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.

Complete unannotated 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.

• Administration
• Adoption
• Appellate Procedure
• Bar Rules
• Bylaws of the Alaska Bar Association

• Child in Need of Aid
• Civil Procedure
• Code of Judicial Conduct
• Criminal Procedure
• Delinquency
• District Court - Civil Procedure

• Evidence
• Evidence Commentary
• Judicial Conduct Commission
• Minor Offense Procedure
• Probate Procedure
• Professional Conduct

Note: The District Court Rules of Criminal Procedure were rescinded or renumbered in 2013.

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

Attention: These instructions are NOT for persons who have been summoned for trial or grand jury service.

Pattern jury instructions are used by the trial judge to instruct members of the jury on the law applicable in the case before them. Lawyers may also use pattern jury instructions as they prepare for trial to ensure they address all the elements of their case.

The Alaska Civil Pattern Jury Instructions and Alaska Criminal Pattern Jury Instructions are available online on the Court's website. The Alaska Civil Pattern Jury Instructions are also available in print at the Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau Alaska State Court Law Libraries. These instructions have not been approved or promulgated by any court or the Alaska Bar Association.

Rule changes since the Fall publication of the main edition of the Alaska Rules of Court.

Administration

• Rule 18(c) - amended by SCO 1976, effective September 7, 2021
• Rule 40(a) - amended by SCO 1936, effective April 15, 2021
• Rule 46(e)(4) - amended by SCO 1977, effective September 16, 2021

Appellate Procedure

• Rule 206 - amended by SCO 1973, effective April 15, 2022
• Rule 207 - amended by SCO 1973, effective April 15, 2022
• Rule 212(c) - amended by SCO 1973, effective April 15, 2022
• Rule 214(c) - amended by SCO 1972, effective October 15, 2021
• Rule 215(f) - amended by SCO 1973, effective April 15, 2022
• Rule 303(b)(3) - amended by SCO 1972, effective October 15, 2021
• Rule 502(a) - amended by SCO 1875 Amended, effective March 9, 2021
• Rule 507 - amended by SCO 1973, effective April 15, 2022
• Rule 512 - rescinded by SCO 1973, effective April 15, 2022
• Rule 517.1(f)(2) - amended by SCO 1972, effective October 15, 2021
• Rule 604 - amended by SCO 1973, effective April 15, 2022

Bar Rules

• Rules 3, 28(g), and 30(e) - amended by SCO 1966, effective August 2, 2021

Civil Procedure

• Rule 5.1(c) - amended by SCO 1970, effective July 1, 2021
• Rule 6(a) - amended by SCO 1875 Amended, effective March 9, 2021

Criminal Procedure

• Rule 23 - note rescinded by SCO 1975, effective April 15, 2022
• Rule 23(a) - amended by SCO 1975, effective April 15, 2022
• Rule 23(c) - amended by SCO 1975, effective April 15, 2022
• Rule 24(b)(2) - amended by SCO 1975, effective April 15, 2022
• Rule 35.1 - amended by SCO 1969, effective October 15, 2021
• Rule 40(a) - amended by SCO 1875 Amended, effective March 9, 2021
• Rule 45 - indirectly amended by SCO 1974, effective July 21, 2021

District Court - Civil Procedure

• Rules 8, 10, 11, 12, 17, and 21 - amended by SCO 1965, effective April 15, 2021

Probate Procedure

• Rules 4.5, 14, 15, 16, and 17 - amended by SCO 1961, effective October 15, 2021
• Rule 14.1 - adopted by SCO 1961, effective October 15, 2021
• Rule 16(c) - corrected by SCO 1971, effective October 15, 2021

Professional Conduct

• Rules 8.4, and 9.1 - amended by SCO 1964, effective October 15, 2021

CHILD SUPPORT GUIDELINES
Your Chance to Comment
(Comments are due by Monday, October 11, 2021)

The Alaska Child Support Guidelines Rule (Civil Rule 90.3 and Commentary) is being reviewed.

Federal law requires that each state’s child support guidelines be reviewed every four years to ensure that the guidelines result in appropriate amounts of child support. The Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court appointed a special committee to conduct this review of the current guidelines.

That review process begins with this request for comments on the current guidelines, provided below:

Current Civil Rule 90.3 & Rule 90.3 Commentary

If you wish to suggest changes to the current support guidelines rule or comment on its effectiveness, please send your comments:

By email to Rule90.3@akcourts.gov

or by mail to:
Rule 90.3, c/o Stacy Steinberg
Alaska Court System
820 West 4th Avenue
Anchorage, AK 99501

Please note that all comments received are part of the public record and will not be treated as confidential by the Alaska Court System. Also, because this review is not about CSSD enforcement or effectiveness, please limit your comments to the child support rule or commentary.

For additional information on how to calculate child support under the current guidelines, please see the Alaska Court System’s booklet, court form DR-310.

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REQUEST FOR COMMENTS ON PROPOSED RULE CHANGES
(Comments are due by Monday, October 25, 2021)

The Alaska Supreme Court seeks comments on the following proposed rule changes. Proposed changes to existing rules are shown in “legislative” style: new language is underlined, and deleted language is struck through. Except as otherwise indicated, new text is not underlined when a new rule is proposed or when an existing rule is rescinded and readopted.

Comments are due by Monday, October 25, 2021. Please direct your comments via email to hflint@akcourts.gov, or use the mailing address or fax number shown below. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Stacy Steinberg
Court Rules Attorney
Alaska Court System
820 West 4th Avenue
Anchorage, AK 99501

FAX: (907) 264-8291

Proposed Changes to the Adoption Rules

1. Adoption Rule 9(f) — Special Master Appointments; Consent Withdrawal by Child (Page 2)

Proposed Changes to the Child In Need of Aid Rules

2. CINA Rule 3(b) — Presence of the Child at Hearings (Page 4)
3. CINA Rule 10(a) — Temporary Custody Hearing Time Period (Page 6)
4. CINA Rule 12 and NEW Rule 12.1 — Appointment of Attorney for Child (Page 7)
5. CINA Rule 14 — Stipulated Evidence (Page 9)
6. CINA Rule 17.2 — Stipulated Waiver of Permanency Report (Page 10)
7. CINA Rule 23 — Transfer of Jurisdiction to Tribal Court (Page 11)
8. CINA Rule 24(d) — Registration of Tribal Court Orders; Alternative Service (Page 16)

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.