Rule 1.060.Numbering of Court Rules
Current through August 1, 2026 · Last verified September 12, 2026
Full Text of Rule 1.060
Plain-English Summary
Chapters and sections use Arabic numerals. The chapter sits to the left of the decimal point and the section to the right, with three decimal places. That is why a rule number always carries three digits after the point, and why a trailing zero belongs to the number rather than being decoration you can drop.
Inside a section the designation depends on the shape of the rule. When a section has more than one primary paragraph, each takes an Arabic number in parentheses. When a section has only one primary paragraph and that paragraph contains secondary paragraphs, the primary paragraph goes unnumbered and the secondary paragraphs take Arabic numbers in parentheses. When a section has more than one primary paragraph and one or more of them contains secondary paragraphs, the secondary paragraphs take lowercase letters in parentheses. That is the source of the familiar (1)(a) pattern, and it explains why a short rule can open straight into a numbered list with no (1) above it.
The rule tells drafters to avoid going deeper than secondary paragraphs, though it puts that as guidance rather than a prohibition, and a few rules in the set do run a level further. The last subsection extends the whole scheme to supplementary local rules approved under UTCR 1.050, so a district's rules read like the statewide ones. UTCR 1.080 adds where in the numbering an SLR has to land.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do the numbers in a UTCR citation mean?
The figure left of the decimal point is the chapter and the three digits to its right are the section. In UTCR 1.060, the figure before the point is the general provisions chapter and the digits after it identify this section within that chapter. Anything further, like (3)(a), points to a paragraph inside the section.
Why do some rules start with (1) and others start with (a)?
Because the designation follows the structure. More than one primary paragraph means each primary paragraph gets a number in parentheses, and secondary paragraphs under them get lowercase letters. A single primary paragraph broken into secondary paragraphs leaves the primary paragraph unnumbered and numbers the secondary ones. So the letters tell you that you are one level down from a numbered paragraph.
Do supplementary local rules use the same numbering?
Yes. SLR approved under UTCR 1.050 must conform to this rule. UTCR 1.080 goes further and says where they fall: an SLR is numbered as closely as possible to, and in the same chapter as, the related UTCR, and must avoid the numbers the statewide rules reserve for themselves.
Can a rule have a third level of subdivision?
The rule says the use of paragraphs beyond primary and secondary should be avoided. That is advice to the drafter rather than a bar, and a handful of longer rules do carry a further level. When you cite one, include each level so the reader lands on the right sentence.
Does this rule tell me how to cite a rule?
No. UTCR 1.060 governs how rules are numbered when they are written. Citation form, including when to include paragraph numbers and letters and when to name the court that issued a local rule, is the subject of UTCR 1.070.