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About the Alaska Rules of Court

General Information about the Alaska Rules of Court

Current Rules of Court

The Alaska Rules of Court currently in effect.

Request for Comments on Proposed Rules

Current request for comments on proposed rule changes.

Recent Rule Changes

Rules adopted or amended since publication of the current print edition of the Alaska Rules of Court.

Supreme Court Orders

Supreme Court Orders amending the Alaska Rules of Court.

Administrative Orders

Select administrative orders and standing orders issued by the court of appeals and the trial court presiding judges.

Administrative Bulletins

Administrative Bulletins referenced by the Alaska Rules of Court. Bulletins set court system policies.

Civil Pattern Jury Instructions

Pattern jury instructions used by the judge to instruct the jury on the law applicable in the civil case before them.

Criminal Pattern Jury Instructions

Pattern jury instructions used by the judge to instruct the jury on the law applicable in the criminal case before them.

Venue Map

Map of presumptive district and superior court trial sites. Chart of trial sites by community.

About the Alaska Rules of Court

The Alaska Rules of Court are the rules for the administration of all courts in the state and for practice and procedure in civil and criminal cases established by the supreme court under the authority of the Alaska Constitution. The supreme court has also adopted rules for the practice of law in Alaska and procedural rules for children's matters, probate, and appeals.

The current Rules are available above, and the print version is available at all Alaska Court System law libraries and some public libraries. The official publisher of the Alaska Rules of Court is Tower Publishing. Their toll-free number is 1-800-969-8693.

Most Alaska rules are enacted and amended by supreme court order (SCO), which the court issues on a periodic basis. Print versions of all SCOs are available at the Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks law libraries. The Alaska Legislature may also change the court's procedural rules by passing an act expressing its intent to do so by a two-thirds majority of both houses. The Alaska Legislature website provides information about pending legislation.

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Current Rules of Court

Complete unannotated 2017 - 2018
Alaska Rules of Court

Including any currently effective, recent rule changes adopted after the print edition's publication deadline.

All Court Rules are provided as PDFs with bookmarks. Please see these instructions to copy content from the PDFs.

  • Note: The District Court Rules of Criminal Procedure were rescinded or renumbered in 2013.

See also Recent Rule Changes and Supreme Court Orders (SCOs)

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Recent Rule Changes

Rule changes since the October publication of the 2018-2019 main edition of the Alaska Rules of Court.

Note: If you are not able to access the PDF files listed below, please contact the Court Rules Office at 907-264-8231 for assistance.

Rule Action Effective Date
Administrative Rule 40 note added by SCO 1937 effective November 1, 2018
Administrative Rule 40(a) amended by SCO 1937 effective November 1, 2018
Minor Offense Rule 10 amended by SCO 1938 effective January 1, 2019

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Request for Comments

Currently no requests for comments.

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Venue Map

Venue means place of trial.

Criminal Rule 18 explains how to use the court system's venue map (4.03 MB) to determine the place where a defendant's trial will be held.

The venue map includes a chart (also available separately) that shows the presumptive trial site for each community

In addition to the presumptive trial sites shown on the venue map and community chart, there is also a list of approved additional trial sites in Administrative Bulletin 27. As explained in Criminal Rule 18(e), a defendant may ask the court to transfer the trial to one of those sites if it is:

  • within the venue district where the crime charged is alleged to have occurred, and
  • is the trial site nearest to the place where the crime charged is alleged to have occurred.

Judicial district lines are also shown on the venue map.

*Please be advised that the posted venue map is current through July 1, 2015. The supreme court has since approved additional changes to the venue map but the revised map is not yet available. The revised venue map:

  • Eliminates the Craig trial court and substitutes the Prince of Wales trial court at Klawock as the presumptive district and superior court trial site for Coffman Cove, Craig, Edna Bay, Hollis, Hydaburg, Kasaan, Klawock, Naukati Bay, Thorne Bay, Waterfall, and Whale Pass. SCO 1870(3), effective May 15, 2016; and
  • Renames the Barrow trial court as Utqiagvik, SCO 1916(3), effective January 1, 2018.

Note: The separately posted community chart is up-to-date.

Information About the Map

Because it is a very large file, it takes about 45 seconds to open.

Hold down the Control (Ctrl) key and hit 1 to enlarge the map to its full (100%) size. (If you want to enlarge it more or less, click on the down arrow next to the percent field near the center of the tool bar above the map and select the size you want.)

Click on the hand icon on the tool bar to turn the cursor into a hand. Use the hand cursor to drag the map left or up until you see the area of the state you want to look at.

Click on the magnifying glass icon to zoom in or zoom out on a specific area.

View the venue map (4.03 MB)

Once you have downloaded the map you may print it on any printer or plotter you have access to. You may also take the PDF file to a commercial printer and have them print it at your expense.

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