Rule 12.Defenses and objections: when and how presented; motion for judgment on the pleadings; joining motions; waiving defenses; pretrial hearing.

Last amended January 1, 2021 · Last verified July 1, 2026

In one sentenceRule 12 sets the deadline for answering a complaint, lists the defenses a party may raise by motion instead of in an answer, explains how those defenses can be waived if not raised early enough, and governs motions for judgment on the pleadings, for a more definite statement, and to strike.

Full Text of Rule 12

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h)

a Time to file and serve a responsive pleading.

1 Generally. Unless another time is specified by rule or statute, the time for filing and serving a responsive pleading is as follows:

A A defendant or third-party defendant must file and serve an answer or other responsive pleading:

i within 20 days after being served with the summons and complaint, except as otherwise provided in Rules 4.2 (d)(3) and (m); or

ii if it has timely waived service under Rule 4(f), within 60 days after the request for a waiver was sent, or within 90 days after it was sent to the defendant or third-party defendant outside any judicial district of the United States.

B A party must file and serve an answer or other pleading responsive to a counterclaim or crossclaim within 20 days after being served with the pleading that states the counterclaim or crossclaim.

C A party must file and serve a reply to an answer within 20 days after being served with an order to reply, unless the order specifies a different time.

2 Effect of a motion. Unless the court sets a different time, filing and serving a motion under this rule alters these periods as follows:

A if the court denies the motion or postpones its disposition until trial, the responsive pleading must be file and served within 10 days after notice of the court’s action; or

B if the court grants a motion for a more definite statement, the responsive pleading must be filed and served within 10 days after the more definite statement is served.

b How to present defenses. Every defense to a claim for relief in any pleading must be asserted in the responsive pleading if one is required. But a party may assert the following defenses by motion:

1 lack of subject-matter jurisdiction;

2 lack of personal jurisdiction;

3 improper venue;

4 insufficient process;

5 insufficient service of process;

6 failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted; and

7 failure to join a party under Rule 19.

A motion asserting any of these defenses must be made before pleading if a responsive pleading is allowed. If a pleading sets out a claim for relief that does not require a responsive pleading, an opposing party may assert at trial any defense to that claim. A party does not waive a defense or objection by joining it with one or more other defenses or objections in a responsive pleading or in a motion. A party may assert improper venue as a defense only if the action cannot be or could not have been transferred to the proper county under A.R.S. § 12-404.

c Motion for judgment on the pleadings. After the pleadings are close—but no later than the date on which dispositive motions must be filed—a party may move for judgment on the pleadings.

d Result of presenting matters outside the pleadings. If, on a motion under Rule 12(b)(6) or (c), matters outside the pleadings are presented to, and not excluded by, the court, the motion must be treated as one for summary judgment under Rule 56. All parties must be given a reasonable opportunity to present all the material that is pertinent to the motion.

e Motion for a more definite statement. If a pleading to which a responsive pleading is permitted is so vague or ambiguous that a party cannot reasonably be required to frame a responsive pleading, the party may move for a more definite statement before filing a responsive pleading. The motion must point out the defects complained of and the details desired. If the court orders a more definite statement and the order is not obeyed within 10 days after notice of the order or within the time the court sets, the court may strike the pleading or issue any other appropriate order.

f Motion to strike. The court may strike from a pleading an insufficient defense or any redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous matter. The court may act:

1 on its own; or

2 on motion made by a party either before responding to the pleading or, if a response is not allowed, within 20 days after the pleading is served.

g Joining motions.

1 Right to join. A motion under this rule may be joined with any other motion allowed by this rule.

2 Limitation on further motions. Except as provided in Rule 12(h)(2) or (3), a party who makes a motion under this rule must not make another motion under this rule raising a defense or objection that was available to the party but omitted from its earlier motion.

h Waiving and preserving certain defenses.

1 When some are waived. A party waives any defense listed in Rule 12(b)(2) through (5) by:

A omitting it from a motion in the circumstances described in Rule 12(g)(2); or

B failing to either:

i make it by motion under this rule; or

ii include it in a responsive pleading or in an amendment allowed by Rule 15(a)(1) as a matter of course.

2 When to raise others. Failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, to join a person required by Rule 19(b), or to state a legal defense to a claim may be raised:

A in any pleading allowed or ordered under Rule 7;

B by a motion under Rule 12(c); or

C at trial.

3 Lack of subject-matter jurisdiction. If the court determines at any time that it lacks subject-matter jurisdiction, the court must dismiss the action.

i Preliminary hearings. If a party so moves, any defense listed in Rule 12(b)(1) through (7)—whether made in a pleading or by motion—and a motion under Rule 12(c) must be heard and decided before trial unless the court orders a deferral until trial. (j) Good faith consultation certificate. A good faith consultation certificate complying with Rule 7.1 (h) must accompany any motion brought under (b)(3), (b)(6), (c), or (f) of this rule.

Amendment History

Promulgated by R-16-0010, effective January 1, 2017; amended by R-17-0009, effective January 1, 2018; amended by R-20-00028, effective January 1, 2021.

Plain-English Summary

A defendant generally must answer within 20 days of being served, or within 60 or 90 days after waiving service depending on where the defendant is located; a party responding to a counterclaim or crossclaim gets 20 days from service of that pleading. Filing a motion under this rule resets the response clock: if the court denies the motion, a responsive pleading is due within 10 days of that ruling.

Seven defenses — including lack of jurisdiction, improper venue, insufficient process or service, and failure to state a claim — may be raised by a pre-answer motion instead of waiting for the answer. If matters outside the pleadings come before the court on a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim or a motion for judgment on the pleadings, and the court doesn't exclude them, the motion converts into one for summary judgment under Rule 56.

A party who omits an available defense from an early motion generally cannot raise it in a later motion, and several of these defenses — lack of personal jurisdiction, improper venue, insufficient process, and insufficient service — are lost entirely if not raised by motion or in the answer. Lack of subject-matter jurisdiction, by contrast, can be raised at any time, and the court must dismiss the action the moment it recognizes that defect.

The rule also covers a motion for a more definite statement, aimed at a pleading too vague to answer, and a motion to strike redundant or scandalous material, which the court may act on itself or on a party's motion. Motions under this rule may be joined together and, subject to a few exceptions, must generally be resolved before trial, with several requiring a good faith consultation certificate before they can be filed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a defendant have to answer a complaint in Arizona?

Generally 20 days after being served, or 60 to 90 days after waiving service, depending on where the defendant is.

Which defenses can be raised by motion instead of in the answer?

Lack of subject-matter or personal jurisdiction, improper venue, insufficient process or service, failure to state a claim, and failure to join a required party.

What happens if a party leaves an available defense out of an early motion?

Several of these defenses — like personal jurisdiction, venue, and service defects — are waived if not raised in that motion or the answer.

What happens when a motion to dismiss relies on material outside the complaint?

If the court doesn't exclude that material, the motion is treated as one for summary judgment under Rule 56.

Source & verification. The rule text and History are reproduced verbatim from the official Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure (Ariz. R. Civ. P. 12). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Arizona (Ariz. Const. art. 6, § 5). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 1, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: motion to dismissfailure to state a claimwaiver of defensesmotion for a more definite statementmotion to strike