Maricopa County Superior Court

Maricopa County Superior Court Overview

Arizona does not use the label "district court" for its state trial court. The trial court of general jurisdiction is the Superior Court, and Maricopa County has the largest Superior Court in the state. The Superior Court hears felony criminal cases, civil suits that exceed the Justice Court cap, all divorce and family law, probate, juvenile, tax, mental health, and appeals from the lower courts. It also acts as the appellate court for Justice and Municipal Court rulings inside the county. The Arizona judiciary explainer at Today's Court System Has Three Levels sets out the three layers: trial courts, the Court of Appeals, and the Arizona Supreme Court.

The full Arizona three-tier model is shown on the official trial-court page. A screenshot of the page is below.

The Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County is led by a Presiding Judge and is split into department divisions for Civil, Criminal, Family, Probate and Mental Health, Juvenile, Tax, and Lower Court Appeals. The Clerk of the Superior Court, currently Joseph W. Malka, keeps the official case files. The Maricopa County Customer Service Center phone line is 602-506-3204. The main downtown campus is a cluster of buildings near 201 W Jefferson Street, Phoenix.

Civil Division

The Civil Department of the Maricopa County Superior Court sits at the East Court Building, 101 W Jefferson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003. The Civil Division handles money claims above $10,000, real estate disputes, contract suits, personal injury cases, name change petitions, and civil appeals from lower courts. The main civil phone is 602-506-3204. Filings flow through the Clerk of the Superior Court using the eFile system. For civil court records and docket lookup, see Maricopa County court records and court dockets.

The East Court Building also hosts Probate and Mental Health. The Civil Department uses standard Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure, and case files are open to the public unless sealed. The Superior Court publishes the Civil Department page at superiorcourt.maricopa.gov.

Criminal Division

The Criminal Department is the busiest division in the Maricopa County Superior Court. It is split across the Central Court Building at 201 W Jefferson, the South Court Tower at 175 W Madison, and the Initial Appearance and Transfer (ITR) facility at 2670 S 28th Drive. The Criminal Department information line is 602-506-8575. Criminal cases here cover all felonies filed in Maricopa County, plus serious misdemeanor matters that get bumped up. Initial Appearance Court at ITR handles new arrests from MCSO and other agencies, sets release conditions, and routes cases to the right court.

An official view of the South Court Tower page shows the criminal and jury service functions handled at that building, as listed by the court at superiorcourt.maricopa.gov.

The Superior Court also runs specialty criminal tracks. Early Disposition Court is set up for drug charges and lower felony cases that can move fast. Veterans Court works with veteran defendants who have service-related trauma. Criminal Mental Health Court takes cases where mental health needs change how the case is processed. Regional Homeless Court takes lower-level matters tied to housing services. For arrest data tied to these cases, see Maricopa County arrest records.

Family Division

The Family Department covers divorce, legal separation, annulment, paternity, child support, child custody, and orders of protection. It runs out of the Central Court Building plus three regional centers. The Northeast Regional Center is at 18380 N 40th Street in Phoenix. The Northwest Regional Center is at 14264 W Tierra Buena Lane in Surprise. The Southeast Justice Center sits at 222 E Javelina Avenue in Mesa. All Family Department lines feed through 602-506-3204.

The regional centers make it easier for residents on the edges of the county to file. They share buildings with several Justice Court precincts. For divorce filings and certified marriage and divorce records, see Maricopa County marriage and divorce records.

Probate and Mental Health Division

The Probate and Mental Health Department handles wills, estates, guardianship, conservatorship, and civil mental health commitments. The division operates from the East Court Building at 101 W Jefferson and the Old Courthouse at 125 W Washington. Some mental health hearings also take place at the Arizona State Hospital and at Valleywise Behavioral Health sites. The main phone is 602-506-3204.

Probate cases get their own docket track. The Clerk of the Superior Court records all probate filings and gives certified copies on request. For estate filings and guardianship lookups, see Maricopa County probate records. For the office that holds the files, see the Maricopa County Clerk of Court.

Justice of the Peace Courts

Maricopa County has 26 Justice of the Peace Court precincts. Each precinct is led by an elected Justice of the Peace. Justice Courts hear civil claims of $10,000 or less, evictions of $10,000 or less, small claims of $3,500 or less, civil and criminal traffic, misdemeanors, protective orders, and marijuana expungements. They do not handle felonies or family law. Court hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The Justice Courts site is justicecourts.maricopa.gov.

The Maricopa County Justice Courts public landing page lists all 26 precincts, judge names, and contact lines. A view of the page is shown below.

The precincts are grouped by region. Phoenix-area precincts include Arcadia Biltmore, Encanto, El Centro, South Mountain, and West McDowell at 620 W Jackson Street. Desert Ridge, Dreamy Draw, McDowell Mountain, and Moon Valley share the Northeast Regional Center at 18380 N 40th Street. Arrowhead, Hassayampa, Manistee, and North Valley sit at the Northwest Regional Center, 14264 W Tierra Buena Lane, Surprise. East Mesa, Highland, North Mesa, and West Mesa file out of 222 E Javelina Avenue in Mesa. Kyrene, San Marcos, San Tan, and University Lakes share 201 E Chicago Street in Chandler. Agua Fria, Country Meadows, Maryvale, and White Tank work from 10420 W Van Buren Street in Avondale. Ironwood is the only remote precinct, based at 209 E Pima Street in Gila Bend.

A 27th precinct will open in the West Valley on January 1, 2027, and precinct lines will shift then.

Municipal Courts

Municipal Courts are city courts. They are not part of the county court system. Each city in Maricopa County runs its own. Cities such as Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale, Glendale, Tempe, Gilbert, Peoria, Surprise, and Avondale each have a municipal court. Municipal Courts hear city code violations, misdemeanors filed under city ordinance, civil traffic, and city-level protective orders.

Cases that get appealed from a Municipal Court go up to the Superior Court. The Superior Court acts as the appellate court for both Justice and Municipal Court rulings. A defendant cannot appeal straight from a city court to the Arizona Court of Appeals.

Federal Courts in Phoenix

Federal cases for Maricopa County file in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. The Phoenix federal courthouse is the Sandra Day O'Connor U.S. Courthouse at 401 W Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003. The District of Arizona site is azd.uscourts.gov. Federal cases cover federal crimes, civil rights claims, federal-question civil cases, diversity cases, prisoner habeas, and federal administrative appeals.

Federal records do not show up in the Maricopa County Superior Court system. They live in PACER and CM/ECF. PACER is at pacer.uscourts.gov. The District of Arizona CM/ECF portal is at pacer.azd.uscourts.gov. Bankruptcy cases get their own court, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Arizona at 230 N 1st Avenue, Suite 101, Phoenix. Federal appeals go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona prosecutes federal cases out of Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, and Flagstaff offices. The U.S. Marshals Service District of Arizona Phoenix headquarters phone is 602-382-8768. For federal inmate records, the Bureau of Prisons inmate locator is at bop.gov/inmateloc.

Superior Court vs. Justice Court vs. Municipal Court

The three trial-court types in Arizona handle different work. The table below compares jurisdiction and limits.

How a Case Moves Through the System

A case in Maricopa County moves up the court ladder if it gets appealed or if the charge type pushes it higher. The process for most case types looks like this.

1. Filing or arrest. A criminal case starts with an arrest by MCSO, a city police agency, or DPS. A civil case starts when a party files a complaint with the Justice Court or Superior Court Clerk.
2. Justice Court or Initial Appearance. Misdemeanors and small claims start in Justice Court. Felony arrests go through Initial Appearance Court at ITR for release conditions.
3. Superior Court. Felonies, civil suits over $10,000, divorce, probate, and juvenile cases go to Superior Court. Appeals from Justice or Municipal Court also land here.
4. Arizona Court of Appeals. Maricopa County is in Division One, based in Phoenix. Most appeals from Superior Court go here first.
5. Arizona Supreme Court. The state's high court takes death penalty appeals direct and may take review of Court of Appeals rulings on petition.

The flow as a single line reads: Justice Court › Superior Court › AZ Court of Appeals › AZ Supreme Court. For federal cases the flow is: U.S. District Court (Arizona) › Ninth Circuit › U.S. Supreme Court.

The official Arizona Superior Court overview at azcourts.gov sets out the jurisdiction, judge counts, and appellate path. A view of that page is shown below.

Most cases never go past Superior Court. A handful get appealed, and only a small share reach the Arizona Supreme Court.

Court Locations

The downtown Phoenix court campus is a cluster of buildings, not a single courthouse. The table below lists the main Superior Court buildings, regional centers, and key support sites with addresses and phones. All run Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with the main info line at 602-506-3204.

The official Superior Court location index at superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/court-locations lists every building with maps and parking. A view of the listing is below.

The primary public face of the Superior Court remains the Central Court Building. A view of the Maricopa County Judicial Branch home page is shown below for reference.

Primary Courthouse Contacts

The four contact blocks below cover the main downtown buildings used by the public. Each accepts walk-ins during posted hours.

The Central Court Building page on the Superior Court site at superiorcourt.maricopa.gov lists the address, hours, and access route through the north-side public entrance. A view is shown below.

The East Court Building page covers Civil, Probate, and Mental Health functions and is shown below from superiorcourt.maricopa.gov.

Court of Appeals and Arizona Supreme Court

Most appeals from the Maricopa County Superior Court go to the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One, based in Phoenix. Division One covers Maricopa and several other counties. Death penalty appeals and certain elected-official or county-related disputes bypass the Court of Appeals and go directly to the Arizona Supreme Court. The Arizona Supreme Court also takes discretionary review of Court of Appeals decisions on petition.

The Arizona Supreme Court sets statewide court rules, runs court administration, and licenses attorneys through the State Bar of Arizona. Both appellate courts publish opinions online.

Related Maricopa County Resources

For docket and case lookup, see court records and court dockets. For Clerk contact info and certified copy fees, see Clerk of Court. For records under Arizona's public records law, see public records. For common questions, see the FAQ.