Justice Courts of Maricopa County: what they handle and how to file

The justice courts of Maricopa County are the local courts most Arizonans will actually touch. They handle small-dollar civil disputes, evictions, order-of-protection requests and certain misdemeanors across the county's justice precincts. They are courts of limited jurisdiction, which means a justice of the peace can only decide the kinds of cases state law assigns to that court. Two things matter most before you file. First, the court decides money and possession disputes, not every kind of claim. Second, the process is designed for people without lawyers, so the paperwork is simpler than in the county's superior court. This guide walks through what these courts handle and the general steps for starting a case. This connects to our earlier piece, Employment discrimination lawsuit process: How courts handle an employment discrimination case, start to finish. What cases do the justice courts of Maricopa County handle? Justice courts in Arizona are limited-jurisdiction courts.

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