Arizona Court Records

Arizona's court system is structured into three tiers: limited jurisdiction courts, general jurisdiction courts, and appellate courts. Each tier includes specific divisions, such as municipal courts and justice of the peace courts at the limited jurisdiction level and the Court of Appeals and supreme court at the appellate level. The superior court is the sole court at the general jurisdiction level. More than 1.5 million cases are filed annually in Arizona courts.

Municipal courts (also called city courts) and justice of the peace courts are at the bottom of the state's court structure. Municipal courts are city-specific and handle misdemeanor crimes and petty offenses within their city limits, sharing jurisdiction with justice courts over state law violations committed within the city. Justice of the peace courts are county-specific and hear traffic cases and certain criminal and civil cases, including domestic violence and harassment cases, with civil jurisdiction limited to claims of $10,000 or less.

Superior courts preside over both civil and criminal disputes, with at least one superior court in each county. The court of appeals, divided into Division One in Phoenix and Division Two in Tucson, is the intermediate appellate court that primarily reviews appeals from the superior courts. The supreme court, as the highest appellate court in Arizona, exercises discretionary jurisdiction over most appeals and establishes procedural rules for the state court system.

What Are the Types of Court Records In Arizona?

There are different types of records generated across the multiple levels of courts in the Arizona court structure. Every court has a clerk responsible for maintaining records of proceedings, judgments, and filings in that court.

The following types of records are maintained by Arizona courts:

• Arizona Supreme Court
• Opinions and Rulings: Final written decisions in cases reviewed by the court.
• Case Dockets: Listing of all Supreme Court cases, including filings and court actions.
• Disciplinary Records: Attorney and judicial misconduct proceedings.
• Administrative Orders: Court rules and policy decisions affecting state courts.
• Petitions for Review: Requests for the Supreme Court to hear appeals from lower courts.
• Arizona Court of Appeals
• Appellate Case Dockets: Index of appellate cases and filings.
• Court Opinions: Written rulings and legal interpretations.
• Motions and Briefs: Documents filed by parties in appellate cases.
• Oral Argument Transcripts: Records of oral proceedings in appellate cases.
• Superior Court
• Criminal Case Records: Felony case files, indictments, plea agreements, sentencing orders.
• Civil Case Records: Lawsuits, judgments, and court orders related to civil disputes.
• Probate Records: Wills, estate administration, guardianship, and conservatorship cases.
• Family Law Records: Divorce decrees, child custody, and support orders.
• Juvenile Court Records: Cases involving minors, including dependency and delinquency matters.
• Protective Orders: Orders of protection and injunctions against harassment.
• Property Dispute Records: Land and real estate litigation documents.
• Adoption and Name Change Records: Legal changes to names and finalized adoptions.
• Justice Courts
• Misdemeanor Criminal Case Records: Including DUI cases, petty theft, and assault.
• Civil Case Records: Lawsuits involving amounts up to $10,000.
• Small Claims Court Records: Disputes involving up to $3,500.
• Traffic Violation Records: Speeding tickets, red-light camera violations, and reckless driving.
• Eviction Records: Landlord-tenant disputes, rental non-payment, and eviction orders.
• Orders of Protection: Restraining orders are issued in minor domestic violence cases.
• Municipal Courts
• Traffic Case Records: Citations for speeding, running a red light, and other traffic violations.
• Misdemeanor Case Records: Disorderly conduct, shoplifting, and other minor criminal offenses.
• City Ordinance Violations: Violations of noise laws, public intoxication, and curfew infractions.
• Parking Violations: Fines and penalties related to illegal parking.

Are Arizona Court Records Public?

Access to most Arizona court records is public under the provisions of the Arizona Supreme Court Rule 123 and the Arizona Public Records Law. These laws govern public access to judicial records in the state. However, certain exemptions for privacy and security reasons are allowed under both these transparency laws. Some common restricted or sealed court records in Arizona include juvenile records, adoption records, mental health and guardianship cases, personal information of victims in sexual offense cases, and sealed or expunged records.

How Do I Search Arizona Court Records?

You may search Arizona court records online in the following ways:

• Public Access to Court Case Information: This resource is provided by the Arizona Judicial Branch and provides online access to case information for 177 out of the 184 courts in the state. Some courts currently do not have their records available on the portal. You may perform a search on this portal using a party name or case number.
• eAccess Documents Search: This portal provides access to civil and criminal court documents of the superior courts in the state filed on or later than July 1, 2020. Note that criminal case records for Pima County are only available for documents filed on or later than July 1, 2015.

Also, available case documents on the portal may be purchased via a recurring monthly subscription or a per-document fee. Electronically certified documents may be purchased for an additional document fee.

Note that you must create an account on the eAccess system before you may use the portal. In addition, superior court records for juvenile, probate, and family or domestic relation cases are not available on the eAccess system. To view and download all pages of a document on the eAccess system, you must pay a $10 fee. Alternatively, you may pay a subscription fee permitting a specified number of documents to be downloaded per month. However, there is no fee to preview the first page of a document. For more information on using the eAccess system, visit the eAccess FAQ page of the Arizona courts website.

• Local court websites: In some jurisdictions, the courts have websites that users may use to find the records they need. Users will need to provide a case number, party name, or other relevant information to perform a search on such websites.

How To Retrieve Court Records Offline

Although you may obtain some electronically certified court records online via the eAccess portal, some agencies do not accept this type of certified court document. If you want to obtain a certified copy of a court record with a raised court seal, you must file a records request with the appropriate clerk of the court. Hence, to obtain a court record offline, you must visit the office of the clerk of the court in person to submit a request.

To allow the court to find the requested record, you must provide relevant information such as the party name, the case number, and the approximate filing date of the case. In most cases, retrieving and certifying court records may take a few business days, depending on the complexity of the request and the court's workload. Some courts may offer same-day services for simple requests.

Fees for copies and certification vary from one court to another. However, copy fees typically range between $0.5 and $1 per page, while certification fees range between $15 and $35 per document.

Can I Seal or Expunge an Arizona Court Record?

Arizona provides three forms of records relief for individuals with criminal records: Sealing, expungement, and setting aside a conviction. Sealing in Arizona means that the courts in the state remove public access to a record. Expungement means that Arizona courts order relevant court personnel and law enforcement to remove information about a conviction or arrest from your record, while setting aside a conviction means that an individual convicted of a crime has been released from all penalties and disabilities due to the conviction with a few specific exceptions. A set aside record is still accessible to the public, although with a notation stating that the judgment has been set aside. Note that expungement is only available for marijuana-related offenses in Arizona.

You may file a petition to seal every case records about an eligible criminal offense if you have not had a petition denied under ARS § 13-911 in the past three years and you meet one of the following conditions:

• Convicted of a criminal offense: The timeframes in ARS § 13-911(E), (F), and (G) have passed, and you have completed all the conditions and terms of the sentence.
• Charged with a criminal offense: The charge brought against the individual resulted in a not-guilty verdict or was dismissed.
• Arrested for a criminal offense: The individual was arrested, but charges were not filed.

Note that you cannot petition the court to seal records if you have been:

• Sentenced as a dangerous offender
• Convicted of a serious offense or violent/aggravated felony
• Convicted of an offense involving the use of a deadly weapon
• Convicted of a dangerous crime against children
• Convicted of an offense involving a serious physical injury to another person
• Convicted of sex trafficking
• Convicted of certain felony offenses pertaining to sexual offenses or sexual exploitation of children.

Also, before you may petition the court to seal your records of arrest, conviction, and sentence after completing all the conditions and terms of your sentence (including paying all fines, fees, and restitution ordered by the court) and if:

• You have not been convicted of any other offenses, except a misdemeanor traffic violation, excluding DUI convictions.
• The following period has passed since completing the non-monetary terms of sentence or probation and discharge by the court:
• 10 years for a class 2 or 3 felony
• 5 years for a class 4, 5, or 6 felony
• 2 years for a class 1 misdemeanor
• 2 years for a class 2 or 3 misdemeanor

Filing for sealing in Arizona follows these general steps:

• File a Petition: Submit a formal petition to the court that handled the original case.
• Provide Supporting Documents: Include proof of completed sentences, court orders, or any other required paperwork.
• Serve Notice: Notify the prosecuting attorney and other relevant parties.
• Attend a Hearing: In some cases, the court may schedule a hearing to determine whether to grant the petition.
• Receive the Court's Decision: If the court approves the petition, it will issue an order to seal or expunge the record.

How To Search Federal Court Records in Arizona

The U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona is the only federal court in the state. This court handles matters such as federal law violations, civil rights violations under federal law, lawsuits involving constitutional issues, disputes between states, and bankruptcy.

Anyone may access the records of this court online or offline. To access the federal court records online, you must use the PACER system. PACER requires users to first create an account before they may search. Searches may be performed by providing the case number, party names, or filing dates of the case in question. The system also charges $0.10 per page for documents, with a fee cap of $3 per document for larger files.

To view or obtain federal case records in person, individuals may visit the clerk's office of the federal court where the case was filed. The federal court has locations in Phoenix, Tucson, Prescott, and Flagstaff. You will be required to provide the case number, party name, and other relevant information to the court clerk. Note that fees for copying and certifying documents may apply, similar to online access.

How To Get Arizona Court Records Online for Free?

Interested persons may find some Arizona court records online for free via the Arizona public access to court case information website and local court websites. Several third-party websites also aggregate public record information in databases that are made available for the public to search. Peoplerecords.us is one of the reliable third-party websites that the public may use to find Arizona court records for free.