Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-1176

Demand for jury; trial procedure

In Force
Verified 10/26/2026 · Next check 11/2/2026
effective 10/8/2026ArizonaSummary Process

Operative Text

Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-1176
A. If a jury trial is requested by the plaintiff, the court shall grant the request. If the proceeding is in the superior court, the jury shall consist of eight persons, and if the proceeding is in the justice court, the jury shall consist of six persons. The trial date shall be no more than five judicial days after the aggrieved party files the complaint.

B. If the plaintiff does not request a jury, the defendant may do so on appearing and the request shall be granted.

C. The action shall be docketed and tried as other civil actions.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Under A.R.S. § 12-1171 et seq. § 12-1176, Arizona's eviction (forcible detainer) proceedings give both plaintiffs and defendants the right to a jury trial, which the court must grant upon request. Jury size depends on the court: eight jurors in superior court and six in justice court. The trial must be scheduled within five judicial days of the complaint being filed, and the case proceeds under the same general rules as other civil actions.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on October 9, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

A.R.S. § 12-1171 et seq. § 12-1176 establishes that landlords initiating an eviction action in Arizona can request a jury trial, and the court is required to honor that request. Operators familiar with this provision typically account for the tight five-judicial-day trial window when preparing documentation and coordinating with legal counsel. Because the case is docketed like other civil actions, compliant landlords generally ensure their filings and evidence are organized well before the complaint is submitted.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

A.R.S. § 12-1171 et seq. § 12-1176 gives tenants the right to request a jury trial if the plaintiff (typically the landlord) has not already done so, and the court must grant that request upon the tenant's appearance. The compressed timeline—trial within five judicial days of the complaint—means that understanding available options quickly is important; tenant-rights organizations in Arizona can help explain what this right means in practice. Tenants may also wish to consult a legal aid provider about how jury-trial procedures interact with any defenses they intend to raise.

General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.

Generated October 9, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.

Effective Timeline

Current
Oct 8, 2026
Click on timeline segments to view historical versions.

References Out

No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.

References In

No inbound references recorded yet for this provision.

Related Rules

§ 1
Persons entitled to summary process
§ 3
Judgment and execution; costs; appeal
§ 5
Appeal; bond; actions thereon; waiver; appeal of waiver or periodic payments; notice of decision

Source Information

Snapshot SHA:
Fetched:Oct 8, 2026, 04:40 PM UTC