Ariz. Sup. Ct. R. 28.1

Procedure for Requesting Approval of Local Rules

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Rule 28.1. Procedure for Requesting Approval of Local Rules
(a) Applicability.  This rule governs requests for approval of new or amended local
rules for the superior court and courts of limited jurisdiction.
(b) Promulgation.
(1) Generally. The presiding judge of a county superior court, the presiding judge
of a justice court, and the presiding judge of a municipal court may promulgate local
rules for his or her respective court.
(2) Superior Court.  For local rules promulgated by a superior court presiding
judge, the rules must be approved by a majority of the superior court judges in the
applicable county.
(3) Justice Court.  For local rules promulgated by a presiding justice court judge,
the rules must be approved by a majority of the justices of the peace who would be
affected by the proposed rule or amendment.
(4) Municipal Court.  For local rules promulgated by a presiding municipal court
judge, the rules must be approved by a majority of the judges on the municipal court’s
bench.
(c) Approval. Local rules and amendments must be consistent with rules of statewide
application and must be approved by the Supreme Court.
(d) Presubmission Comments. Before submitting a proposed new or amended local
rule for Supreme Court approval, the presiding judge must post the proposal for at least
30 days on the website for the judge’s court along with an invitation for the submission of
comments.  When the proposal is posted, the presiding judge must concurrently request
the Supreme Court clerk to circulate the proposal to the distribution list in Supreme Court
Rule 28(C) along with an invitation for the submission of comments on the website for
the presiding judge’s court.
(e) Method of Filing Request for Approval.  A presiding judge may submit a
request for approval of a new or amended local rule either by filing a paper copy of the
request with the Supreme Court clerk or by filing the request electronically through the
Court Rules Forum on the Supreme Court’s website. If filed electronically, the request
must be submitted according to the instructions found on the Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ) page of the Court Rules Forum.
1 Additions in the text of the rule are shown by underscoring and deletions from
text are shown by strike-through.

(f) Form and Contents of Request for Approval.  The request must state the
grounds for adopting the new or amended local rule, and include a draft of the proposed
rule or amendment (showing additions and deletions to an existing rule by underscoring
and strikeouts). The request also must include any comments received during the period
in which the proposal was posted on the lower court’s website, as set forth in Rule
28.1(d), or a statement that the proposal was posted but no comments were received. The
request may include supporting documentation and be in letter form.
(g) Comment on a Request for Approval.  The Supreme Court may enter an order
opening a request for public comment for a period of 60 days or as the Court otherwise
directs.  The Supreme Court clerk will send the order to the distribution list set forth in
Supreme Court Rule 28(C) and to any other persons or organizations as may be
designated by the Supreme Court.  Comments may be filed with the Supreme Court in
paper form or electronically.  If filed electronically, the comment must be submitted
according to the instructions found on the FAQ page of the Court Rules Forum on the
Supreme Court’s website.  A copy of the comment also must be sent to the presiding
judge who submitted the request.
(h) Court Consideration. After the comment period expires, the Supreme Court will
consider  and  act  on  a  proposed  local  rule  or  amendment.  A  new  local  rule  or
amendment’s effective date will be the date on which the order approving the rule or
amendment is filed, unless the Court orders otherwise.
(i) Publication. Local rules must be published.

Verbatim from the official publication; the only normalization is removal of the publisher's page headers. Verify against the official source for filing-critical use — court publications change without notice.