Arizona Federal Court Filing Formatting Rules: District of Arizona

Arizona federal filing format is controlled mainly by the District of Arizona Local Rules of Civil Procedure and the court's Electronic Case Filing Administrative Policies and Procedures Manual. For ordinary civil filings, the core local formatting rule is Local Civil Rule 7.1, "Forms of Papers." Motion papers are governed by Local Civil Rule 7.2, and electronic filing is governed by Local Civil Rule 5.5 plus the District of Arizona ECF manual.

The federal rules still matter. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 10 supplies the baseline rules for pleading captions, numbered paragraphs, and exhibits attached to pleadings. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 supplies the federal privacy-redaction rule. But the Arizona-specific details that control title-page layout, font size, line limits, margins, motion page limits, proposed orders, PDF conversion, ECF signatures, exhibits, and sealing come from the District of Arizona's local rules and ECF procedures.

On This Page

• Quick Answer
• Scope and Date Reviewed
• District of Arizona Filing Formatting Rules at a Glance
• Federal Baseline Rules
• District of Arizona Form of Papers
• District of Arizona Motion and Memorandum Formatting
• Proposed Orders
• Electronic Filing, PDFs, Signatures, and Exhibits
• Sealing and Redactions
• Summary Judgment Statements
• What Is Actually Different About Arizona Federal Filing Format
• FAQ
• Primary Source Index

Quick Answer

For ordinary civil filings in the District of Arizona, start with Local Civil Rule 7.1. It requires letter-size paper, double-spaced body text, no more than 28 lines per page, page numbering, a left margin of at least 1.5 inches, a right margin of at least 0.5 inches, and either fixed-pitch type no smaller than 10 pitch or proportional font no smaller than 13 point, including footnotes.

The first page has a specific District of Arizona layout. Attorney information begins at line 1 in the space to the left of center, the court title begins on or below line 6, the case caption appears below the court title on the left, and the case number plus document description appear to the right of center.

For motions, Local Civil Rule 7.2 generally limits a motion with its supporting memorandum, and a response with its supporting memorandum, to 17 pages each, excluding attachments and any required statement of facts. A reply is generally limited to 11 pages, excluding attachments. A party requesting oral argument must place "Oral Argument Requested" immediately below the title of the motion or response.

Scope and Date Reviewed

This guide summarizes primary-source formatting and filing rules for ordinary civil filings in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona. It was reviewed on June 24, 2026; the latest District of Arizona local rules source used for this review was the court's local rules PDF with an effective date of December 1, 2025, and the ECF manual source used for this review was dated September 2025. This article does not cover judge-specific preferences, standing orders, criminal rules, bankruptcy appeal rules, multidistrict-litigation orders, case-type-specific procedures, emergency procedures, or every CM/ECF administrative issue. Always check the assigned judge's orders, any case-specific order, and the court's current CM/ECF instructions before filing.

District of Arizona Filing Formatting Rules at a Glance

Federal Baseline Rules

FRCP 10(a) requires every pleading to have a caption with the court's name, a title, a file number, and a Rule 7(a) designation. The complaint must name all parties in the title. Later pleadings may name the first party on each side and refer generally to the other parties.

FRCP 10(b) requires claims or defenses to be stated in numbered paragraphs, each limited as far as practicable to a single set of circumstances. Separate claims based on separate transactions or occurrences, and separate defenses other than denials, should be stated in separate counts or defenses if doing so would promote clarity.

FRCP 10(c) says a statement in a pleading may be adopted by reference elsewhere in the same pleading or in another pleading or motion. It also says a written instrument attached as an exhibit to a pleading is part of the pleading for all purposes.

FRCP 5.2 supplies the federal privacy-redaction rule. Unless the court orders otherwise, a filing containing a Social Security number, taxpayer identification number, birth date, minor's name, or financial account number may include only the last four digits of the Social Security or taxpayer identification number, the year of birth, the minor's initials, and the last four digits of the financial account number.

District of Arizona Form of Papers

The District of Arizona's central formatting rule is Local Civil Rule 7.1. Unlike districts that separate pleading format from brief format, Arizona uses this rule as the general form rule for pleadings, motions, memoranda, proposed orders, electronic documents, and attachments.

The first page is not free-form. Local Civil Rule 7.1(a) requires attorney information to appear in the space to the left of center, beginning at line 1. That block must include the attorney's name, address, email address, State Bar attorney number, telephone number, optional fax number, and the party for whom the attorney appears. The space to the right of center is reserved for the Clerk's filing marks.

The court title must begin on or below line 6 of the first page. Below the court title, the title of the action appears to the left of center. Party names must use proper upper and lower case capitalization, and all parties named in the caption must be separated by semicolons on an initial or amended complaint, petition, crossclaim, counterclaim, or third-party complaint. For later civil papers, it is generally enough to name the first party on each side and refer generally to the other parties, consistent with FRCP 10(a).

The case number and a brief description of the document appear to the right of center. If a jury demand is made in the document, the description must include the jury demand. The title area must also mention any notice of motion, affidavits, or memorandum in support.

Local Civil Rule 7.1(b)(1) then sets the body-format rules. Pleadings and papers must be in English, use letter-size 8.5-by-11-inch format, and be signed as provided in FRCP 11. The body must be double-spaced and may not exceed 28 lines per page. Single spacing is permitted for footnotes and indented quotations. The type must be either fixed-pitch type no smaller than 10 pitch, which means 10 letters per inch, or proportional font no smaller than 13 point, including footnotes. Pages must be numbered. The left margin must be at least 1.5 inches, and the right margin must be at least 0.5 inches.

For paper filings, the rule includes handling requirements: documents must be on unglazed paper, stapled in the upper-left corner, kept flat, and bound with a metal prong fastener at the top center if too large for stapling. Documents filed by incarcerated persons are exempt from the stapling and fastening requirements.

District of Arizona Motion and Memorandum Formatting

Local Civil Rule 7.2 controls ordinary motion practice. Unless made during a hearing or trial, motions must be in writing. Unless the court orders otherwise, the moving party must file a supporting memorandum with the motion.

The default response deadline is 14 days after service. The default reply deadline is 7 days after service of the response. Those timing rules yield to special rules for certain Rule 12 motions, including Local Civil Rule 12.1, and for summary judgment motions under Local Civil Rule 56.1.

The page limits are shorter than in many districts. A motion including its supporting memorandum, and a response including its supporting memorandum, may not exceed 17 pages unless the court permits otherwise. Attachments and any required statement of facts are excluded. A reply including its supporting memorandum may not exceed 11 pages, excluding attachments. Objections to a magistrate judge's report and recommendation are generally limited to 10 pages.

Attachments must be limited to materials tied to genuine issues of material fact or law. If a motion fails to substantially comply with Local Civil Rule 7.2, or if a party fails to file a required answering memorandum or appear for oral argument, the noncompliance may be treated as consent to denial or granting of the motion, and the court may dispose of the motion summarily.

Oral argument is not automatic. A party that wants oral argument must put "Oral Argument Requested" immediately below the title of the motion or response. The court may decide motions without oral argument, and if oral argument is granted, notice will be given as the court directs.

Several motion types have extra traps. Discovery motions require a certification of personal consultation and sincere efforts to resolve the matter. Opposed motions in limine require a good-faith conferral certification, and the moving party may not file a reply in support of a motion in limine. Motions to strike are limited to circumstances authorized by statute, rule, or court order, or where a filing is prohibited or unauthorized.

Proposed Orders

Arizona has a detailed proposed-order workflow. In civil cases, when a party requests specific relief other than through a Rule 12(b) motion to dismiss or Rule 56 motion for summary judgment, Local Civil Rule 7.1(b)(2) requires a proposed order as an attachment to the motion or stipulation.

Proposed orders prepared for a district judge or magistrate judge must be separate documents. They must include the heading data required by the title-page rule, must not be embedded inside the motion or stipulation, must not identify the party submitting the order, and must not incorporate relief by reference. The proposed order must set out the requested relief or the terms of the stipulation.

The ECF manual adds a second step for electronically submitted proposed orders. Under ECF Manual II.G, electronically submitted proposed orders must generally be included as an attachment to the motion or stipulation. After filing, the filer must send a proposed order in WordPerfect or Microsoft Word format, plus a PDF version of the related motion or stipulation, to the appropriate chambers by a separate non-ECF email. The proposed order must not contain a judge signature line or block.

Electronic Filing, PDFs, Signatures, and Exhibits

Local Civil Rule 5.5 authorizes and incorporates the District of Arizona ECF manual. All cases are maintained in ECF, and electronic filing is mandatory for attorneys unless the court orders otherwise or the ECF manual provides otherwise. Parties appearing without an attorney generally may not file electronically unless the court orders otherwise.

The ECF manual says that documents submitted for filing in ECF must be PDFs. Documents that exist only in paper form may be scanned into PDF, but electronic documents must be converted directly to PDF from a word-processing program rather than created from a scanned paper image. The manual also requires electronic documents to be text searchable.

The ECF manual's definition section adds two practical PDF constraints: individual PDF documents must not exceed 30 MB and must have 300 dpi resolution. The same section states that Mountain Standard Time applies to all filings and that sending a document to the court by email does not constitute electronic filing except as the manual provides.

Electronic filing also changes signatures. Under Local Civil Rule 5.5(g) and ECF Manual II.C, the registered user's login and password serve as that user's signature for Rule 11 and other purposes. The name of the ECF registered user whose login submits the document must be typed where the signature would otherwise appear. Documents requiring a non-registered signatory's signature generally must be scanned and electronically filed, and the filing party must retain the original for the duration of the case, including any appeal.

Exhibits are handled through the ECF manual. Under ECF Manual II.N, only excerpts directly related to the matter under consideration may be submitted as exhibits, and exhibits must be clearly labeled. Exhibits are generally filed electronically as attachments. If an entire exhibit exceeds 10 MB at 300 dpi, it must be split into segments of no more than 10 MB each. The first page of an attachment should be an index of the attached exhibits, scanned exhibits must be checked for legibility before filing, and no more than 10 exhibit files may be uploaded in a single e-filing transaction.

Sealing and Redactions

Sealing in an unsealed District of Arizona civil action is governed by Local Civil Rule 5.6. No document may be filed under seal in an unsealed civil action except by court order.

A motion or stipulation to file a document under seal must provide a clear statement of the facts and legal authority justifying sealing and must append a separate proposed order granting the request. The document to be sealed must not be appended to the motion or stipulation. Instead, it must be lodged separately consistent with Local Civil Rule 5.6(c) and the ECF manual.

The local rule also deals with documents designated confidential by another party. Unless the court orders otherwise, the submitting party must confer with the designating party about whether sealing is needed and whether the parties can agree on a stipulation. If they cannot agree, the submitting party must lodge the document under seal and file a notice of lodging that summarizes the dispute, states the submitting party's position, and includes a good-faith conferral certification. The designating party then has 14 days after service of the notice to file either a notice withdrawing the confidentiality designation or a motion to seal with a supporting memorandum and proposed order.

Privacy redactions come primarily from FRCP 5.2. Unless the court orders otherwise, public filings may include only the last four digits of Social Security and taxpayer-identification numbers, the year of birth, a minor's initials, and the last four digits of financial-account numbers.

Summary Judgment Statements

Summary judgment filings have a separate Arizona format rule. Local Civil Rule 56.1 requires a party moving for summary judgment to file a statement separate from the motion and memorandum of law. The statement must set out each material fact on which the movant relies, and each fact must appear in a separately numbered paragraph with a citation to a specific admissible portion of the record. Failing to submit a proper separate statement may be grounds for denial of the motion.

The opposing party must file a separate controverting statement of facts. For each paragraph of the movant's statement, the response must use a correspondingly numbered paragraph stating whether the fact is disputed and, if disputed, citing the specific admissible record support for the opposition position. The opposing party may also set out additional facts that establish a genuine issue of material fact or otherwise preclude judgment, again in separately numbered paragraphs with record citations.

No reply statement of facts may be filed. Memoranda supporting or opposing summary judgment, including reply memoranda, must cite the specific paragraph in the statement of facts that supports any asserted material fact. Supporting documents do not need to be submitted in full; excerpts may be submitted if they include the pages providing the evidentiary support.

The summary judgment schedule also differs from ordinary motion timing. Unless the court orders otherwise, the response may be filed within 30 days after service, and the reply may be filed within 15 days after service of the response.

What Is Actually Different About Arizona Federal Filing Format

The most important Arizona-specific point is that Local Civil Rule 7.1 is doing a lot of work. It is not just a caption rule. It controls the first-page layout, font size, spacing, line limits, margins, page numbering, electronic PDF conversion, proposed orders, and attachment practice.

The margin rule is also unusual. Many federal district rules default to 1-inch margins. Arizona requires a left margin of at least 1.5 inches and a right margin of at least 0.5 inches. The font rule is different too: proportional font must be at least 13 point, including footnotes, and the body may not exceed 28 lines per page.

Arizona's motion page limits are short. A motion plus supporting memorandum is generally limited to 17 pages, and a reply is generally limited to 11 pages. The summary judgment statement is outside those motion-page limits, but it must be a separate document with separately numbered, record-supported facts.

The proposed-order workflow is another practical trap. For many civil motions and stipulations seeking specific relief, the proposed order must be attached to the filing, and an editable version must also be emailed to chambers after filing under the ECF manual. But proposed orders are not required for Rule 12(b) motions to dismiss or Rule 56 motions for summary judgment.

The practical result is that a District of Arizona federal filing should be built around the court's required page architecture: title-page block, caption placement, line limits, font, margins, motion-page limits, separate proposed order when required, ECF signature, searchable PDF, exhibit index, sealing motion or lodging procedure, and separate summary judgment statement.

That is the gap DocketDrafter's AI pleading formatter is built around. Drafting text is only part of the job. The filed document still has to satisfy the court's mechanical requirements: caption structure, font size, spacing, margins, page limits, signature blocks, exhibits, redactions, proposed orders, and filing-ready attachments.

FAQ

What font size is required for District of Arizona filings?

Local Civil Rule 7.1(b)(1) requires fixed-pitch type no smaller than 10 pitch or proportional font no smaller than 13 point, including footnotes.

What margins are required for District of Arizona filings?

Local Civil Rule 7.1(b)(1) requires a left margin of at least 1.5 inches and a right margin of at least 0.5 inches.

Are District of Arizona filings double-spaced?

Generally yes. Local Civil Rule 7.1(b)(1) requires the body of documents to be double-spaced. Footnotes and indented quotations may be single-spaced.

How many lines per page are allowed in District of Arizona filings?

Local Civil Rule 7.1(b)(1) says the body of documents may not exceed 28 lines per page.

What are the motion page limits in the District of Arizona?

Local Civil Rule 7.2(e) generally limits a motion with supporting memorandum, and a response with supporting memorandum, to 17 pages each, excluding attachments and any required statement of facts. A reply is generally limited to 11 pages, excluding attachments.

How do I request oral argument on a District of Arizona motion?

Under Local Civil Rule 7.2(f), a party requesting oral argument must place "Oral Argument Requested" immediately below the title of the motion or response. The court may still decide the motion without oral argument.

Are proposed orders required in the District of Arizona?

Often yes, but not for every motion. Local Civil Rule 7.1(b)(2) requires a proposed order when a party in a civil case requests specific relief, except through a Rule 12(b) motion to dismiss or Rule 56 motion for summary judgment. The ECF manual adds requirements for submitting editable proposed orders to chambers.

What PDF format does the District of Arizona require?

The District of Arizona ECF manual requires documents filed in ECF to be PDFs. Electronic documents must be converted directly from a word-processing program and must be text searchable. Individual PDFs must not exceed 30 MB and must have 300 dpi resolution.

Are summary judgment statements separate from the brief in the District of Arizona?

Yes. Local Civil Rule 56.1 requires the movant's statement of facts to be separate from the motion and memorandum of law. The opponent's controverting statement must also be separate, and no reply statement of facts may be filed.

Are judge preferences part of Arizona federal filing formatting rules?

Judge preferences and case-specific orders are not covered by this guide, but they can change practical filing requirements, including proposed orders, oral argument, courtesy-copy practices, and chambers-specific procedures. Always check the assigned judge's orders, any case-specific order, and current CM/ECF instructions before filing.

Primary Source Index