Setting aside an Arizona judgment: six months, not a year
Arizona procedure · Last verified August 17, 2026
Arizona's relief-from-judgment rule looks federal and isn't, in two ways that matter. The subdivisions are lettered differently, and the deadline is half as long.
Six months, and it cannot be extended
Ariz. R. Civ. P. 60(c)(1):
A motion under Rule 60(b) must be made within a reasonable time — and for reasons (1), (2), and (3), no more than 6 months after the entry of the judgment or order or date of the proceeding, whichever is later. This deadline may not be extended by stipulation or court order, except as allowed by Rule 6(b)(2).
Three things follow.
Six months, not twelve. Federal Rule 60(c)(1), Ohio Civ.R. 60(B), Washington CR 60(b) and most others give a year for the equivalent grounds. Arizona gives half that. A practitioner carrying the federal number into an Arizona case can be six months late while believing they are six months early.
Whichever is later. The period runs from entry of the judgment or order or the date of the proceeding, whichever is later — a small but real difference from the federal formulation.
Not extendable by agreement. The parties cannot stipulate around it, and the court cannot order otherwise except as Rule 6(b)(2) allows.
The reasonable-time requirement applies to every ground, including those without the six-month cap. A motion inside six months can still be untimely.
The lettering is different
Federal Rule 60 puts the grounds in subdivision (b) and the timing in (c). Arizona puts the grounds in Rule 60(b) as well — but its timing provision is Rule 60(c), and Rule 55(c) routes a default judgment to "Rule 60(c)" in Arizona's own cross-reference style.
If you are reading an Arizona brief citing "Rule 60(c)," it is talking about timing and effect, not about a distinct set of grounds.
Filing does not stop enforcement
Ariz. R. Civ. P. 60(c)(2): "The motion does not affect the judgment's finality or suspend its operation."
Identical in substance to FRCP 60(c)(2), Ohio Civ.R. 60(B) and 735 ILCS 5/2-1401(d). A pending motion leaves garnishment and execution running unless a stay is separately obtained.
Powers the rule doesn't limit
Ariz. R. Civ. P. 60(d): the rule does not limit the court's power to
(1) entertain an independent action to relieve a party from a judgment, order, or proceeding; (2) grant relief to a defendant served by publication as provided in Rule 59(g); or (3) set aside a judgment for fraud on the court.
None of those carries the six-month limit. The publication route in particular matters for a defendant who never had actual notice — Arizona routes it through Rule 59(g) rather than through Rule 60.
Ariz. R. Civ. P. 60(e) adds a provision most systems lack: where a judgment was rendered on a foreign judgment from another state or country and that judgment has been reversed or otherwise vacated, the court may grant relief.
Where this sits relative to the default rules
Arizona's default machinery gives you two earlier and easier exits before Rule 60 is ever reached.
Rule 55(a)(1) — the ten-day grace period. Default is not effective until 10 days after the application for entry of default is filed, and pleading or otherwise defending inside that window means "default does not become effective, and the court may not enter a default judgment against that party." No motion, no showing.
Rule 55(c) — setting aside an entry of default for good cause, before judgment.
Only once a default judgment has been entered does Rule 60 apply, with its six months.
The guide on responding to an Arizona complaint covers the first two in detail.
How the limits compare
| Jurisdiction | Rule | Outer limit for mistake / new evidence / fraud | Extendable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Rule 60(c)(1) | 6 months | no — not by stipulation or order |
| Federal | FRCP 60(c)(1) | 1 year | no — FRCP 6(b)(2) |
| Ohio | Civ.R. 60(B) | 1 year | — |
| Washington | CR 60(b) | 1 year (grounds (1), (2), (3)) | — |
| Massachusetts | Rule 60(b) | 1 year | — |
| North Carolina | Rule 60(b) | 1 year | — |
| Illinois | 735 ILCS 5/2-1401 | 2 years | tolled for disability, duress, fraudulent concealment |
| California | CCP 473(b) | 6 months | no — and a 90-day shortener applies to some property judgments |
| New York | CPLR 5015(a)(1) | 1 year from service of notice of entry | — |
| Texas | TRCP 329b | 30 days of plenary power, then bill of review | no |
Arizona and California are the two six-month systems. Everything else in this set is a year or more — except Texas, which is far shorter and works on a different mechanism entirely.
A short checklist
- Calendar six months from entry, not twelve.
- Check whether you're still inside Rule 55(a)(1)'s ten days — if so, just plead; nothing else is needed.
- If judgment hasn't been entered, Rule 55(c)'s good-cause standard is easier than Rule 60.
- Pick the ground deliberately. Grounds outside (1)–(3) carry no six-month cap, only the reasonable-time requirement.
- Ask for a stay separately — the motion doesn't suspend the judgment.
- If service was by publication, Rule 59(g) is the route, and it sits outside Rule 60's limit.
Where these rules live
- Ariz. R. Civ. P. 6 — Computing and Extending Time
- Ariz. R. Civ. P. 12 — Defenses and Objections
- Ariz. R. Civ. P. 55 — Default
- Ariz. R. Civ. P. 60 — Relief from a Judgment or Order
The Arizona courts publish self-help material and forms at azcourts.gov/selfservicecenter. This page explains what the rules say. It isn't legal advice, and what counts as excusable neglect is decided under case law this site doesn't cover.