Rule 97.Family Law Forms

Rule 97 is the last rule in the ruleset, and it is referenced more often than almost any other -- the Affidavit of Financial Information, the Order to Appear, the resolution statements, the Education Orders, the parenting coordinator forms all live here.

Recommended, not required

The forms listed in this rule are recommended and meet the requirements of these rules. Both halves matter. A party is not obliged to use them -- and other rules consistently ask for filings "substantially in the form set forth" rather than on the form itself -- but a party who does use one has satisfied the requirement, with no argument available that something more was needed.

Substantial compliance, and what a blank means

Where these rules refer to a recommended form, a party may delete content if the form requests particular information that does not apply to their case.

Then the provision that gives the rule teeth: a party who deletes content in a recommended form, or who fails to complete a portion of one, represents to the court and to other parties that the question or item does not apply.

An unanswered question is therefore not an oversight to be corrected later. It is an affirmative representation that the subject does not exist in the case -- which is why a blank line on an Affidavit of Financial Information about a bank account or a source of income carries real weight, and why Rule 26(b)'s certification about factual contentions reaches it.

Where to get them, and how they change

The forms are available at court self-service centers or on the Arizona Judicial Branch website. The Supreme Court may modify them by administrative order -- so the forms can change between rule amendments, without a rule amendment.