The Alaska motion to dismiss: twenty days to answer, ten after a denial
Alaska procedure · Last verified August 17, 2026
Alaska's Rule 12 keeps the older federal wording — "insufficiency of process" rather than "insufficient process" — and runs on a short calendar: 20 days to answer and 10 days after a denial.
Ten days is among the tightest post-motion periods in the country. Draft the answer while the motion is pending.
The deadlines
| Event | Time |
|---|---|
| Answer a complaint | 20 days from service |
| After a denied motion, or a deferral to trial | 10 days |
| After a granted more-definite-statement motion | 10 days |
The seven defenses
Alaska R. Civ. P. 12(b):
the following defenses may at the option of the pleader be made by motion: (1) lack of jurisdiction over the subject matter, (2) lack of jurisdiction over the person, (3) improper venue, (4) insufficiency of process, (5) insufficiency of service of process, (6) failure to state a cl
The classic seven, in the pre-restyling wording. Venue stays at (3).
Where this connects
Alaska's post-judgment route runs on Rule 60(b), and its costs-and-fees regime is distinctive enough to matter in any decision about whether to fight — see Alaska costs and attorney's fees and setting aside an Alaska judgment.
For the answer itself, see responding to an Alaska complaint. For the dispositive stage, see Alaska summary judgment.
How Alaska compares
| Alaska | Hawaii | Washington | Federal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to answer | 20 days | 20 days | 20 days | 21 days |
| After a denied motion | 10 days | 10 days | — | 14 days |
| Enumerated grounds | seven | seven | seven | seven |
| Venue inside the rule | yes | yes | yes | yes |
A short checklist
- Diarise 20 days from service.
- Move before you plead if a further pleading is permitted.
- Put every available ground in one motion. Joining waives nothing.
- Plan for 10 days to answer if the motion is denied — draft it in advance.
- Watch for conversion if you attach material outside the pleadings.
Where these rules live
- Alaska R. Civ. P. 8 — General Rules of Pleading
- Alaska R. Civ. P. 12 — Defenses and Objections
- Alaska R. Civ. P. 15 — Amended and Supplemental Pleadings
- Alaska R. Civ. P. 56 — Summary Judgment
This page explains what the rules say. It isn't legal advice, and the standard for dismissal under Rule 12(b)(6) is developed in case law this site doesn't cover.