Rule A.Scope of Rules

Last amended December 1, 2006 · Last verified June 30, 2026

In one sentenceSupplemental Rule A states the reach of the Supplemental Rules for Admiralty or Maritime Claims and Asset Forfeiture Actions: they govern specific maritime remedies — attachment and garnishment, actions in rem, possessory and partition actions, and limitation of liability — and certain statutory in rem forfeitures.

Full Text of Rule A

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(1) These Supplemental Rules apply to:

(A) the procedure in admiralty and maritime claims within the meaning of Rule 9(h) with respect to the following remedies:

(i) maritime attachment and garnishment,

(ii) actions in rem,

(iii) possessory, petitory, and partition actions, and

(iv) actions for exoneration from or limitation of liability;

(B) forfeiture actions in rem arising from a federal statute; and

(C) the procedure in statutory condemnation proceedings analogous to maritime actions in rem, whether within the admiralty and maritime jurisdiction or not. Except as otherwise provided, references in these Supplemental Rules to actions in rem include such analogous statutory condemnation proceedings.

(2) The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure also apply to the foregoing proceedings except to the extent that they are inconsistent with these Supplemental Rules.

End

Amendment History

(Added Feb. 28, 1966, eff. July 1, 1966; amended Apr. 12, 2006, eff. Dec. 1, 2006.)

Plain-English Summary

Maritime litigation has features no ordinary civil case shares — seizing a ship, suing the vessel itself, or capping an owner’s liability. The Supplemental Rules supply the special procedure for those situations, and Supplemental Rule A maps out where they apply. They govern the procedure in admiralty and maritime claims (within the meaning of Rule 9(h)) for remedies such as maritime attachment and garnishment, actions in rem, and possessory, petitory, and partition actions, as well as actions to limit liability.

The Supplemental Rules also reach certain statutory in rem forfeiture actions, including civil forfeitures of property. Where a Supplemental Rule does not address a point, the regular Federal Rules of Civil Procedure fill the gap — the two sets work together, with the Supplemental Rules controlling the distinctly maritime and forfeiture steps.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do the Supplemental Admiralty Rules cover?

Under Supplemental Rule A, the special maritime remedies — attachment and garnishment, actions in rem, possessory/petitory/partition actions, and limitation of liability — plus certain statutory in rem forfeitures; the ordinary civil rules apply otherwise.

What happens when the Supplemental Rules don't address a point?

The regular Federal Rules of Civil Procedure fill the gap — the two sets work together, with the Supplemental Rules controlling only the distinctly maritime and forfeiture steps.

Source & verification. The rule text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the official Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (Fed. R. Civ. P. Supp. R. A), a public-domain work of the U.S. Government. Prescribed by the United States Supreme Court under the Rules Enabling Act. The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified June 30, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: FRCP Supplemental Rule AFed. R. Civ. P. Supplemental Rule Aadmiralty rules scopeSupplemental Rules for AdmiraltyRule 9(h) admiralty claims