Rule 5.3.Electronic Distribution by the Court.

Last amended April 23, 2026 · Last verified July 6, 2026

In one sentenceRule 5.3 lets the Alaska Court System distribute notices, orders, and judgments by e-mail to attorneys, agencies, court-appointed professionals, and self-represented parties who sign up for it, and treats an e-mailed document the same as a mailed one for counting response deadlines.

Full Text of Rule 5.3

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

(a) When Allowed. The Alaska Court System may use electronic mail to distribute notices, orders, judgments, and other documents to attorneys, to court-appointed professionals, and to agencies and other entities that routinely receive documents from the court. Self-represented persons may opt in to e-mail distribution.

(b) E-Mail Addresses.

(1) Attorneys. All Alaska bar members who have cases pending in state court must provide a current e-mail address to the Alaska Bar Association at http://www.alaskabar.org/members. The Alaska Court System will use the bar association database for document distribution to Alaska bar members. Attorneys who are not members of the Alaska Bar Association but are appearing in a particular state court proceeding may, if they want the court to distribute documents to them directly by e-mail, submit a current e-mail address and their case number to the court system at E-distribution@akcourts.gov.

All attorneys may associate other e-mail addresses with their own, such as those of support staff or other attorneys, by supplementing their information with the Alaska Bar Association (for Alaska bar members) or the court system (for non-Alaska bar members) as specified above. Those associated e-mail addresses will receive all court e-mails sent in all cases to the principal attorney, and not just those in a particular case.

(2) Agencies and other entities. Agencies and other entities that routinely receive court documents shall provide the court system, at E-distribution@akcourts.gov, with a single e-mail address for each office location or optionally with a single e-mail address for each sub-group that handles distinct case types at an office location.

Notwithstanding paragraph (b)(1), an agency may elect to have the court distribute documents to its attorneys at the relevant agency address provided above. Upon notice filed in a pending case, the court will also distribute documents to the agency attorney’s individual e-mail address.

(3) Guardians Ad Litem, Court Visitors, and Custody Investigators. Professionals appointed by the court shall submit an e-mail address and identify their role in the case at E-distribution@akcourts.gov.

(4) Self-Represented Parties. Self-represented parties may file a notice in their case requesting e-distribution of court documents to a specified e-mail address. Absent a request to use a different service address, self-represented parties who file documents by e-mail are deemed to have requested e-distribution of court documents to that same e-mail address.

(5) Changes to e-mail addresses. Changes to e-mail addresses must be provided immediately using the same method that was used to provide the e-mail address initially.

(c) Time for Response. E-mail distributions will be treated as if conventionally mailed for purposes of computing the due date of any required or optional response. But no additional time shall be added if a court order specifies a particular date by which an act must occur.

(d) Certified Documents. The court will send certified copies by first class mail of:

• Letters Testamentary, • Letters of Administration, • Letters of Guardianship, • Letters of Conservatorship, • Orders Approving Minor Settlement, • Certificates of Name Changes, • Dissolution and Divorce Decrees, • Qualified Domestic Relations Orders, • Orders Dividing Military Retired Pay, • Adoption Decrees with associated Findings and Conclusions, and • Financial Abuse Protection Orders.

Certified copies of other court documents may be requested as needed.

(e) Standards. The administrative director may adopt technical and procedural standards for electronic distribution by the court.

End

Amendment History

(Adopted by SCO 1862 effective January 1, 2016; amended by SCO 1889 effective August 1, 2016; by SCO 1959 effective May 14, 2020; and by SCO 2045 effective April 23, 2026)

Notes

Note to Civil Rule 5.3(e): See Administrative Bulletin 89.

Plain-English Summary

Rather than mailing every notice, order, and judgment on paper, the court may e-mail them to attorneys, to agencies and similar entities, to guardians ad litem, court visitors, and custody investigators, and to self-represented parties who ask for it. Alaska Bar members supply their e-mail address through the Bar Association's own membership system, and can add addresses for support staff or co-counsel; agencies register a single address with the court system directly. Anyone whose e-mail address changes has to update it right away, using the same channel used to provide it in the first place.

For deadline purposes, an e-mailed document is treated exactly like one sent by conventional mail — it doesn't shorten or lengthen the time to respond. Certain documents still go out by first class mail regardless, among them letters testamentary, guardianship and conservatorship letters, dissolution and divorce decrees, and adoption decrees, since those often need to travel with a physical certified copy attached.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who gets Alaska court documents by e-mail?

Attorneys through their Alaska Bar Association e-mail address, agencies and similar entities that register an address with the court, guardians ad litem and custody investigators, and self-represented parties who choose to opt in.

Does e-mail distribution change my deadline to respond?

No — Rule 5.3(c) treats an e-mailed distribution the same as conventional mail for computing the due date of any required or optional response.

Are any documents still sent by physical mail?

Yes. Certified copies of documents like letters testamentary, letters of guardianship or conservatorship, dissolution and divorce decrees, and adoption decrees are still mailed under (d).

Source & verification. The rule text, Amendment History, and Notes are reproduced verbatim from the official Alaska Rules of Civil Procedure (Alaska R. Civ. P. 5.3). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Alaska (Alaska Const. art. IV, § 15). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 6, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: e-distribution Alaska courtcourt email notices AlaskaAlaska Bar Association email addresselectronic service Alaska judgmentAlaska R. Civ. P. 5.3