The Arbitration Act

The Arbitration Act governs the private resolution of disputes by agreement of the parties, establishing when an agreement to arbitrate is enforceable and how proceedings before arbitrators are conducted — including appointment of arbitrators when the parties cannot agree, the right to be represented, summoning of witnesses, taking of depositions, and the form the resulting award must take. It gives courts a defined supporting role: a party may petition to compel arbitration or to stay a lawsuit brought on issues the parties agreed to arbitrate, and a court determines whether a given issue falls within the arbitration agreement. It also sets out the limited grounds and procedures for challenging an award — confirmation, vacation with possible rehearing, or modification and correction — after which the award is entered as an enforceable judgment subject to appeal, and it addresses related matters such as arbitration fees and costs, sanctions for breaching an arbitration agreement, and the obligations of sureties on construction contracts.

Editorial summary generated from the text of this act. It is not part of the statute — read the sections below for the operative language.