Rule 5.Serving Pleadings and Other Documents.

Last amended December 3, 2024 · Last verified July 1, 2026

In one sentenceRule 5 governs how parties serve papers on each other after the initial summons and complaint, listing which documents require service, the methods that count as valid service — hand delivery, mail, or electronic filing — and when service on a party's attorney satisfies the rule.

Full Text of Rule 5

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

(a) Service Generally.

(1) Scope. This rule governs service on other parties after service of the summons and complaint, counterclaim, or third-party complaint.

(2) When Required. Unless these rules provide otherwise, each of the following documents must be served on every party by a method stated in Rule 5(c):

(A) an order stating that service is required;

(B) a pleading filed after the original complaint, unless the court orders otherwise under Rule 5(d) because there are numerous defendants;

(D) a written motion, except one that may be heard ex parte; and

(E) a written notice, appearance, demand, or offer of judgment, or any similar document.

(3) If a Party Fails to Appear. No service is required on a party who is in default for failing to appear, except as provided in Rule 55. But a pleading that asserts a new claim for relief against such a party must be served on that party under Rule 4, 4.1, or 4.2, as applicable.

(4) Seizing Property. If an action is begun by seizing property and no person is or need be named as a defendant, any service required before the filing of an appearance, answer, or claim must be made on the person who had custody or possession of the property when it was seized.

(b) Service; Parties Served; Continuance. If there are several defendants, and some are served with process and others are not, the plaintiff may proceed against those who have been served or move to defer disclosure or other case-related activity until additional parties are served.

(1) Serving an Attorney. If a party is represented by an attorney, service under this rule must be made on the attorney unless the court orders or a specific rule requires service on the party.

(2) Service Generally. A document is served under this rule by any of the following:

(A) handing it to the person;

(B) leaving it:

(i) at the person’s office with a clerk or other person in charge or, if no one is in charge, in a conspicuous place in the office; or

(ii) if the person has no office or the office is closed, at the person’s dwelling or usual place of abode with someone of suitable age and discretion who resides there;

(D) delivering it by any other means, including electronic means other than that described in Rule 5(c)(2)(E), if the recipient consents in writing to that method of service or if the court orders service in that manner—in which event service is complete upon transmission; or

(E) transmitting it through an electronic filing service provider approved by the Administrative Office of the Courts as provided in Arizona Code of Judicial Administration (ACJA) § 1-901.

(3) Certificate of Service. The date and manner of service must be noted on the last page of the original of the served document or in a separate certificate, in a form substantially as follows: A copy has been or will be mailed/emailed/hand-delivered [select one] on [insert date] to: [Name of opposing party or attorney] [Address of opposing party or attorney] If the precise manner in which service has actually been made is not so noted, it will be presumed that the document was served by mail. This presumption will only apply if service in some form has actually been made.

(4) Service After Judgment. After the time for appeal from a judgment has expired or a judgment has become final after appeal, a motion, petition, complaint, or other pleading requesting modification, vacation, or enforcement of that judgment must be served in the same manner that a summons and pleading are served under Rule 4, 4.1, or 4.2, as applicable.

(d) Serving Numerous Defendants.

(1) Generally. If an action involves an unusually large number of defendants, the court may, on motion or on its own, order that:

(A) defendants’ pleadings and replies to them need not be served on other defendants;

(B) any crossclaim, counterclaim, avoidance, or affirmative defense in those pleadings and replies to them will be treated as denied or avoided by all other parties; and

(2) Notifying Parties. A copy of every such order must be served on the parties as the court directs.

End

Amendment History

Promulgated by R-16-0010, effective January 1, 2017; amended on an emergency basis by R-24-0048, effective August 22, 2024 and made permanent December 3, 2024.

Plain-English Summary

Once a case is underway, Rule 5 takes over from Rule 4 as the rule for exchanging documents between the parties themselves. Subdivision (a) lists what must be served on every party — later pleadings, discovery documents, written motions, and similar filings — unless a party has defaulted and failed to appear, in which case service is required only as Rule 55 provides and for a pleading raising a new claim against that party.

Subdivision (c) sets out how service is accomplished: handing a document to the person, leaving it at an office or residence with someone responsible, mailing it to the last-known address, delivering it by another method the recipient has agreed to in writing, or transmitting it through an approved electronic filing system. If a party is represented by an attorney, service belongs on the attorney, not the party, unless a specific rule or court order says otherwise.

The rule also requires a certificate noting the date and manner of service, and it gives courts authority, in cases with an unusually large number of defendants, to relax the service requirements between co-defendants to keep the case manageable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which documents must be served on every party in an Arizona civil case?

Court orders requiring service, pleadings filed after the original complaint, discovery and disclosure documents, most written motions, and written notices, appearances, demands, or offers of judgment.

If a party is represented by a lawyer, who gets served — the lawyer or the client?

The attorney, unless a specific rule or a court order requires service on the party directly.

Is mailing a document enough to complete service?

Yes. Service by U.S. mail to the person's last-known address is complete once the document is mailed, not once it is received.

What happens if a party has defaulted and stopped appearing in the case?

No further service is required on that party, except a pleading asserting a new claim against them, which must be served under Rule 4, 4.1, or 4.2.

Source & verification. The rule text and History are reproduced verbatim from the official Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure (Ariz. R. Civ. P. 5). 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: service of pleadingscertificate of serviceelectronic service