Arizona Laws 12-284. Fees
A. Except as otherwise provided by law, the clerk of the superior court shall receive fees classified as follows:
Terms Used In Arizona Laws 12-284
- Action: includes any matter or proceeding in a court, civil or criminal. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
- Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
- Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
- Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
- Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
- Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
- Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Minor: means a person under eighteen years of age. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Month: means a calendar month unless otherwise expressed. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Oath: includes an affirmation or declaration. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
- Person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association or society, as well as a natural person. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
- Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. Source: OCC
- Probate: Proving a will
- Process: means a citation, writ or summons issued in the course of judicial proceedings. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Property: includes both real and personal property. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
- Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
- Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
- Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
- United States: includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.
Class Description Fee
A Initial case filing fee
Tax case $ 188.00
Filing complaint, notice of appeal
under section 12-904 or petition 188.00
Filing intervenor 188.00
Additional plaintiffs 188.00
Filing foreign judgment 188.00
Ownership of real property becomes an
issue plaintiff 188.00
Appellant
(except under sections 12-1809 and 13-3602) 188.00
Change of venue to this county 188.00
Petition for change of name 188.00
Filing a process server application 188.00
B Subsequent case filing fee
Filing answer, notice of appearance
under section 12-907 or initial appearance $ 100.00
Additional defendants 100.00
Notice of appeal to appellate courts
(except under section 12-2107) 100.00
Cross-appeal by appellee (except under section
12-2107) 100.00
Ownership of real property becomes an
issue defendant 100.00
Jurisdiction exceeded appellee
(within 20 days of filing) 100.00
Response to show cause that does one or more
of the following:
1. Requests affirmative relief or
counterrelief
2. Attacks the sufficiency of process
or the proceedings
3. Takes other affirmative action 100.00
C Initial case filing fee
Filing petition for annulment $ 149.00
Filing for dissolution/legal separation petition 149.00
Petition in formal testacy or appointment
proceeding 149.00
Application for informal probate or informal
appointment 149.00
Petition for supervised administration petition
to appoint guardian 149.00
Petition to appoint conservator or make other
protective order 149.00
Opposing petition in testacy or appointment
proceedings or appointment of guardian or
conservator 149.00
Single estate application or petition under
Title 14, Chapter 3, section 14-3938 149.00
Domestic relations case for which a fee is not
specifically prescribed 149.00
D Subsequent case filing fee
Filing answer to annulment $ 74.00
Filing for dissolution/legal separation answer 74.00
Any person opposing contested petition if no
prior payment made 74.00
Postadjudication petitions in
domestic relations cases 74.00
Postjudgment activities in probate cases 74.00
E Minimum clerk fee
Filing power of attorney $ 30.00
Change of venue to another county transmittal
fee 30.00
Change of venue to another county pursuant to
section 12-404 transmittal fee 30.00
Filing transcript and docketing judgment from
any courts 30.00
Issuance of writs of: attachment, execution,
possession, restitution, prohibition and
enforcement of order of judgment-garnishment 30.00
Certified copy or abstract of marriage
application or license 30.00
Certificate of correctness of copy of record 30.00
Justice of peace certificate 30.00
Each certificate of clerk to any matter in
clerk’s record not specifically provided 30.00
Filing any paper or performing any act for which
a fee is not specifically prescribed 30.00
Subpoena – (civil) 30.00
Research in locating a document (per year or
source researched) 30.00
Exemplification (per certification) 30.00
Authentication (per certification) 30.00
Seal a court file 30.00
Reopen a sealed court file 30.00
Retrieve bank records 30.00
Reel of film alpha index per year (plus per
page fee below) 30.00
Payment history report 30.00
Certification under one document certification 30.00
Civil traffic appeal 30.00
F Per page fee
Making copies (on appeal and on request)
per page $ .50
Making extra copies per page .50
Making photographic or photostatic copies
per page .50
Comparison fee of papers furnished by applicant
per page .50
Alpha index per page .50
G Special fees
Small claim tax case $ 24.00
Marriage license and return of a
marriage license 83.00
Postage and handling 7.00
Notary services 7.00
Stop payment on check 16.00
B. The clerk of the superior court shall receive the fees prescribed in subsection A of this section for the following services:
1. Making copies of papers and records required to be made by the clerk on appeal, and copies of papers and records in the clerk’s office made on request in other cases, for each legal size page of original.
2. Making extra copies of the papers and records mentioned in paragraph 1 of this subsection, required or requested for each page of copy of such papers and records.
3. In a clerk’s office, in which a photographic or photostatic method of recording is used or is available for use in cooperation with other public offices, preparing copies enumerated in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this subsection for each page of copy or fraction of a page of copy. Portions of several pages of records may be combined in one page of copy. The clerk may prepare an abstract of marriage in lieu of a reproduction of the recorded marriage license. The fee shall apply to matters whether recorded in such office by longhand, typing, electronic, photographic or photostatic methods. The fees for copies are exclusive of the fees for certification or authentication.
4. Issuing a certificate as to official capacity of a justice of the peace and affixing a seal to the certificate.
5. Each subpoena issued in a civil proceeding or filing any paper or performing any act for which a fee is not specifically prescribed by law, but the clerk shall not charge for the clerk’s services in administering the oath in connection with any affidavit, petition, letters or other pleading or document that, after administration of the oath, is promptly filed by the clerk and becomes a part of a case or matter of record in the office of the clerk.
C. In addition to the fees required by subsection A of this section, the clerk shall charge and collect a surcharge of fifteen dollars for each filing of a postadjudication petition in a domestic relations case for which a fee presently is charged under class D in subsection A of this section. The surcharge shall be used exclusively to fund domestic relations education and mediation programs established pursuant to section 25-413. Each month the clerk shall transmit the monies the clerk collects pursuant to this subsection to the county treasurer for deposit in the domestic relations education and mediation fund established by section 25-413.
D. Excluding the monies that are collected pursuant to subsection C of this section, each month the clerk shall transmit seventy-five percent of the monies collected for subsequent case filing fees for postadjudication petitions in domestic relations cases under class D in subsection A of this section to the county treasurer for deposit in the expedited child support and parenting time fund established pursuant to section 25-412. The remaining twenty-five percent of the monies collected pursuant to this subsection shall be distributed pursuant to Section 12-284.03.
E. At the commencement of each action for annulment, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, maternity or paternity, the petitioner shall pay to the clerk of the court the initial case filing fee for the action provided in subsection A of this section. At the time of filing a response, the respondent shall pay to the clerk of the court the subsequent case filing fee for the action provided in subsection A of this section. In each county where the superior court has established a conciliation court, the petitioner and respondent shall each pay to the clerk a sixty-five dollar fee. The monies from the additional fee shall be used to carry out the purposes of the conciliation court pursuant to Title 25, Chapter 3, Article 7.
F. In garnishment matters:
1. A fee shall not be charged for filing an affidavit seeking only the release of exempt wages.
2. A fee shall not be charged for filing a garnishee’s answer, for filing a judgment against the garnishee or for the issuance or return of process incident to such a judgment.
3. For any contest relating to or any controversion of a garnishment matter, unless the contesting party has paid an appearance fee in that cause, the required appearance fee shall be paid, except that the garnishee shall not pay a clerk’s fee.
G. A person who is cited to appear and defend an order to show cause shall not be charged an appearance fee. The person may stipulate to or consent to the entry of an order without the payment of an appearance fee. An appearance fee shall be paid if the person is present in person or by an attorney and does one or more of the following:
1. Requests affirmative relief or counterrelief.
2. Attacks the sufficiency of process or the proceedings.
3. Takes other affirmative action.
H. A petitioner shall not be charged a fee for requesting an order of protection pursuant to section 13-3602 or an injunction against harassment pursuant to section 12-1809. A defendant shall not be charged an answer fee in an order of protection action if the defendant requests a hearing pursuant to section 13-3602, subsection L or in an injunction against harassment action if the defendant requests a hearing pursuant to section 12-1809, subsection H.
I. A person who files a registrar’s order pursuant to Section 32-1166.06 shall not be charged a fee.
J. The clerk of the court shall charge and collect a forty-six dollar filing fee for a petition for emancipation of a minor filed pursuant to chapter 15 of this title. Each month the clerk shall transmit the monies the clerk collects pursuant to this subsection to the county treasurer for deposit in the emancipation administrative costs fund established by section 12-2456.
K. Except for monies that are collected pursuant to subsections C, D, E and J of this section, the clerk of the superior court shall transmit monthly to the county treasurer all monies collected pursuant to this section for distribution or deposit pursuant to Section 12-284.03.
L. The supreme court may increase the fees prescribed in subsection A of this section in an amount not to exceed the percent of change in the average consumer price index as published by the United States department of labor, bureau of labor statistics between that figure for the latest calendar year and the calendar year in which the last fee increase occurred.