Santa Cruz County's Justice Court
Santa Cruz County is Arizona's smallest by area and has one justice court, at Nogales. It has had one since the start of 2019, when the county's second precinct was eliminated and the eastern part of the county was redrawn into Precinct 1.
The single court now serves the unincorporated communities across the county -- Rio Rico, Tubac, Patagonia, Sonoita and Elgin among them. Directories still listing a second Santa Cruz precinct are describing an arrangement that ended years ago. Because there is only the one precinct, there is no question of which court to use. Any residential landlord and tenant case in the county is heard at Nogales, wherever in Santa Cruz County the property happens to be.
A landlord and tenant case here is normally heard in the justice court for the precinct the property sits in. Above the justice courts' civil jurisdiction limit it belongs in the superior court instead, and below that limit the two share it. What does not happen is a municipal or city court hearing one — see how Arizona's justice courts work.
The Santa Cruz County Superior Court is the building next door, at 2150 North Congress Drive, with the justice court at 2160. Nogales also has a municipal court of its own, which is a city court and deals with city matters rather than landlord and tenant cases.
Nogales Justice Court
Address: 2160 N Congress Dr, Ste. 2100, Nogales, Arizona 85621
Phone: 520-375-7762
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00am to 5:00pm
Getting there: Disability parking is available to the east of the courthouse and public parking to the south of the building. Parking is free.
Going in: You go through a metal detector on the way in. Anything you carry goes through an x-ray machine. Children are not allowed in the courtroom, unless it is a protective order hearing or the child is requested or the Judicial Assistant grants permission for a special circumstance. Do not bring food into the building.
Help with language or disability: Court forms are published in several languages. A Spanish interpreter works on site. Sound amplifiers are available if you have trouble hearing. Telephonic interpreter service, for when no notice was provided to the court, and all individuals wish to proceed without a continuance. When filing, tell the clerk if anyone (plaintiff, defendant, witnesses, family members) will require Spanish translation services.
Before You Rely on This
Court details were checked in August 2026. Arizona has been consolidating rural justice courts -- Santa Cruz in 2019, and Graham and La Paz in 2023 -- so listings elsewhere can name courts that have closed. If anything here matters to a filing, confirm it with the court before you rely on it.
The notice a tenancy has to be given before any of this arises is set out under ending a tenancy.
Common Questions
Why does Santa Cruz County have only one justice court?
Its second precinct was eliminated at the start of 2019 and the eastern part of the county was redrawn into Precinct 1. The single court at Nogales now covers the whole county.
Which communities does the Nogales justice court serve?
The whole county, including the unincorporated communities of Rio Rico, Tubac, Patagonia, Sonoita and Elgin.
Where does a Santa Cruz County case go if it exceeds the justice court's limit?
To the superior court next door. The justice court is at 2160 North Congress Drive in Nogales and the superior court at 2150.
Which court hears an eviction in Santa Cruz County?
Normally the justice court for the precinct where the rental property is located, and Santa Cruz County has one justice court. Justice courts share jurisdiction over these cases with the superior court up to a limit set by statute, and above that limit the superior court hears them. Municipal and city courts do not hear them at all.