Arizona Probate Guide
County-specific probate filing-office contacts, filing fees, required forms, and step-by-step guidance for families settling an estate in Arizona.
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Types of Probate in Arizona
Arizona offers several probate procedures depending on estate value and circumstances. Attorney requirements vary by probate type and local practice.
See the full comparison of Arizona probate typesWhich procedures exist, who qualifies, and how the timelines compare.Find your county
Arizona Probate Filing Offices by County
Choose your county to get its probate court contacts, filing fees, and required forms. 15 counties have detailed data.
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Arizona Probate Guides
View all guides
Browse Arizona guide topics
Jump to court, executor, tax, planning, property, and probate-avoidance guides that match your next task.
Browse Arizona guide topics
Jump to court, executor, tax, planning, property, and probate-avoidance guides that match your next task.
Probate Basics
4Executor Duties
6- Arizona Personal Representative Duties
- Ancillary Probate in Arizona: Out-of-State Property
- Arizona Letters of Appointment Probate
- Arizona Probate Bond Requirements: When Personal Representatives Must Post Bond
- Arizona Probate Debt Payment Priority: The Order Executors Must Follow
- Arizona Trust Administration
Taxes & Deadlines
8- Arizona Probate Timeline
- Arizona Estate Tax: Federal Rules and No State Tax
- Arizona Family Allowance: Support During Probate
- Arizona Probate Accounting: What Personal Representatives Must Report
- Arizona Probate Creditor Claims
- Arizona Probate Deadlines
- Arizona Step-Up in Basis: Double Step-Up
- How to Contest a Will in Arizona
Planning Documents
5Property Transfer
5Arizona Probate Self-Help and Online Resources
Arizona probate resource map by source type
All Arizona self-help resources (1 links)Official court, form, law-library, referral, and legal-education links, plus how to use each source
Arizona probate source navigation starts with state court, form, agency, legal-help, or referral links that are already tracked in Settled state data. These links are state-level starting points, not county-specific filing instructions.
Which Arizona probate source should you use?
- Start with the state court, form, or self-help source for general Arizona probate context.
- Use county filing-office, clerk, register, or court pages for local filing locations, local forms, fee schedules, and records portals.
- Use legal-help, law-library, or referral links as research or referral paths, not as a substitute for counsel.
- Verify current filing steps with the county office, court, clerk, register, legal-aid source, or counsel before filing.
Statewide process, forms, and code sources
State court, form, statute, agency, and self-help sources for general probate and estate-settlement questions.
- Arizona Judicial Branch - Probate Forms
State-level source record in Settled data, accessed 2026-06-04.
Settled pairs these Arizona source links with county pages, forms, first-step guides, transfer guides, and source notes so families can move from statewide context to the local office that handles the estate.
Arizona Estate Law Overview
Arizona Estate Tax Info
Arizona does not currently have a state estate tax or inheritance tax in the cited Arizona Department of Revenue estate-tax publication. Federal estate and income tax issues may still apply.
Federal estate tax info
Federal estate tax only applies to estates exceeding $15,000,000 (2026).
Who Inherits Without a Will?
Arizona intestate succession determines who receives probate property when a person dies without a valid will for that property.
View spouse inheritance rules
Arizona gives the surviving spouse the entire intestate estate when there are no surviving issue.
Arizona gives the surviving spouse the entire intestate estate in this shared-issue scenario.
Arizona separates the spouse share for blended-family issue. Confirm title and community-property characterization before distribution.
View order of inheritance (no spouse)
- 1DescendantsBy representation
- 2ParentsEqually if both survive, or all to the surviving parent
- 3Descendants of parentsBy representation
- 4Grandparents and descendants of grandparentsGenerally one half to the paternal side and one half to the maternal side, with statutory fallback if one side has no surviving relatives
Arizona Homestead Protection
Arizona has a creditor homestead exemption for a resident's qualifying home equity and a separate probate homestead allowance for a surviving spouse or qualifying children.
Creditor protection: read the statute text
$400,000 base amount, adjusted annually beginning January 1, 2024 under A.R.S. 33-1101(D)
Statute: A.R.S. 33-1101
Restrictions on leaving homestead in will
With spouse, no minor children:
No Florida-style restricted devise rule is promoted. Review title, the will, trust, beneficiary deed, spouse rights, and claims.
With minor children:
No Florida-style minor-child homestead devise restriction is promoted. If there is no surviving spouse, minor and dependent children may share the probate homestead allowance.
Exempt Property
Arizona gives a surviving spouse and certain children priority family protections through the probate homestead allowance, exempt property, and family allowance.
View exempt items
Family Allowance
Reasonable amount for maintenance during administration - Arizona provides a reasonable family allowance for the surviving spouse and qualifying children during estate administration.