Small Claims Complaint
DO NOT FILE THIS PACKET AS-IS. Arizona small-claims procedure depends on the exact court, the claim type, the parties, and current official instructions. This packet records those instructions and organizes facts for an accepted complaint or official form.
ARIZONA SMALL-CLAIMS COMPLAINT PREPARATION PACKET
1. Court and Filing Control Sheet
| Required item | Verified information | Current official source | Checked on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exact court and division | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [__/__/____] |
| County and filing location | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [__/__/____] |
| Is an official form required or preferred? | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [__/__/____] |
| Form number and revision date | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [__/__/____] |
| Eligible claim type | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [__/__/____] |
| Monetary limit and excluded amounts | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [__/__/____] |
| Venue facts required | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [__/__/____] |
| Filing fee or waiver route | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [__/__/____] |
| Filing destination and method | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [__/__/____] |
| Signature / verification requirement | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [__/__/____] |
| Summons, service, and advance-cost procedure | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [__/__/____] |
| Jury request availability, deadline, and payment | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [__/__/____] |
| Default, review, rehearing, or appeal route | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [__/__/____] |
| Interest, costs, and available remedies | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [__/__/____] |
☐ The selected complaint format and filing route were confirmed for the exact court.
☐ The current official form or instructions are attached.
2. Caption Worksheet
| Caption field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Court | [EXACT COURT NAME] |
| Division | [EXACT DIVISION, IF ANY] |
| County | [________________________________] |
| Plaintiff | [FULL LEGAL NAME] |
| Defendant | [FULL LEGAL NAME] |
| Case number, if assigned | [________________________________] |
| Document title accepted by the court | [________________________________] |
3. Party and Service Information
Plaintiff
Legal name: [________________________________]
Entity type and authority to sue, if applicable: [________________________________]
Address and contact information: [________________________________]
Defendant
Exact legal name: [________________________________]
Individual / entity status: [________________________________]
Service address and source used to confirm it: [________________________________]
Registered agent or other authorized recipient, if applicable: [________________________________]
4. Claim Facts
| Fact | Entry | Supporting exhibit or witness |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction or occurrence date | [__/__/____] | [________________________________] |
| Agreement, duty, or event | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Plaintiff's performance | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Defendant's act or omission | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Notice or demand, if relevant | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Payment, credit, return, or mitigation | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Current amount claimed | $[________] | [________________________________] |
| Venue facts | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
5. Claim-Theory Worksheet
This worksheet does not plead a cause of action. Reviewing counsel must identify each theory, its current elements, any deadline, and the facts supporting it.
| Proposed claim | Current authority | Required elements | Supporting facts | Include? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | ☐ |
| [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | ☐ |
Complaint text approved for the court's accepted form or attachment:
[____________________________________________________________]
[____________________________________________________________]
6. Damages and Remedy Schedule
| Item | Amount | Calculation / proof | Authorized by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Principal or direct loss | $[________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Credit, payment, return, or offset | ($[________]) | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Interest, if authorized | $[________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Filing or service cost, if recoverable | $[________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Other authorized item | $[________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Total requested | $[________] |
☐ The total and every component fit the selected court's current authority.
7. Exhibits and Witnesses
| Exhibit / witness | Purpose | Redaction or authentication issue |
|---|---|---|
| [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
8. Signature or Verification Module
Use only the execution form required by the official form or current court instruction.
☐ Signature only
☐ Attorney certification
☐ Verification before an authorized officer
☐ Other: [________________________________]
Signer: [________________________________]
Capacity: [________________________________]
Signature: ____________________________________
Date: [__/__/____]
Required verification or acknowledgment text: [________________________________]
9. Filing and Service Record
| Event | Date and time | Method / recipient | Receipt or proof |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complaint filed | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Filing fee paid or waiver submitted | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Summons or service request submitted | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Service completed | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Hearing or appearance scheduled | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
10. Final Do-Not-File Checklist
☐ The exact court, division, county, parties, addresses, and claim amount match the official form and supporting records.
☐ Eligibility, monetary limit, venue, filing, fee, service, jury, execution, interest, default, and review assumptions were checked against current official instructions.
☐ Every claim, amount, and requested remedy has factual support and counsel-approved authority.
☐ No deadline, rule, remedy, or procedure was imported from another Arizona court or another state.
☐ Confidential and identifying information has been redacted or handled under the governing court instruction.
☐ A complete filed copy, exhibits, payment receipt, service proof, and court receipt will be retained.
About This Template
These are the filings that drive a lawsuit through the system: complaints, answers, motions, briefs, discovery requests and responses, and post-judgment papers. Each has its own format requirements under federal and state procedural rules, and each has a deadline that cannot be missed without consequences. Clean, procedurally correct filings move a case forward; sloppy ones invite motions to strike, amended responses, and avoidable delays.
Important Notice
This template is provided for informational purposes. It is not legal advice. We recommend having an attorney review any legal document before signing, especially for high-value or complex matters.
Checked against the law it cites
A reviewer verified this template's legal citations against the official source on 2026-08-20.
Last updated: 2026-08-20
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