RulesofCivilProcedure.com Civil Procedure · Every State

Rule 13.030.Arbitration Commission

Current through August 1, 2026 · Last verified September 12, 2026

In one sentenceUTCR 13.030 requires each court to establish an arbitration commission that supervises the arbitration program and gives advisory opinions about arbitration, with judge members, attorney members, and the court administrator serving as an ex officio member.

Full Text of Rule 13.030

Text sizeJump to: (1) (2) (3)

(1) Each court must establish an arbitration commission.
(2) The function of the arbitration commission is to supervise the arbitration program and to give advisory opinions relating to arbitration.
(3) The arbitration commission must include both judge and attorney members and, as an ex officio member, the court administrator.
End

Plain-English Summary

This is a short rule that creates a standing body in every court. The commission does not decide individual cases. Its job is to supervise the arbitration program as a whole and to give advisory opinions relating to arbitration.

Membership is mixed on purpose. The commission must include both judge and attorney members, and the court administrator sits on it as an ex officio member. That combination puts the bench, the bar, and the office that moves the paperwork in the same room.

The commission matters more than its short rule suggests, because other rules in the chapter hand it real work. It establishes the procedures a court uses to select arbitrators, and it sets the compensation schedule that arbitrators are paid under. If you have a recurring question about how your district runs arbitration, the commission is the body that wrote the answer, and the trial court administrator's office is where you ask for it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the arbitration commission responsible for?

It supervises the court's arbitration program, and it gives advisory opinions relating to arbitration. Elsewhere in the chapter it also sets the procedures for selecting arbitrators and establishes the schedule that determines what arbitrators are paid.

Who sits on the commission?

The rule requires both judge and attorney members. The court administrator is also a member, serving ex officio, meaning the seat comes with the office rather than by appointment.

Can the commission review my arbitration award?

No. The commission supervises the program, not individual cases. A party unhappy with an award uses the trial de novo route the chapter provides, and a dispute over the arbitrator's fee goes to the court.

Does every Oregon circuit court have an arbitration commission?

The rule requires each court to establish an arbitration commission, so yes. How visible it is varies. Start with the trial court administrator's office if you need to reach it.

Where do my district's arbitrator selection procedures come from?

From the commission. The chapter has the commission establish those procedures, and the trial court administrator furnishes a copy of them along with the list of proposed arbitrators when a case is assigned to arbitration.

Source & verification. The rule text is reproduced verbatim from the official Oregon Uniform Trial Court Rules (UTCR 13.030). Prescribed by the Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court (UTCR 1.020). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified September 12, 2026. · Official source
Also known as: UTCR 13.030arbitration commissionadvisory opinion arbitrationcourt administrator ex officiosupervise arbitration programjudge and attorney members