Affidavit of Service - Arizona

AFFIDAVIT OF SERVICE

State of Arizona

IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF ARIZONA

IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF [________________________________]

Case No.: [________________________________]

[________________________________],
Plaintiff(s),

v.

[________________________________],
Defendant(s).

AFFIDAVIT OF SERVICE

(Pursuant to Ariz. R. Civ. P. Rules 4, 4.1, and 4.2)

SECTION 1: AFFIANT INFORMATION

I, [________________________________], being first duly sworn (or declaring under penalty of perjury pursuant to A.R.S. § 12-279), state as follows:

1. Full Legal Name: [________________________________]

2. Business Address: [________________________________]

3. City, State, ZIP: [________________________________]

4. Telephone: [________________________________]

5. Email (optional): [________________________________]

6. Capacity (check one):

☐ Certified Private Process Server — Certification No.: [________________________________], registered in [________________________________] County (Ariz. R. Civ. P. Rule 4(e); A.R.S. § 11-445)

☐ Sheriff of [________________________________] County, Arizona

☐ Deputy Sheriff of [________________________________] County, Arizona

☐ Constable — Precinct [________________________________]

☐ Person specially appointed by the court for service (Order dated [__/__/____])

☐ Attorney of record (for waiver of service under Rule 4.1(c) only)

☐ Other authorized person: [________________________________]

7. I am at least 21 years of age, as required by Arizona law for process servers (Ariz. R. Civ. P. Rule 4(d)).

8. I am not a party to this action, not an attorney for any party (except as noted for waiver of service), and not an employee of any party's attorney.

9. I have personal knowledge of the facts stated herein.

Qualification Note: Under Ariz. R. Civ. P. Rule 4(d), process may be served by a sheriff, deputy sheriff, constable, or a registered private process server. Private process servers must be certified pursuant to Rule 4(e) and must be at least 21 years of age, have been an Arizona resident for at least one year immediately preceding application, have no felony convictions, and pass a certification examination. Certification is valid statewide.

SECTION 2: DOCUMENTS SERVED

The following documents (collectively, the "Documents") were served:

☐ Summons

☐ Complaint

☐ Amended Complaint

☐ Subpoena

☐ Subpoena Duces Tecum

☐ Motion for [________________________________]

☐ Order of Court dated [__/__/____]

☐ Notice of Hearing dated [__/__/____]

☐ Temporary Restraining Order / Order of Protection

☐ Writ of [________________________________]

☐ Petition for [________________________________]

☐ Other: [________________________________]

☐ Other: [________________________________]

Total number of pages served: [____]

☐ The Documents served are exact copies of the originals filed with the court, without alteration.

SECTION 3: DATE, TIME, AND LOCATION OF SERVICE

Date of service: [__/__/____]

Time of service: [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.

Address where service was made:

[________________________________]

City: [________________________________]

County: [________________________________]

State: Arizona ZIP: [____]

Description of location (e.g., residence, business, public area):

[________________________________]

SECTION 4: PERSON SERVED

A. Identity of person served:

Name: [________________________________]

Relationship to party (check one):

☐ Defendant / Respondent personally

☐ Person of suitable age and discretion at defendant's dwelling/usual place of abode (substitute service)

☐ Authorized agent of defendant

☐ Statutory agent (Arizona Corporation Commission)

☐ Registered agent for corporate entity

☐ Officer of corporation: [________________________________]

☐ Managing agent of entity: [________________________________]

☐ Partner of partnership: [________________________________]

☐ Member/Manager of LLC: [________________________________]

☐ Person in charge of defendant's place of business

☐ Secretary of State (for foreign entity — A.R.S. § 10-1510)

☐ Arizona Corporation Commission (statutory agent)

☐ Guardian / Conservator of incapacitated defendant

☐ Parent / Guardian of minor defendant

☐ Other: [________________________________]

B. If served on person other than named defendant:

Name of person accepting service: [________________________________]

Relationship to defendant: [________________________________]

Approximate age: [____]

Title/Position (if corporate or entity service): [________________________________]

SECTION 5: METHOD OF SERVICE

(Check the applicable method and complete the corresponding subsection below.)

☐ A. PERSONAL SERVICE — Ariz. R. Civ. P. Rule 4.1(d)

I personally delivered true and correct copies of the Documents directly into the hands of the person named in Section 4 above.

Statement: On [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m., I located and personally served [________________________________] at [________________________________] by handing the Documents directly to the individual.

☐ The person acknowledged receipt of the Documents.

☐ The person refused to accept the Documents. I informed the person of the nature of the Documents and left them in the person's immediate presence/vicinity. Under Arizona law, service is still effective.

☐ B. SUBSTITUTE / ABODE SERVICE — Ariz. R. Civ. P. Rule 4.1(d)

On [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m., I left true and correct copies of the Documents at the defendant's dwelling house or usual place of abode located at:

Address: [________________________________]

City, State, ZIP: [________________________________]

with [________________________________], a person of suitable age and discretion then residing therein.

Relationship to defendant: [________________________________]

Approximate age of person accepting service: [____]

☐ I informed the person with whom the Documents were left of the general nature of the Documents.

Note: Under Ariz. R. Civ. P. Rule 4.1(d), substitute service requires leaving copies at the individual's dwelling house or usual place of abode with a person of suitable age and discretion then residing therein.

☐ C. SERVICE ON CORPORATION, PARTNERSHIP, OR OTHER ENTITY — Ariz. R. Civ. P. Rule 4.1(e)-(k)

I served the Documents on:

Name of entity: [________________________________]

Entity type: ☐ Corporation ☐ LLC ☐ Partnership ☐ Limited Partnership ☐ Unincorporated Association ☐ Other: [________________________________]

Name of person served: [________________________________]

Title/Position: [________________________________]

The person served is (check one):

☐ Officer of the corporation (Rule 4.1(f))
☐ Managing or general agent of the entity (Rule 4.1(f))
☐ Statutory agent filed with the Arizona Corporation Commission (Rule 4.1(e))
☐ Partner or general partner (Rule 4.1(g))
☐ Member or manager of LLC (Rule 4.1(h))
☐ Person in charge of the office or place of business
☐ Other authorized representative: [________________________________]

Date: [__/__/____] Time: [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.

Address where served: [________________________________]

☐ D. SERVICE ON STATE, COUNTY, OR MUNICIPAL ENTITY — Ariz. R. Civ. P. Rule 4.1(i)-(k)

I delivered true and correct copies of the Documents to:

Entity served: [________________________________]

Person served: [________________________________]

Title: [________________________________]

The person served is (check one):

☐ Attorney General of Arizona (for actions against the State — Rule 4.1(i))
☐ Person designated by the governmental entity to receive service
☐ Chief executive officer of municipal entity
☐ Clerk or secretary of the governing body
☐ Other: [________________________________]

Date: [__/__/____] Time: [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.

Address where served: [________________________________]

☐ E. WAIVER OF SERVICE — Ariz. R. Civ. P. Rule 4.1(c)

A request to waive service was sent to the defendant on [__/__/____] by first-class mail.

The defendant [________________________________] returned a signed waiver of service on [__/__/____].

☐ The signed waiver is attached as Exhibit [____].

Note: Under Rule 4.1(c), a defendant who returns the waiver is allowed at least 60 days from the date the request was sent to answer the complaint. A defendant who fails without good cause to return the waiver may be required to pay the costs of personal service.

☐ F. SERVICE BY CERTIFIED OR REGISTERED MAIL — Ariz. R. Civ. P. Rule 4.2(c)

(For service outside Arizona only)

On [__/__/____], I deposited true and correct copies of the Documents in the United States mail by:

☐ Certified mail, return receipt requested
☐ Registered mail, return receipt requested

addressed to:

Name: [________________________________]

Address: [________________________________]

City, State, ZIP: [________________________________]

Article Number: [________________________________]

Return receipt received: ☐ Yes ☐ No

Date signed on return receipt: [__/__/____]

Signature on return receipt by: [________________________________]

☐ Return receipt is attached hereto as Exhibit [____].

☐ G. SERVICE BY PUBLICATION — Ariz. R. Civ. P. Rule 4.1(n)

Pursuant to the Court's Order dated [__/__/____] authorizing service by publication:

Name of newspaper: [________________________________]

County of publication: [________________________________]

Dates of publication:
- First publication: [__/__/____]
- Second publication: [__/__/____]
- Third publication: [__/__/____]
- Fourth publication: [__/__/____]

Note: Under Ariz. R. Civ. P. Rule 4.1(n), service by publication requires publication once a week for four consecutive weeks in a newspaper published in the county where the action is pending. Service is complete 30 days after the first publication.

☐ Court order authorizing publication is attached as Exhibit [____].

☐ Affidavit of publication from the newspaper is attached as Exhibit [____].

☐ Printed copy of the published notice is attached as Exhibit [____].

☐ A copy was also mailed to the defendant's last-known address on [__/__/____].

☐ H. ALTERNATIVE / COURT-ORDERED SERVICE — Ariz. R. Civ. P. Rule 4.1(m)

Pursuant to the Court's Order dated [__/__/____], I effected service by the following alternative method:

[________________________________]

[________________________________]

[________________________________]

☐ Reasonable efforts were undertaken to ensure that actual notice of the action was provided to the defendant.

☐ Copy of the Court's Order is attached as Exhibit [____].

Note: Under Rule 4.1(m), the court may order service by any method reasonably calculated to give actual notice when standard service methods prove impracticable.

SECTION 6: DESCRIPTION OF PERSON SERVED

Gender: [________________________________]

Approximate age: [____]

Height: [____]

Weight: [____]

Hair color: [________________________________]

Skin tone: [________________________________]

Glasses: ☐ Yes ☐ No

Facial hair: ☐ Yes ☐ No — Description: [________________________________]

Clothing worn at time of service: [________________________________]

Other distinguishing features: [________________________________]

Identification verified by:

☐ Known to server personally
☐ Identified self by name
☐ Photo identification observed
☐ Identified by third party: [________________________________]
☐ Other: [________________________________]

SECTION 7: DUE DILIGENCE — PRIOR SERVICE ATTEMPTS

(Required for substitute, publication, or alternative service methods.)

Service Attempt Log

Note: Arizona courts generally require at least three documented attempts at personal service before authorizing substitute or alternative service methods.

Investigation Steps Taken

☐ Searched Arizona Corporation Commission records for registered/statutory agent

☐ Searched public records / property records for current address

☐ Searched Maricopa / Pima / other county court records

☐ Contacted neighbors, landlord, or property management

☐ Contacted defendant's known employer

☐ Searched ADOT/MVD records (if authorized)

☐ Searched social media / internet resources for current location

☐ Skip trace performed by: [________________________________]

☐ Other: [________________________________]

Narrative of due diligence efforts:

[________________________________]

[________________________________]

[________________________________]

SECTION 8: SERVICE FEES AND COSTS

SECTION 9: ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

☐ Service was completed without incident.

☐ The person served made the following statements or took the following actions upon service:

[________________________________]

[________________________________]

☐ I was unable to effect service. See Section 7 for due diligence details and Non-Service Affidavit below.

NON-SERVICE AFFIDAVIT

(Complete ONLY if service was NOT accomplished.)

☐ I was unable to serve the Documents on [________________________________] despite diligent efforts described in Section 7.

Reason service could not be completed:

☐ Defendant could not be located at the address provided

☐ Defendant has moved from the address — forwarding address: [________________________________]

☐ Defendant is evading service

☐ Address is vacant or abandoned

☐ Certified mail returned unclaimed or refused

☐ No person of suitable age and discretion was present at the dwelling

☐ Gated community / restricted access — unable to gain entry

☐ Other: [________________________________]

SECTION 10: DECLARATION AND OATH

I, [________________________________], declare under penalty of perjury pursuant to the laws of the State of Arizona (A.R.S. § 13-2702) that the foregoing statements are true and correct to the best of my knowledge, information, and belief.

I further state that service was performed in full compliance with the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure and all applicable court rules and orders.

I understand that any material misrepresentation constitutes perjury under A.R.S. § 13-2702 and may subject me to criminal penalties, civil sanctions, and contempt of court.

Note: Pursuant to A.R.S. § 12-279 and Ariz. R. Civ. P. Rule 80(i), an unsworn declaration under penalty of perjury may be used in lieu of a sworn affidavit.

SECTION 11: EXECUTION AND NOTARIZATION

Executed on this [____] day of [________________________________], 20[____].

________________________________________
Signature of Affiant

Printed Name: [________________________________]
Business Address: [________________________________]
Telephone: [________________________________]
Process Server Certification No.: [________________________________]
County of Registration: [________________________________]

NOTARY ACKNOWLEDGMENT

(Required for sworn affidavit; not required if filing as unsworn declaration under A.R.S. § 12-279.)

State of Arizona )
) ss.
County of [________________________________] )

On this [____] day of [________________________________], 20[____], before me, the undersigned Notary Public, personally appeared [________________________________], known to me (or satisfactorily proven) to be the person whose name is subscribed to the foregoing Affidavit of Service, and acknowledged that he/she executed the same for the purposes therein contained.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I hereunto set my hand and official seal.

________________________________________
Notary Public

Printed Name: [________________________________]
My Commission Expires: [__/__/____]

[NOTARY SEAL]

SECTION 12: ATTACHMENTS CHECKLIST

☐ Exhibit A — Return Receipt (Certified/Registered Mail)

☐ Exhibit B — Affidavit of Publication / Printed Copy of Published Notice

☐ Exhibit C — Court Order Authorizing Alternative Service or Service by Publication

☐ Exhibit D — Signed Waiver of Service (Ariz. R. Civ. P. Rule 4.1(c))

☐ Exhibit E — Court Appointment Order for Special Process Server

☐ Exhibit F — Photographs / GPS Records

☐ Exhibit G — Due Diligence / Skip Trace Documentation

☐ Exhibit H — Process Server Certification Documentation

☐ Exhibit I — Other: [________________________________]

SECTION 13: ARIZONA-SPECIFIC PRACTICE NOTES

Who May Serve Process (Rule 4(d))

• Sheriff, deputy sheriff, or constable
• Certified private process server registered under Rule 4(e)
• Person specially appointed by the court
• Process server must be at least 21 years of age (higher than federal 18-year minimum)
• Must not be a party, an attorney for a party, or an employee of any party's attorney
• Private process servers must have been Arizona residents for at least one year prior to certification
• Must have no felony convictions
• Must pass certification examination administered by the Supreme Court
• Must complete 10 hours of continuing education every 12 months

Process Server Certification (Rule 4(e); A.R.S. § 11-445)

• Application filed in county of residence
• Certification valid statewide once obtained
• Must include certification number on all affidavits
• Affidavit must include clear reference to the county where the process server is registered

Methods of Service Summary

Time Limit for Service (Rule 4(i))

• Summons and complaint must be served within 120 days of filing the complaint
• Court may dismiss without prejudice or extend time for good cause
• Exception for service in a foreign country under Rule 4.2(h)-(k)

Return of Service Requirements (Rule 4(g))

• Sheriff: return endorsed on or attached to process
• Non-sheriff: affidavit filed promptly with the court
• Private process server affidavits must reference the county of registration
• Unsworn declarations under penalty of perjury accepted per Rule 80(i) / A.R.S. § 12-279

Penalties

• Perjury: A.R.S. § 13-2702 — Class 4 felony
• False return of service: criminal penalties plus civil contempt
• Process server certification revocation for misconduct

SOURCES AND REFERENCES

• Ariz. R. Civ. P. Rules 4, 4.1, 4.2 — Service of Process
• A.R.S. § 11-445 — Process Server Certification
• A.R.S. § 13-2702 — Perjury
• A.R.S. § 12-279 — Unsworn Declaration Under Penalty of Perjury
• Arizona Judicial Branch: https://www.azcourts.gov
• Arizona Corporation Commission: https://www.azcc.gov
• Maricopa County Superior Court: https://superiorcourt.maricopa.gov

This template is provided by ezel.ai for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a qualified attorney licensed in Arizona. All service of process must comply with the current Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure and applicable statutes.