Estate Planning & Probate in Maricopa County, Arizona
There are two reasons people look up Maricopa County probate: to keep a family out of it, or to get a loved one's estate through it. Pick the path that fits, then work from the local Superior Court details.
Someone died — settling an estate
Filing probate at the Superior Court, what it costs, transferring property, and local attorneys.
What to do when someone dies in Maricopa County →Planning ahead as a property owner
Keep a Maricopa County home out of probate with a transfer-on-death deed or a living trust.
Estate planning in Maricopa County →The Probate Process in Maricopa County
Probate is the court-supervised process of settling someone's estate after they die — validating the will, paying debts and taxes, and transferring what's left to the heirs. In Maricopa County, probate runs through the Superior Court at 201 West Jefferson Street, Phoenix.
Full Maricopa County probate guide: cost, how to file & attorneys →Probate Court Record
Maricopa County Superior Court
Maricopa County
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Self-represented filing
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Maricopa County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Recording Office Record
County Recorder
Maricopa County
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
Recording fee
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Vital Records Office Record
Local Health Department
Maricopa County · Office of Vital Registration
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
Certified copies
Order online
Certified copy fee
Full death certificate details →
Verified November 1, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
Medical Examiner
Maricopa County · Office of the Medical Examiner
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
Full coroner or medical examiner details →
Verified November 1, 2026 · Source
Local Procedures at the Superior Court
The Law Library Resource Center provides probate forms, webinars, workshops, explainer videos and self-help tools, and its staff give legal research guidance without legal advice. The Probate Lawyers Assistance Program offers a self-represented probate litigant up to a 30-minute phone consultation with a volunteer attorney, free for eligible low-income persons and $40.00 in cash otherwise, on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon by appointment at 602-732-2834. An intake form is completed and signed before the consultation.
Case-initiating documents and later filings in a probate case may be filed in person, by mail, or in a filing depository box. Since July 31, 2025, later probate filings may also be e-filed through eFileAZ; under ACJA § 1-901 case-initiating documents and wills in a probate case may not be e-filed, and the Clerk also excludes informal probate resubmissions from e-filing. Mail probate documents to the Clerk of the Superior Court's Office, Probate File Counter, 201 W. Jefferson, Phoenix, AZ 85003, with the originals, copies, the fee, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. The Clerk conforms up to five copies of a new case filing and up to three copies of a later filing. The filing party's name, address and phone number go in the upper left corner of every document, and the filing date is the date the Clerk's Office receives the documents.
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Arizona
Free Arizona forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Arizona.
Last Will and Testament
In Arizona, a will is signed before 2A.R.S. § 14-2502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyA.R.S. § 14-2502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Pour-Over Will
In Arizona, a pour-over will is signed before 2A.R.S. § 14-2502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Arizona allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 1ARS § 36-3224Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witness or a notary.
Financial Power of Attorney
Arizona requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacityA.R.S. § 14-5501 through § 14-5506; A.R.S. §§ 14-13109, 14-13110 (RUFADAA)Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed before 1A.R.S. § 14-5501 through § 14-5506; A.R.S. §§ 14-13109, 14-13110 (RUFADAA)Verified Sep 18, 2026View source witness and a notary.
Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Arizona
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Arizona: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Arizona.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Arizona: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysA.R.S. §§ 14-3706, 14-3707, 14-3708Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 monthsA.R.S. §§ 14-3801, 14-3803, 14-3804, 14-3805, 14-3806Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 4 months to 6 months.
How Do I Settle a Trust?
Settling a trust in Arizona happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust CodeA.R.S. § 14-10101 et seq. (Title 14, Chapter 11)Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 60 daysA.R.S. §§ 14-10813, 14-10109, 14-11005Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
Do I Need Probate?
In Arizona, estates with personal property of $200,000A.R.S. § 14-3971Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less skip probate with the Collection of Personal Property by AffidavitA.R.S. § 14-3971Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, 30 daysA.R.S. § 14-3971Verified Sep 8, 2026View source after death.
Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in Arizona, a surviving spouse takes the entire estateA.R.S. § 14-2102Verified Oct 21, 2026View source when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per capita at each generationA.R.S. § 14-2106Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Arizona costs an estimated $27,670A.R.S. §§ 14-3719, 14-3721 (reasonable compensation; court review of reasonableness)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2.2%Modeled estimate under A.R.S. §§ 14-3719, 14-3721 (reasonable compensation; court review of reasonableness): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.5%Modeled estimate under A.R.S. §§ 14-3719, 14-3721 (reasonable compensation; court review of reasonableness): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
Arizona Estate Planning Articles
Articles about estate planning, probate, and trusts relevant to families in Maricopa County.
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