, Navajo, Coconino, Mohave and Yavapai. All documents that are not subject to electronic filing are filed and maintained at 401 West Washington Street, Suite 130, Phoenix, Arizona.

The Tucson Division is comprised of the following counties: Pima, Cochise, Santa Cruz, Graham and Greenlee. All documents that are not subject to electronic filing are filed and maintained at 405 West Congress Street, Suite 1500, Tucson, Arizona.

Can I file documents/pleadings after the office is closed?

Registered users in ECF may e-file 24 hours per day. To secure the filing date, the original document must be e-filed prior to midnight, and all other rules of procedure for the District of Arizona must also be followed. Documents which are not subject to electronic filing may be filed at the Clerk's Office between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except legal holidays.

Does the office accept faxes?

No, the District of Arizona does not accept filing by fax.

How do I file pleadings under seal?

Any document submitted for filing under seal, except a response or reply to a sealed motion, must be accompanied by a motion and proposed order authorizing such filing. The motion to seal will be filed as a public document in civil cases.

Registered users of the ECF system will find additional information regarding the electronic filing of sealed documents in the Electronic Case Filing section of this website under E-Filing Procedural Information.

How can I get a copy of the Local Rules?

Copies of the Local Rules of Practice for the District of Arizona can be downloaded from the Local Rules section of this website. They are also available at the Customer Service counter in the Clerk's Office.

How do I get copies of a case?

You may obtain copies of a document from the file either by coming to the Customer Service counter, sending a written request or contacting an off-site copy service or legal service.

The fee for copies through the Clerk's Office is 50 cents per page.

If you need a copy of the docket or an order in a case it may be available through the computer in our Customer Service lobby. The charge is 10 cents per page if you come to the courthouse and print the document(s) from the public computer terminal.

If you do not know the case number, you can look up the case number using the party name either on the public terminal or the microfiche viewer located in our Customer Service lobby.

If you are unable to look up the case number in our office, you may submit a written request for a name search, along with a fee of $30.00 per name. Payment must be made in advance.

If a file has been sent to the Federal Records Center for off-site storage, you may order it from Customer Service either in person or by mail. The retrieval fee is $53.00, payable in advance, to the Clerk, United States District Court. Please provide the complete case number, date filed and any other information you may have to ensure proper file retrieval. You will be notified when the file is available in the Clerk's Office for viewing.

You may also order copies directly from the Federal Records Center by using the form below. The advantages are (1) no $53.00 file retrieval fee, (2) no wait for the file to be shipped back to the courthouse, (3) the Federal Records Center will fax requests of 50 pages or less, and (4) if a copy of the entire file is needed, the price per page is less for the first 100 pages. In order to take advantage of this service, the form must be completed with (1) which documents are needed, (2) a docket sheet with the requested documents indicated, and (3) the location of the file (obtained from Customer Service).

How do I order a transcript or a tape/CD of a court hearing in a case?

Most court hearings are recorded by either a court reporter or by electronic means. Copies of these proceedings may be obtained as follows:

Complete instructions for ordering an electronic copy of a court hearing are included with the tape ordering form. Contact Vicki Reger in Phoenix at (602) 322-7261 and Bonnie Williams in Tucson at (520) 205-4203 with further questions. The fee for an electronic copy of a court hearing is $26.00.

Complete instructions for ordering a transcript of a court hearing are included with the transcript ordering form. Contact Vicki Reger in Phoenix at (602) 322-7261 and Bonnie Williams in Tucson at (520) 205-4203 with further questions. Transcript Fees are as follows:

TYPE OF TRANSCRIPT
ORIGINAL
COPY TO EACH PARTY
EACH ADD'L COPY TO THE SAME PARTY
Ordinary Transcript: A transcript to be delivered within thirty (30) calendar days after receipt of an order.$3.65 per page.90 per page.60 per page
14 Day Transcript: A transcript to be delivered within fourteen (14) calendar days after receipt of an order.$4.25 per page.90 per page.60 per page
Expedited Transcript: A transcript to be delivered within seven (7) calendar days after receipt of an order.$4.85 per page.90 per page.60 per page
Daily Transcript: A transcript to be delivered following adjournment and prior to the normal opening hour of the court on the following morning whether or not it actually is a court day.$6.05 per page$1.20 per page.90 per page
Hourly Transcript: A transcript of proceedings ordered under unusual circumstances to be delivered within two (2) hours$7.25 per page$1.20 per page.90 per page
Realtime Transcript: A draft unedited transcript produced by a certified realtime reporter as a by-product of realtime to be delivered electronically during proceedings or immediately following adjournment.

(Only Certified Realtime Reporters may charge for realtime services.)

$3.05 per page$1.20 per page

Where do I find information on court statistics?

Various information is available through the Administrative Office of the United States Court.

Does the U.S. District Court provide assistance to the hearing impaired?

If you are a participant in a court proceeding AND you have a communication disability, please contact Louis Velasco in Room 310 - Third floor or call (602) 322-7266 for information on:

Advance notice is greatly appreciated and will facilitate proper handling of your request.


CASE PROCESSING

What if I can't afford an attorney?

Click here to see a list of legal services organizations. If you are unable to find an attorney to assist in your case you may file on your own behalf. See Filing a Complaint on Your Own Behalf.

How do I file a complaint on my own behalf (Pro Se)?

Please refer to the section labeled Filing a Complaint on Your Own Behalf for a complete explanation of the procedures. You may also call the Customer Service Department in Phoenix at (602) 322-7200 and in Tucson at (520) 205-4200 with further questions.

How do I file a Notice of Removal?

The filing fee is $350.00. Pursuant to LRCiv 3.7 and LRCrim 1.1, the party seeking removal from another court shall file a Notice of Removal and all pleadings filed in the other court prior to the Notice of Removal. In addition to the AO Form JS-44 a Supplemental Civil Cover Sheet for Cases Removed from Another Jurisdiction is required.

What does the case number mean?

Below are examples of how you may see criminal, miscellaneous and civil case numbers.

CR 03-00010-PHX-SMM or 2:03cr00010
CR
03
00010
PHX or 2
SMM		Criminal case
the year the case was filed
the 10th criminal case filed in that year
Phoenix Division case
the case is assigned to Judge Stephen M. McNamee

MC 01-00021-PCT-EHC or 3:01mc00021
MC
01
00021
PCT or 3
EHC		Miscellaneous case
the year the case was filed
the 21st miscellaneous filed in that year
Prescott Division case
the case is assigned to Judge Earl H. Carroll

CV 02-00099-TUC-JMR (GEE) or 4:02cv00099
CV
02
00099
TUC or 4
JMR
(GEE)
Civil case
the year the case was filed
the 99th civil case filed in that year
Tucson Division case
the case is assigned to Judge John M. Roll
the case is referred to Magistrate Judge Glenda E. Edmonds

The case number allows easy reference to specific civil and criminal cases. The case number assigns a unique reference to each case and is also used to identify the year the case was filed, the office in which it was filed, and the judicial officer to whom it is assigned. The use of case numbers allows for a uniform way to access case information within the federal system. Every document filed with the court must contain reference to the proper case number. This will assist in the proper routing of documents within the court.

What is the filing fee?

The filing and administrative fee for a civil action, suit, or proceeding is $400.00. Attorneys are required to submit all new civil case filing fees electronically by credit card through the ECF system. Please refer to the Fee Schedule for a complete list of fees that the District of Arizona charges.

Is there a charge for an answer/counterclaim?

No, the United States District Court does not charge a fee for answers/counterclaims. Please refer to the Fee Schedule for a complete list of fees that the District of Arizona charges.

How many copies are needed when filing?

All attorneys are required to electronically file documents through the ECF system unless the document is an exception to electronic filing. Regardless of whether or not an original document is filed electronically, a paper courtesy copy is required for certain electronic filings. To verify electronic filing, a copy of the Notice of Electronic Filing must be appended to the last page of the courtesy copy. The courtesy copy must be either post-marked and mailed directly to the judge or hand-delivered to the judge's mail box located in the courthouse.

How much time do I have to serve a summons?

Federal Rules of Civil Procedure - Rule 4(m) Time Limit for Service.

If service of the summons and complaint is not made upon a defendant within 120 days after the filing of the complaint, the court, upon motion or on its own initiative after notice to the plaintiff, shall dismiss the action without prejudice as to that defendant or direct that service be effected within a specified time; provided that if the plaintiff shows good cause for the failure, the court shall extend the time for service for an appropriate period. This subdivision does not apply to service in a foreign country pursuant to subdivision (f) or (j)(1). A summons for each defendant (excluding fictitious parties) in civil actions can be submitted for issuance after receiving notice confirming a civil case number and judge assignment. Attach the summons to the "Summons Submitted" event located in the "Service of Process" category. The Clerk will issue each summons and return them to the filer electronically.

How do I get a subpoena issued?

For a complete explanation on how to issue a deposition subpoena in a civil case, please refer to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure - Rule 45. Subpoena. Trial subpoenas (civil and criminal) may be issued in blank by the Clerk's Office and provided to parties/attorneys for completion and service. Go to subpoena form.
Criminal subpoenas for anything other than trial, must be issued by the Clerk's Office.

How do I obtain a hearing on a motion?

LRCiv 7.2(f), LRCiv 12.1 and LRCiv 56.2. Unless otherwise directed by the Court, a party desiring oral argument shall request it by placing "Oral Argument Requested" immediately below the title of such motion or the response to such motion. If oral argument is granted, notice shall be given in a manner directed by the Court.

ATTORNEY INFORMATION

How does an attorney get admitted to practice in the District?

Please refer to the Attorney Admissions section for further information.


How do I notify the court of a change in name, address, firm, and/or e-mail address?

Pursuant to LRCivP 83.3(d), attorneys must file a written notice of any name, address, or e-mail address changes in each active case in which they have appeared. Based on such notice, the court will update the ECF system.

If the attorney does not have any active cases pending in this court, please send a written change of address notice to the court's Attorney Admissions Clerk. The notice should be in the form of a signed letter and submitted as a .pdf attachment to an e-mail message addressed to: attyadmin@azd.uscourts.gov.

Upon receipt of the notice filed in each active case, the Clerk’s Office will update all information EXCEPT the attorney’s primary and secondary e-mail addresses. The attorney will be responsible for updating the e-mail address by following the steps under "How do I add or change an e-mail address for ECF electronic noticing?".


How do I file pro hac vice ?

Out of state attorneys who wish to appear in this district must submit a formal application to appear pro hac vice. For a copy of the application form and detailed instructions on appearing pro hac vice in the District of Arizona, please visit the court's website at www.azd.uscourts.gov and click on the "Attorney Information" button, and then on the "Attorney Admissions Information" button. From there, please click on the link labeled "Application and Instructions for Out-of-State Attorneys to Appear Pro Hac Vice", or click HERE.