Arizona Probate Deadlines

Arizona probate deadlines planning starts with source-backed checks for court filing timing, appointment questions, inventory work, creditor notice, claims, closing, small-estate timing, forms, and fees. Do not rely on a single date from a checklist until you have matched the source to the filing path, county court, estate facts, and court order.

Use this guide as a deadline-source map, not as legal advice. It is not legal advice. It does not calculate a deadline for your estate, decide whether notice was adequate, say a creditor claim is barred, prove a small-estate affidavit fits, or predict court acceptance. For the broader process order, start with the Arizona probate timeline. For court, form, affidavit, and no-will context, use the Arizona probate guide.

How To Use An Arizona Deadline Table

An Arizona probate deadline table starts with sources, not guesses. Some timing questions come from statutes. Some come from court forms or county instructions. Some depend on when a personal representative is appointed. Others depend on notice, claim, property, tax, or closing facts.

Before you calendar a date, write down:

the source you checked
the event that starts the clock
whether a court appointment has happened
whether the task depends on a filing, publication, mailing, delivery, or court order
whether the source lists exceptions
whether a county court page adds local instructions
whether counsel review is needed before action

This method keeps deadline work tied to the source that controls the task. It also reduces the risk of treating a general article, a county example, or a form packet as a statewide deadline rule.

Arizona Probate Deadlines Source Map

Use this table as a research map. It points to the source family to check before relying on a date or task.

Deadline question	Source to review first	What this guide can say safely
Probate, testacy, or appointment timing	A.R.S. 14-3108	Review the statute before reducing appointment or testacy timing to one deadline.
Inventory and appraisement timing	A.R.S. 14-3706	Review the statute before discussing inventory preparation, filing, mailing, or delivery.
Published notice to creditors	A.R.S. 14-3801	Review the statute before discussing published notice and related claim timing.
Known-creditor notice	A.R.S. 14-3801	Review the statute before deciding whether notice to a known creditor was handled correctly.
Claims that arose before death	A.R.S. 14-3803	Review the statute before discussing presentation limits for pre-death claims.
Claims that arise at or after death	A.R.S. 14-3803	Review the statute before deciding whether a post-death claim is timely or barred.
Closing statement timing	A.R.S. 14-3933	Review the statute before discussing closing statement timing or appointment termination.
Small-estate affidavit timing	A.R.S. 14-3971	Review the statute before using any wage, personal-property, vehicle, or real-property affidavit path.
Probate form timing	Arizona Judicial Branch Probate Forms	Use the official form hub for form navigation, then check county instructions.
Filing-fee timing and cost checks	Arizona Judicial Branch Superior Court Filing Fees	Check the statewide fee source and local court source before filing.

This table is intentionally cautious. The source records for this disabled-state draft do not approve personalized calculations or legal conclusions.

Probate Filing And Appointment Timing Questions

A.R.S. 14-3108 is the source to review before discussing probate, testacy, and appointment timing questions tied to a decedent's death. The source record for this draft supports using that statute as a source-navigation point. It does not approve a filing decision, exception analysis, appointment effect, or deadline calculation for a reader's facts.

Ask these questions before treating a filing date as clear:

Is the question about informal probate, formal testacy, or appointment?
Has anyone already opened a probate matter?
Is there an original will?
Does the source list exceptions that may matter?
Does a court order or county instruction change the next source path?

If the case involves an old death, a late filing, a disputed will, or competing appointment requests, ask counsel before relying on a deadline summary.

Inventory And Appraisement Timing Questions

A.R.S. 14-3706 is the source to review before discussing inventory and appraisement timing. The source record supports directing readers there before describing inventory preparation, filing, mailing, delivery, or value information.

Inventory work can affect several other deadlines because it helps the personal representative understand estate assets, debts, title, appraisals, and distribution choices. A practical inventory packet often includes:

real property records
account statements
vehicle title records
business ownership records
personal property notes
debts and liens
date-of-death value notes
receipts for estate expenses

This guide does not decide whether your inventory is due, enough for the case, or properly delivered. It also does not decide whether a court filing or delivery path fits your case. Use the statute, court instructions, and counsel when inventory timing matters.

Creditor Notice And Claim Timing Questions

Creditor questions need special care. A missed notice or misunderstood claim period can create risk for the estate and the personal representative.

A.R.S. 14-3801 is the source to review before discussing notice to creditors. The source record supports using it for published-notice and known-creditor notice source navigation. It does not approve a notice method, notice adequacy decision, claim-bar decision, or party-liability conclusion.

A.R.S. 14-3803 is the source to review before discussing limitations on presentation of claims. The source record supports using it for claim-presentation source navigation. It does not approve a claim outcome, exception analysis, payment decision, or deadline calculation for a reader's matter.

Before you distribute estate property, list:

known creditors
possible unknown creditor sources
medical bills
taxes
credit cards or loans
funeral and last-illness expenses
disputed bills
lien or insurance issues
dates tied to notice, publication, mailing, delivery, or claim receipt

Do not treat this guide as a creditor-claims workflow. Use the Arizona probate creditor claims guide for debt, notice adequacy, claim presentation, allowance, disallowance, payment, and dispute-risk source checks. This page keeps creditor timing tied to the official statutes and tells readers to verify locally. Use the Arizona personal representative duties guide for the broader fiduciary task list behind notice, records, and distribution timing.

Closing Statement Timing Questions

A.R.S. 14-3933 is the source to review before discussing closing estates by statement of personal representative. The source record supports routing closing-stage timing, claim, administration, distribution, copy, account, and appointment-termination questions to that statute.

This guide does not say an estate is ready to close. It does not say a closing statement will be accepted, that a filing ends every duty, or that a personal representative is discharged. Closing readiness can depend on:

creditor notice and claim records
estate account records
inventory and value records
receipts and disbursements
beneficiary distribution records
tax questions
court orders
pending disputes
supervised administration or other court involvement

Before closing, compare the statute with the court file and county instructions. If any creditor, beneficiary, asset, tax, or accounting question remains open, ask counsel before treating the estate as finished.

Small-Estate Wait Period Questions

A.R.S. 14-3971 is the source to review before discussing Arizona small-estate affidavit timing. The source record supports using that statute for wage, personal-property, vehicle, real-property, filing, certified-copy, and recording source navigation.

This guide does not decide whether a person can use a small-estate affidavit. It does not calculate value, decide entitlement, confirm taxes, resolve debts, or say a transfer agency will accept the affidavit. It also does not treat small-estate timing as the same thing as full probate deadlines.

Small-estate timing questions often depend on:

the type of property
whether a personal representative has been appointed
estate value and liens
who is entitled to receive the property
funeral and last-illness expenses
real property location
recording or certified-copy steps
vehicle title rules
agency, court, or recorder instructions

Use the Arizona small estate affidavit guide when that page is drafted for broader affidavit depth. Use the Arizona affidavit for collection of personal property guide for the thirty-day personal-property affidavit path, the Arizona affidavit of succession to real property guide for the six-month real-property affidavit path, and the Arizona vehicle title transfer after death guide for ADOT-specific title questions. Until then, read A.R.S. 14-3971 and verify the task with the court, recorder, Motor Vehicle Division, financial company, agency, or counsel.

Forms, Fees, And County Checks

The Arizona Judicial Branch Probate Forms page is the official probate form hub for source navigation. It can help you find form categories, but a form hub does not prove that a form is required, sufficient, current for your county, or accepted for your facts.

The Arizona probate forms route can help organize form navigation once Arizona routes are approved for public release. Before filing, compare the statewide form source with county court instructions and any case-specific court order.

The Arizona Judicial Branch Superior Court Filing Fees page is the statewide filing-fee source to check. The source record supports a fee-table check step, but it does not approve a final filing cost, waiver result, payment method, or local fee total.

Use this order for filing prep:

Check the statute that controls the timing question.
Check the statewide form source.
Check the statewide fee source.
Check county court instructions.
Ask the court or counsel when the source path does not answer your facts.

Maricopa County Superior Court's Law Library Resource Center has a probate resource guide that can help readers see how one county organizes decedent-estate research. Use it only as a named local example. Do not use Maricopa instructions as statewide Arizona deadline guidance.

When To Use Timeline, Deadlines, Or Creditor Sources

Use the Arizona probate timeline when you need the sequence of work: court source, forms, appointment, notices, inventory, fees, property work, and closing review.

Use this Arizona probate deadlines guide when you need to identify which source controls a timing question.

Use the Arizona probate creditor claims guide if your main question is debt, notice adequacy, claim presentation, allowance, rejection, payment, or dispute risk.

Use a small estate affidavit guide when that page is drafted if your main question is whether an affidavit route may fit personal property, real property, wages, or vehicle title transfer.

Those pages work together without competing. Timeline owns sequence. Deadlines owns source routing for timing questions. Creditor claims can own the debt workflow. Small-estate content can own affidavit eligibility and task depth.

Arizona Probate Deadlines Checklist

Before you act on a probate deadline, run this checklist:

Name the task: filing, appointment, inventory, notice, claim, closing, affidavit, form, fee, or local instruction.
Find the statute, court source, or county source that controls that task.
Identify the event that starts the clock.
Check whether the source lists exceptions.
Check whether a court order changes the task.
Confirm whether the county court requires a local packet, cover sheet, copy, fee, or filing method.
Save the source URL and access date.
Ask counsel before distribution, closing, disputed claims, disputed heirs, real property, tax questions, or unclear affidavits.

Next steps. Build a calendar only after you have tied each date to a source and a case event. Keep a copy of the source with the estate file so the personal representative can explain where each date came from.

Arizona Probate Deadlines FAQ

What Arizona probate deadlines come first?

Start with appointment timing, inventory source checks, creditor notice and claim sources, filing-fee checks, and any small-estate affidavit timing source that may apply. Do not calculate a date until you know the event that starts the clock.

Where do Arizona creditor notice timing checks start?

Start with A.R.S. 14-3801 for notice-to-creditors source navigation. If the issue involves claim-presentation limits, review A.R.S. 14-3803 as well.

Where do Arizona inventory timing checks start?

Start with A.R.S. 14-3706. Then compare the statute with county court instructions, the court file, and any case-specific order.

Are small-estate wait periods the same as probate deadlines?

No. Small-estate affidavit timing comes from A.R.S. 14-3971 and depends on the asset path and statutory conditions. It is not the same as a full probate administration calendar.

Can I use Maricopa County instructions for another county?

No. Maricopa County resources can be useful as a named local example only. Verify instructions with the county court or office that handles your actual filing.

Does this guide calculate my deadline?

No. This guide helps you find the source to review. It does not calculate a deadline, give legal advice, or predict whether a court, creditor, recorder, agency, or financial company will accept your action.

Sources

Sources:

Title: 14-3108 - Probate, testacy and appointment proceedings; ultimate time limit. Publisher: Arizona Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed. Access date: 2026-06-05. URL: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/14/03108.htm
Title: 14-3706 - Duty of personal representative; inventory and appraisement. Publisher: Arizona Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed. Access date: 2026-06-05. URL: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/14/03706.htm
Title: 14-3801 - Notice to creditors. Publisher: Arizona Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed. Access date: 2026-06-05. URL: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/14/03801.htm
Title: 14-3803 - Limitations on presentation of claims. Publisher: Arizona Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed. Access date: 2026-06-05. URL: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/14/03803.htm
Title: 14-3933 - Closing estates; statement of personal representative. Publisher: Arizona Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed. Access date: 2026-06-05. URL: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/14/03933.htm
Title: 14-3971 - Collection of personal property by affidavit; ownership of vehicles; affidavit of succession to real property. Publisher: Arizona Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed. Access date: 2026-06-05. URL: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/14/03971.htm
Title: Probate Forms. Publisher: Arizona Judicial Branch. Publication Date: Not listed. Access date: 2026-06-05. URL: https://www.azcourts.gov/probate/Probate-Forms
Title: AZCourts.gov > Court Filing Fees > Superior Court Filing Fees. Publisher: Arizona Judicial Branch. Publication Date: Not listed. Access date: 2026-06-05. URL: https://www.azcourts.gov/courtfilingfees/superior-court-filing-fees
Title: Probate for Decedent's Estate Resource Guide. Publisher: Maricopa County Superior Court. Publication Date: Not listed. Access date: 2026-06-05. URL: https://superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/ll/probate/