A quiet Arizona neighborhood street at sunset, mountains in the distance

Inherited a house
in Arizona?

If the home's value on the county assessor's roll, less what is owed on it, is $300,000 or less, the family may be able to take title by affidavit six months after the death, without a full probate.

From Arizona county records · Veteran and first responder owned · No account needed

Bryce Henderson · real estate investor, veteran and paramedic

Maricopa County homes and the limit

391,896
homes with an assessor's full cash value of $300,000 or less, before subtracting any loan
429,386
homes valued $300,001 to $400,000, which may come under the limit once a loan is subtracted
$374,800
the middle home's full cash value on the roll
1,470,047
homes counted: houses, condos, mobile homes and two to four units

Maricopa County Assessor full cash values, tax year 2027 roll, as downloaded on July 3, 2026, matched to our property records for the home type. The court uses the roll for the year of death, so for a death in an earlier year the figure on that year's roll applies. Counts are of homes, not of estates: a person's other Arizona real property counts toward the same limit. Other counties are not counted here.

Those are the county's homes. The figures for the one you inherited start with the report on your own home.

The limit, the assessor's way

Arizona lets heirs take title to real property by affidavit when the estate is small enough. The court's forms are on the Arizona Judicial Branch's Self-Service Center and your county Superior Court's website.

The affidavit of succession to real property

Not sooner than six months after the death, heirs may file an affidavit in the Superior Court of the county where the person lived, if no personal representative has been appointed or applied for and all of the person's real property in Arizona, less liens and loans, is worth $300,000 or less.

Value means the full cash value on the assessor's roll for the year of death; a loan is counted at its unpaid principal on the date of death. The funeral, the last illness and every unsecured debt must already be paid, no one else may have a right to the property, and no federal estate tax may be due.

Once the court finds the affidavit complete, it issues a certified copy, which is recorded with the county recorder where the home is.

A.R.S. 14-3971(E) and (F), read in full at azleg.gov on October 27, 2026.

The two-year line for probate

In general, an informal or formal probate or appointment case cannot be started more than two years after the death. The statute lists exceptions, including one for when no court case about the estate has been brought in those two years.

A.R.S. 14-3108, read in full at azleg.gov on October 27, 2026.

What holding it costs

While the family decides, the home costs money every month. Property tax and insurance alone on the typical home run about $295 a month in Arizona, before utilities, dues and any loan payment.

Each row: the typical home value, then property tax and insurance a month.

Typical home: Zillow Home Value Index. Property tax: the typical home value times the Census Bureau's median taxes paid over median home value. Insurance: U.S. Treasury premium data, as shown on each area's market report. How long a sale takes in each area is on how long it takes to sell, and what it costs on the cost to sell.

Questions, answered

What is the small estate affidavit limit in Arizona?

For real property, $300,000: the value of all the person's real property in Arizona, less the liens and loans against it. Personal property such as bank accounts and vehicles has its own affidavit, with a $200,000 limit, usable 30 days after the death (A.R.S. 14-3971).

Does the limit use market value?

No. It uses the full cash value shown on the county assessor's roll for the year the person died, and a loan against the home is valued at its unpaid principal on the date of death (A.R.S. 14-3971(E)). The assessor's value is often below what the home would sell for.

How long after a death can the affidavit be used?

Not sooner than six months after the death, shown by a certified copy of the death certificate attached to the affidavit, and only if no personal representative has been appointed or applied for (A.R.S. 14-3971(E)).

Do I need probate to sell an inherited house in Arizona?

Not always. If the home and the person's other Arizona real property, less what is owed on it, come to $300,000 or less, the heirs may file the affidavit instead and record the court's certified copy with the county recorder. The court's registrar checks that the affidavit is complete; whether it fits your family's case is the court's decision. In general a probate or appointment case cannot be started more than two years after the death, with exceptions the statute lists (A.R.S. 14-3108).

Who's behind it

Bryce Henderson

Our founder, Bryce Henderson, is a real estate investor, veteran and paramedic. Our team talks with Arizona homeowners about every way to sell and what each one would leave them. More about him and HERO Real Estate Investors at herorei.com.

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