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A.R.S. § 14-3801(A) · checked 2026-10-20
How long probate takes in Arizona
The longest fixed wait in a Arizona probate is usually the creditor claim period: 4 months from first publication of the notice to creditors under A.R.S. § 14-3801(A). An estate cannot be closed safely before that window shuts, and A.R.S. § 14-3803(A)(1) sets an outer limit of 24 months after death.
- 1Claim period 4 months
- 2Counted from Notice / letters
- 3Outer limit 24 months
- 4Statute A.R.S. § 14-3801(A)
The statute
“within four months after the date of the first publication of the notice or be forever barred”
Source: A.R.S. § 14-3801(A); outer limit: A.R.S. § 14-3803(A)(1). Last checked 2026-10-20.
The outer limit reads: “Two years after the decedent's death”.
Worked example: a death on January 15, 2026
| Checkpoint | Date |
|---|---|
| Date of death | January 15, 2026 |
| Earliest affidavit for collection of personal property (30 days, A.R.S. § 14-3971) | February 14, 2026 |
| Trigger: first publication of the notice to creditors | March 1, 2026 |
| Creditor claim period ends (4 months, A.R.S. § 14-3801(A)) | July 1, 2026 |
| Outer limit for claims (A.R.S. § 14-3803(A)(1)) | January 15, 2028 |
Arizona starts the clock at first publication of the notice to creditors, so the end date moves with the court. The example assumes that event comes 45 days after the death (March 1, 2026); a later filing pushes July 1, 2026 back day for day. By comparison the small-estate route — when the estate fits — opens on February 14, 2026.
15 jurisdictions on this site give creditors longer and 8 give them less; the median is 122 days.
Steps that add time
- Getting appointed. Nothing runs until first publication of the notice to creditors; the time between the death and the petition is outside the statutory period.
- Notice. Published notice and notice mailed to known creditors start or shorten the claim period; a creditor who should have been mailed notice may get extra time.
- Real estate. Arizona has a separate real-property procedure; see the small estate page.
- Accounting and closing. The final account, receipts from heirs and any tax filings come after the claim period ends.
Opening the estate costs money too: see probate court fees in Arizona (A.R.S. § 12-284(A)).
Nearby Mountain timelines
Colorado: 4 months; Idaho: 4 months; Montana: 4 months; Nevada: 90 days; New Mexico: 4 months.
Related: Arizona small estate limit · creditor claim periods compared · executor timeline.
General information from the statute as written on 2026-10-20; not legal advice. Dates are worked examples of the statutory periods, not deadlines for any real estate. The Arizona probate court and its clerk can confirm how the periods run in a given case.