Rule 24.1.Time for Filing and Serving a Response to a Petition
Part II. Pleadings and Motions · Last amended January 1, 2019 · Last verified September 4, 2026
Full Text of Rule 24.1
Rule History
Added Aug. 30, 2018, effective Jan. 1, 2019.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 24.1 is the response clock. It applies unless another rule or statute specifically sets a different time.
The two basic periods
A respondent or responding third party served under Rule 41 in Arizona must file and serve a response not later than 20 days after service is complete. Outside Arizona, the period is 30 days. Both run from completion of service, not from the date of mailing or the date the petition was filed.
Acceptance of service
A party who accepts service under Rule 40(f)(1) gets the same 20 or 30 days, chosen by where the acceptance was signed rather than where the party was found. But the period does not begin when the party signs. It begins on the date the signed acceptance is filed with the court, which is a distinction worth watching, because the filing may happen days after the signature.
After a Rule 29 motion
Two shorter windows follow a ruling on a pre-answer motion. If the court denies a motion to dismiss or a motion for judgment on the pleadings, the responsive pleading is due within 10 days after notice of the ruling. If the court grants a motion for a more definite statement, the responsive pleading is due within 10 days after the more definite statement is served. In both cases the court can set a different time.
The consequence
Section (f) states it plainly: a party who does not file a timely response may be defaulted under Rule 44. Rule 44 does not make that instant -- the default takes effect ten days after the application is filed, and a response filed inside those ten days stops it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to respond to a petition served on me in Arizona?
Twenty days after service is complete, under Rule 24.1(b). Service outside Arizona carries thirty days under Rule 24.1(c).
If I sign an acceptance of service, when does my time start running?
Not when you sign. Rule 24.1(d) starts the period on the date the signed acceptance is filed with the court. Whether you get 20 or 30 days depends on whether the acceptance was signed inside or outside Arizona.
The court denied my motion to dismiss. How long do I have to answer?
Ten days after notice of the court's ruling, under Rule 24.1(e), unless the court sets a different time.
Does missing the deadline end my case immediately?
No. Rule 24.1(f) says a party who does not respond in time may be defaulted under Rule 44, and Rule 44(a)(4) and (a)(5) give a ten-day window after the application is filed in which a response still prevents the default from becoming effective.
Do these deadlines apply to every family law petition?
Rule 24.1(a) applies unless another rule or statute specifically requires a different time. Petitions served with an order to appear rather than a summons do not require a response at all under Rule 23(f)(2).