Rule 5.2.Form of Documents.

Last amended January 1, 2026 · Last verified July 1, 2026

In one sentenceRule 5.2 sets the formatting rules every document filed in an Arizona court must follow — from the caption's layout and required attorney information to font, spacing, margins, and page size — so filings are consistent and legible across every court in the state.

Full Text of Rule 5.2

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

(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.

(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. Page margins must be at least one inch on the top and bottom of the page and between one inch and 1½ inches on each side. 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. ACJA § 1-901 governs the form of electronically filed documents, including the format, file type and size, format of exhibits and attachments, use of hyperlinks and bookmarks, and originals.

End

Amendment History

Promulgated by R-16-0010, effective January 1, 2017; amended by R-17-0009, effective January 1, 2018; amended on an emergency basis by R-22-0033, effective August 29, 2022 and made permanent January 1, 2023; amended by R-22-0009, effective January 1, 2024; amended on an emergency basis by R-24-0048, effective August 22, 2024 and made permanent December 3, 2024; amended by R-25-0037, effective January 1, 2026.

Plain-English Summary

Subdivision (a) dictates the caption every filed document needs: the filer's contact information and, for attorneys, their State Bar identification number, positioned to the left of center; the court's name centered near the top; and the case title, case number, and a short description of the document.

Subdivision (b) covers everything else about a document's appearance: black text on plain white paper, at least 13-point type in a proportionally spaced serif font like Times New Roman rather than a monospaced or sans-serif font, double spacing with no more than 28 lines per page, one-inch margins with page numbers on the bottom after the first page, and italicized or underlined case names and headings. Handwritten filings are discouraged, and if used, must be legible print rather than cursive or script.

Subdivision (c) hands off the formatting of electronically filed documents to ACJA § 1-901, which governs the technical side — file types, sizes, hyperlinks, and how exhibits attach — separately from this rule's paper-based formatting requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

What font and type size does Arizona require for court filings?

At least 13-point type in a proportionally spaced serif font such as Times New Roman, Bookman, Century, Garamond, or Book Antiqua; monospaced or sans-serif fonts like Arial or Courier are discouraged.

What information must appear in the caption of a filed document?

The filer's name, address, phone number, email, and, for attorneys, their State Bar identification number, along with the court's name, the case title and number, and a brief description of the document.

Can a filed document be handwritten?

It is discouraged, but if used, the text must be legibly printed, not written in cursive or script.

Do these formatting rules apply to documents filed electronically?

The caption and content rules still apply, but the technical formatting of e-filed documents — file types, sizes, and similar details — is governed separately by ACJA § 1-901.

Source & verification. The rule text and History are reproduced verbatim from the official Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure (Ariz. R. Civ. P. 5.2). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Arizona (Ariz. Const. art. 6, § 5). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 1, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: format of documentscaption requirementspage format