Arizona Laws 12-401. Venue
No person shall be sued out of the county in which such person resides, except:
Terms Used In Arizona Laws 12-401
- Action: includes any matter or proceeding in a court, civil or criminal. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
- 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.
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
- 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.
- 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.
- Writing: includes printing. See Arizona Laws 1-215
1. When a defendant or all of several defendants reside without the state or their residence is unknown, the action may be brought in the county in which the plaintiff resides.
2. A married person may be sued in the county in which such person’s spouse resides unless such spouse is living separate and apart from the defendant.
3. Transient persons may be sued in any county in which found.
4. Persons who have contracted a debt or obligation in one county and thereafter remove to another county may be sued in either county.
5. Persons who have contracted in writing to perform an obligation in one county may be sued in such county or where they reside.
6. Persons who have contracted a debt or obligation without the state may be sued in any county in which found.
7. When there are several defendants residing in different counties, action may be brought in the county in which any of the defendants reside.
8. Actions against personal representatives, administrators, guardians and conservators as such, to establish a money demand against the estate represented by them, shall be brought in the county in which the estate is being administered.
9. In cases of fraud and defalcation of public officers action may be brought in the county in which the fraud was committed or the defalcation occurred, or in which the defendant or any of several defendants reside or may be found.
10. When the foundation of the action is a crime, offense or trespass for which an action in damages may lie, the action may be brought in the county in which the crime, offense or trespass was committed or in the county in which the defendant or any of the several defendants reside or may be found, but any action for damages against the editor, proprietor or publisher of a newspaper or periodical published in the state for publication of an alleged libelous statement shall be brought in the county in which the principal publication office of the newspaper or periodical is located or in the county where the plaintiff resided at the time of publication of such statement.
11. Actions for the recovery of personal property may be brought in the county in which the property may be or in which the defendant or any of several defendants may be found.
12. Actions for the recovery of real property, for damages thereto, for rents, profits, use and occupation thereof, for partition thereof, to quiet title thereto, to remove a cloud or incumbrance on the title thereto, to foreclose mortgages and other liens thereon, to prevent or stay waste or injuries thereto, and all other actions concerning real property, shall be brought in the county in which the real property or a part thereof is located.
13. Actions for dissolution of marriage or legal separation shall be brought in the county in which a petitioner is residing at the time the action is filed.
14. Actions to enjoin execution of judgments or to stay proceedings in any action shall be brought in the county in which the judgment was rendered or the action is pending.
15. Actions against counties shall be brought in the county sued unless several counties are defendants, when it may be brought in any one of the counties.
16. Actions against public officers shall be brought in the county in which the officer, or one of several officers, holds office.
17. Actions on behalf of the state shall be brought in the county in which the seat of government is located.
18. Actions against railroad companies, insurance companies, telegraph or telephone companies, joint stock companies and other corporations may be brought in any county in which the cause of action, or a part thereof, arose, or in the county in which defendant has an agent or representative, owns property or conducts any business.
19. Where part of a river, watercourse, highway, road or street is the boundary line between two counties, the courts of each of the counties shall have concurrent jurisdiction in actions over such parts of the river, watercourse, highway, road or street.