(a) Amendments. A party may amend the party’s pleading once as a matter of course at any time before a responsive pleading is served or, if the pleading is one to which no responsive pleading is permitted and the action has not been placed upon the trial calendar, the party may so amend it at any time within 20 days after it is served. Otherwise a party may amend the party’s pleading only by leave of court or by written consent of the adverse party; and leave shall be freely given when justice so requires. A party shall plead in response to an amended pleading within the time remaining for response to the original pleading or within 10 days after service of the amended pleading, whichever period may be the longer, unless the court otherwise orders.
Rule 15.Amended and Supplemental Pleadings.
Last amended October 15, 2005 · Last verified July 6, 2026
In one sentenceRule 15 lets a party amend a pleading once without permission before a response is served, requires leave of court for later amendments (freely given when justice requires), allows an amendment to relate back to the original filing date when it grows out of the same events, and permits supplemental pleadings covering things that happened after the original pleading was filed.
Full Text of Rule 15
(b) Amendments to Conform to the Evidence. When issues not raised by the pleadings are tried by express or implied consent of the parties, they shall be treated in all respects as if they had been raised in the pleadings. Such amendment of the pleadings as may be necessary to cause them to conform to the evidence and to raise these issues may be made upon motion of any party at any time, even after judgment; but failure so to amend does not affect the result of the trial of these issues. If evidence is objected to at the trial on the ground that it is not within the issues made by the pleadings, the court may allow the pleadings to be amended and shall do so freely when the presentation of the merits of the action will be subserved thereby and the objecting party fails to satisfy the court that the admission of such evidence would prejudice the party in maintaining the party’s action or defense upon the merits. The court may grant a continuance to enable the objecting party to meet such evidence.
(c) Relation Back of Amendments. Whenever the claim or defense asserted in the amended pleading arose out of the conduct, transaction or occurrence set forth or attempted to be set forth in the original pleading, the amendment relates back to the date of the original pleading. An amendment changing the party against whom a claim is asserted relates back if the foregoing provision is satisfied and, within the period provided by Rule 4(j) for service of the summons and complaint, that party (1) has received such notice of the institution of the action that the party will not be prejudiced in maintaining a defense on the merits, and (2) knew or should have known that, but for a mistake concerning the identity of the proper party, the action would have been brought against the party.
(d) Supplemental Pleadings. Upon motion of a party the court may, upon reasonable notice and upon such terms as are just, permit the party to serve a supplemental pleading setting forth transactions or occurrences or events which have happened since the date of the pleading sought to be supplemented. Permission may be granted even though the original pleading is defective in its statement of a claim for relief or defense. If the court deems it advisable that the adverse party plead to the supplemental pleading, it shall so order, specifying the time therefor.
(e) Form. Unless otherwise permitted by the court, every pleading to which an amendment is permitted as a matter of right or has been allowed by order of the court, must be retyped or reprinted and filed so that it will be complete in itself, including the exhibits, without reference to the superseded pleading. No pleading will be deemed to be amended until this subdivision of this rule has been complied with. All amended pleadings shall contain copies of all exhibits referred to in such amended pleadings. Permission may be obtained from the court, if desired, for the removal of any exhibit or exhibits attached to prior pleadings, in order that the same may be attached to the amended pleading.
Amendment History
(Adopted by SCO 5 October 9, 1959; amended by SCO 258 effective November 15, 1976; by SCO 1153 effective July 15, 1994; and by SCO 1571 effective October 15, 2005)
Plain-English Summary
A party may amend a pleading once as a matter of course before a response is served, or, if no response is allowed and the case isn't yet on the trial calendar, within 20 days after serving it. Beyond that, amendment requires either the other side's written consent or the court's leave, which the rule directs courts to give freely when justice requires it. When issues outside the pleadings are tried because both sides agreed to try them, they're treated as if they'd been pleaded from the start, and the court can allow the pleadings to be amended to match the evidence — even after judgment — and should do so freely unless the amendment would prejudice the objecting party.
An amendment relates back to the date of the original pleading when it arises from the same conduct, transaction, or occurrence already described there; an amendment that changes who's being sued relates back on the same terms if the new party got timely notice of the suit and knew, or should have known, that it would have been named but for a mistake about identity. Rule 15 also allows supplemental pleadings covering events that happened after the original pleading, even if that pleading had its own defects, and it requires every amended pleading to be complete in itself — retyped or reprinted with all its exhibits — rather than referring back to the version it replaces.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change my complaint without asking the court?
Yes, once, as a matter of course, before a response is served — or within 20 days of serving a pleading that draws no response and hasn’t yet been set for trial. After that you need the other side’s written consent or the court’s leave.
What does it mean for an amendment to "relate back"?
The amendment is treated as if it had been filed on the date of the original pleading, as long as it grows out of the same conduct, transaction, or occurrence already described there — including, under certain conditions, an amendment that changes which party is being sued.
What’s the difference between an amended and a supplemental pleading?
An amendment revises what’s already been alleged; a supplemental pleading, allowed under (d), adds events or transactions that happened after the original pleading was filed.
Source & verification. The rule text, Amendment History, and Notes are reproduced verbatim from the
official Alaska Rules of Civil Procedure (Alaska R. Civ. P. 15). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Alaska (Alaska Const. art. IV, § 15). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 6, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: amending a complaint in Alaskarelation back amendmentleave to amend pleading Alaskasupplemental pleading Alaska civil ruleAlaska R. Civ. P. 15