How Do I Get Appointed as Executor in Arizona?

In Arizona, the Superior Court appoints the personal representative and the The Registrar issues Letters of Appointment of Personal Representative; an informal (registrar) track is available.

State

Document Type

Getting appointed in Arizona

Personal Representative

The form that opens the estate

No statewide fill-in form

Attorney-drafted pleading

Start this petition for Arizona — the builder fills it with your answers. You review, sign, and file it with the court.

Where you file

Superior Court (Probate); informal appointments handled by the court Registrar

What the court issues (with a will)

Letters of Appointment of Personal Representative

issued by The Registrar

Letters are an output — the court issues them after granting the petition.

At a glance

UPC adoptedInformal trackE-filing (self-represented)Self-represented filingLocal/county forms

THE APPOINTMENT APPLICATION CANNOT BE E-FILED IN ARIZONA. The Judicial Branch's Superior Court eFiling Availability chart lists Probate as "S" — Subsequent Filings only — in all 14 counties that offer it, and "X" (not available) in Pima; only Civil, Family and (in Maricopa) Mental Health carry "I" for Case Initiation. So the case-opening Application/Petition goes to the clerk on paper, and eFileAZ is for what follows. E-filing itself is open to self-represented filers: "eFileAZ may be used by litigants, attorneys, legal paraprofessionals, court reporters, mediators, arbitrators, special masters, and process servers." A.C.J.A. § 1-901 makes e-filing mandatory for attorneys and legal paraprofessionals in Superior Court, not for self-represented filers. Separately, and STATEWIDE (not a county option), a proposed personal representative who is neither a licensed fiduciary nor a financial institution must complete Supreme Court-approved training before Letters issue, and file the declaration of completion; the AOC notice is AOCPBT10I, "Notice - Training Requirement for Customer(s) Filing Probate and Guardianship Matters".

Arizona has no statewide AOC fillable decedent-estate appointment petition. Each county Superior Court publishes its own INFORMAL packet: Maricopa County LLRC PBIP-series (PBIP13f Application, PBIP14f Notice of Application, PBIP15f Proof of Mailing, PBIP16f Statement of Informal Appointment, PBIP17f Letters + Acceptance, PBIP18f Order to PR) is the de facto template many counties mirror, and Pima ("INFORMAL PROBATE 1-4"), Cochise ("Informal Probate 1: Application for Appointment as Personal Representative") and Pinal publish their own equivalents. No county publishes a FORMAL petition packet. Filers must use the forms of the county where the decedent was domiciled. The statewide AOC “Probate Forms” page is the fiduciary (guardian/conservator) and post-appointment duty packet, not the decedent appointment form.

Bond

Required before Letters: Yes
Waivable by will: Yes
Waivable by beneficiaries: Yes

Other official forms

Informal application: PBIP13fView source
Letters form: PBIP17fView source

What to file with the petition

Original will and any codicils, if testate (lodged/deposited with the court) (A.R.S. § 14-2516)
Application for Informal Appointment with required § 14-3301 contents (heirs/devisees, domicile, priority)
Notice of Application to anyone who has demanded notice and to any personal representative whose appointment has not been terminated (A.R.S. § 14-3306(A); Maricopa PBIP14f Notice of Application + PBIP15f Proof of Mailing). No other notice is required before the Registrar issues the Statement of Informal Appointment; within 30 days after it issues, written information and a copy of the will go to all heirs and devisees (§ 14-3306(B); Maricopa PBIP18f)
Acceptance of Appointment as Personal Representative (combined with Letters on Maricopa PBIP17f)
Declaration of Completion of Personal Representative Training — STATEWIDE, not a county option: a proposed PR who is neither a licensed fiduciary nor a financial institution must complete Supreme Court-approved training and file a Certificate of Completion before the clerk issues Letters (Ariz. R. Prob. P. 38; AOC notice AOCPBT10I / Maricopa PBT10i; Maricopa Declaration of Completion is PBDT10f)
Bond unless waived by will or by all heirs/devisees (A.R.S. § 14-3603; Maricopa Waiver of Bond PBIP12f)

Small-estate alternative

Bypasses full Letters: Yes
Form: PBSE11fView source
Form name: Affidavit for Collection of All Personal Property (PBSE11f); Affidavit for Transfer of Title to Real Property (PBSE12f)

State-specific notes

Arizona uses ONE Personal Representative title and ONE Letters document regardless of testacy (no separate Letters Testamentary vs. Administration). The everyday path is INFORMAL before the Registrar (no hearing); formal litigated appointment is reserved for contests. The personal-property small-estate affidavit (A.R.S. § 14-3971, $200,000 limit) is given directly to the asset holder and is NOT filed with the court, fully bypassing Letters; the real-property succession affidavit ($300,000 limit) is filed but waits six months after death. Limits were updated by 2025 legislation (HB2116, 57th Leg. 1st Reg. Sess., Ch. 24, "small estate; affidavit; limits"). The Supreme Court requires the proposed PR — anyone who is not a licensed fiduciary or a financial institution — to complete approved training and file the declaration of completion before Letters issue; this is STATEWIDE, not a county-by-county requirement. A minimum of 120 hours must have elapsed since the death before the registrar may act (30 days if the decedent was a nonresident), and no proceeding may be commenced more than two years after death except as § 14-3108 provides.

General information about how a personal representative is appointed, not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney for legal questions. Data verified Aug 24, 2026

Arizona has no single statewide fill-in petition; the opening document is prepared to statute and filed with the Superior Court. The Registrar issues Letters of Appointment of Personal Representative after the court grants the petition.

Along with the petition, Arizona generally requires: Original will and any codicils, if testate (lodged/deposited with the court) (A.R.S. § 14-2516); Application for Informal Appointment with required § 14-3301 contents (heirs/devisees, domicile, priority).

Yes. Arizona requires a bond by default before Letters issue. A will can waive it. The beneficiaries can also waive it in writing.

Arizona permits a self-represented person to open an estate. E-filing is open to self-represented filers. The Arizona self-file probate assessment sets self-filing against attorney costs.

Yes. A revocable living trust passes its assets to the beneficiaries without a court appointment in Arizona: no petition, no Letters, no bond. A revocable trust built with SimplyTrust takes about fifteen minutes.

Getting Appointed in Arizona

In Arizona, a personal representative is appointed by the Superior Court. The Registrar issues the Letters that prove authority over the estate — Letters of Appointment of Personal Representative. Arizona has adopted the Uniform Probate Code.

Arizona publishes no single statewide fill-in petition; the opening document is prepared to statute and filed with the court. The court filing fee runs $306, and Arizona offers an informal (registrar) appointment track for qualifying estates.

Arizona requires a bond by default before Letters issue, though a will can waive it and the beneficiaries can waive it in writing.

Estates under $200,000 in Arizona may qualify for a simplified procedure that avoids a full appointment entirely (PBSE11f). The self-file probate assessment carries an Arizona cost comparison.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated September 8, 2026

Legal Sources

A.R.S. § 12-284(A) (class C); A.R.S. § 12-284.01 (document storage fund); A.R.S. § 11-251.08 (county fees); Ariz. Sup. Ct. Admin. Order 2024-210 (eff. Dec. 28, 2024)
A.R.S. § 14-3301
A.R.S. § 14-3603
A.R.S. § 14-3971
A.R.S. §§ 14-3103 (necessity of letters), 14-3301 to 14-3311 (informal appointment), 14-3401 to 14-3414 (formal appointment)

Data sourced from Arizona statutes and official state code. How we research.

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