How much notice does a landlord have to give before filing an eviction for unpaid rent in Arizona?

5 days. The landlord serves a written notice of the nonpayment and of intent to terminate if rent is not paid in that time, and those are CALENDAR days, not business days (ARS 33-1368(B), (G)). A tenant who tenders all past-due rent plus the written-lease late fee before the case is filed forces reinstatement of the lease.

How much notice is required to evict for a lease violation in Arizona?

10 days. The written notice must specify the breach and state that the agreement terminates not less than 10 days after receipt, unless the tenant remedies the breach within those 10 days (ARS 33-1368(A)). Noncompliance materially affecting health and safety runs on a shorter 5-day notice, also curable.

How long does an eviction take in Arizona?

Roughly 13 to 17 days from notice to an enforceable writ in an uncontested nonpayment case, or about two to three weeks to lockout. Contested cases, appeals, and court congestion all run longer; this is a floor built from statutory minimums, not a prediction.

Can a landlord change the locks or shut off utilities instead of going to court in Arizona?

No — Arizona bars self-help eviction by statute; a landlord must go through the court process. A landlord who unlawfully removes or excludes the tenant, or wilfully diminishes essential services, owes the GREATER of two months' periodic rent or twice the tenant's actual damages, and the tenant may either recover possession OR terminate the rental agreement (ARS 33-1367).

What is the eviction process and timeline in Arizona?

Verified July 21, 2026 All Arizona topics →

Legislative changes ahead — not yet in force. The rules on this page reflect the law in force today. The following measures would change it:

HB 2244 (2026), Ch. 194 — Already CHAPTERED but not yet effective: on September 12, 2026, ARS 12-1567 and 22-247 gain a tenant remedy after an eviction judgment is paid — if the tenant files a motion to compel satisfaction of the judgment and the landlord does not respond within 15 days, the filing fee is waived, no hearing is held, the judgment is deemed satisfied on the tenant's proof of payment, and the court may seal records of the eviction action under ARS 33-1379.Status: Approved 2026-06-19; effective 2026-09-12 (the session's general effective date; the chapter carries no effective-date clause of its own). The answers shown do not yet reflect it. (checked 2026-08-12).
SB 1426 (2026), Ch. 69 — Already CHAPTERED but not yet effective: on September 12, 2026, ARS 12-1173 gains a separate forcible-detainer track for unauthorized occupants of residential property. The act states it 'does not apply to or modify the rights and remedies available to landlords and tenants pursuant to title 33, chapter 10,' so the tenant eviction rules on this page are unchanged by it.Status: Approved 2026-05-29; effective 2026-09-12 (general effective date). No figure on this page changes. (checked 2026-08-12).

Arizona's eviction process — a 'special detainer action' — moves from a 5-day pay-or-quit notice for nonpayment to a writ of restitution that cannot issue until 5 calendar days after judgment, a statutory best case of roughly two to three weeks from notice to lockout.

Cited to ARS 33-1368 (A), (B), (D), (G) and 4 more Arizona statutes · Verified July 21, 2026

Lease violations get a 10-day notice with a 10-day right to cure (5 days for health-and-safety breaches), while a material and irreparable breach — illegal drug activity, assault, serious property damage and the like — permits immediate termination, a trial within 3 days of filing, and restitution ordered 12 to 24 hours after the hearing. A nonpayment tenant can force reinstatement by paying everything owed plus the written-lease late fee before the case is filed; after filing the tab adds attorney fees and court costs, and after judgment reinstatement is purely the landlord's choice. The hearing lands 3 to 6 days after the complaint is filed, either side may appeal within 5 calendar days, and staying the lockout during appeal requires a supersedeas bond plus ongoing rent paid through the court. Self-help eviction is squarely illegal: a landlord who locks a tenant out or cuts essential services owes the greater of two months' rent or double actual damages, and may shut off landlord-provided utilities only the day after the writ is executed.

Arizona eviction process at a glance

Nonpayment notice (pay-or-quit)	5 days
Nonpayment notice rules (day counting, cure rights, service)	The landlord serves a written notice of the nonpayment and of intent to terminate if rent is not paid in that time, and those are CALENDAR days, not business days (ARS 33-1368(B), (G)). A tenant who tenders all past-due rent plus the written-lease late fee before the case is filed forces reinstatement of the lease. Cure rights tighten in three stages. BEFORE a special detainer action is filed, the rental agreement SHALL be reinstated if the tenant tenders all past-due rent plus a reasonable late fee set forth in a written rental agreement; AFTER filing, reinstatement also requires attorney fees and court costs; AFTER judgment for the landlord, reinstatement is solely in the landlord's discretion. A tenant may not withhold rent for any reason not authorized by the ARLTA.
Lease-violation notice period	10 days
Lease-violation notice rules (cure vs. termination)	The written notice must specify the breach and state that the agreement terminates not less than 10 days after receipt, unless the tenant remedies the breach within those 10 days (ARS 33-1368(A)). Noncompliance materially affecting health and safety runs on a shorter 5-day notice, also curable. The 10-day ground covers material noncompliance with the rental agreement, including material falsification on the application; the health-and-safety obligations are set by ARS 33-1341. A SECOND noncompliance of the same or similar nature after a previous cure permits a special detainer action 10 days after notice, with no second cure right. Falsification of criminal-record, prior-eviction, or current-criminal-activity information is expressly not curable.
Unconditional-quit grounds	Material AND irreparable breach occurring on the premises — the statute's non-exhaustive list includes illegal weapon discharge, homicide, prostitution, criminal street gang activity, unlawful controlled-substance activity, threatening or intimidating, assault, statutory nuisance, or a breach otherwise jeopardizing health, safety and welfare or involving imminent or actual serious property damage (ARS 33-1368(A)). The landlord may deliver a notice of IMMEDIATE termination and proceed directly under 33-1377; the trial is set no later than the THIRD day after filing, and if the breach is proven the court orders restitution 12 to 24 hours after the hearing (33-1377(E)).
Court and action	Arizona's residential eviction is a 'special detainer action' (ARS 33-1368/33-1377), heard in justice court (superior court is also possible); procedure and appeal rights follow the forcible entry and detainer article (Title 12, ch. 8, art. 4) except as modified, supplemented by the Rules of Procedure for Eviction Actions. The summons issues the day the complaint is filed.
Filing to hearing	The summons issues the same day the complaint is filed and commands appearance not more than 6 nor less than 3 days from the date of the summons; it must be served at least 2 days before the return day, which is the trial day (ARS 33-1377(B)). For good cause shown by affidavit, trial may be postponed at most 3 days in justice court or 5 days in superior court (33-1377(C)). Material-and-irreparable-breach cases are faster: trial no later than the 3rd day after filing (33-1377(E)).
Writ of possession and lockout	On a landlord judgment the court grants a 'writ of restitution', but no writ may ISSUE until 5 calendar days after the judgment (ARS 12-1178(C)); once issued it 'shall be enforced as promptly and expeditiously as possible' by the constable/sheriff, and a motion to set aside the judgment does not suspend it absent good cause. In a proven material-and-irreparable-breach case the court orders restitution 12–24 hours after the hearing instead (33-1377(E)). A tenant lawfully served with the writ who remains or returns without permission commits third-degree criminal trespass (12-1178(D)). Landlord-provided utilities may be discontinued only the day AFTER the writ is executed (33-1368(D)).
Appeal window	5 days
Best-case uncontested timeline (derived from statutory minimums — contested cases run longer)	Roughly 13 to 17 days from notice to an enforceable writ in an uncontested nonpayment case, or about two to three weeks to lockout. Contested cases, appeals, and court congestion all run longer; this is a floor built from statutory minimums, not a prediction. The steps that make up the span are a 5-day pay-or-quit notice, then a summons issued the same day the complaint is filed, then trial 3 to 6 days from the summons (postponable 3 to 5 days), then a writ of restitution no earlier than 5 calendar days after judgment, then prompt execution. An appeal carries a 5-day window and a supersedeas bond.
Self-help eviction (lockout, utility shutoff) barred	Yes
Self-help scope and tenant remedies	A landlord who unlawfully removes or excludes the tenant, or wilfully diminishes essential services, owes the GREATER of two months' periodic rent or twice the tenant's actual damages, and the tenant may either recover possession OR terminate the rental agreement (ARS 33-1367). The essential services named are electric, gas, water, and other essential services. If the tenant terminates, all recoverable security must be returned. Landlord-provided utility shutoff becomes lawful only the day after a writ of restitution or execution is executed (ARS 33-1368(D)).

Cite this page: "Landlord Atlas, Arizona Eviction Process Laws (verified July 21, 2026), landlordatlas.com/laws/eviction-process/arizona/" — free to cite and quote with a link (how these records are verified). Every figure above is cited to the Arizona statute in the citations section below.

Notes and caveats

The 5 days are calendar days — 'Days' means calendar days for the nonpayment notice (ARS 33-1368(G)); many summaries miss that business-day counting does not apply here.
Paying to stay gets costlier at each stage — The cure right is a three-stage ladder: before the case is filed, tendering all past-due rent plus the written-lease late fee forces reinstatement; after filing, attorney fees and court costs are added; after judgment, reinstatement is solely the landlord's choice. Secondary sources routinely say only 'the tenant can pay and stay' without the escalating cost.
The fastest lawful lockout in the state — For a proven material and irreparable breach, ARS 33-1377(E) sets trial no later than the third day after filing and restitution ordered 12 to 24 hours after the hearing.
The timeline is a derivation, not a promise — The roughly two-to-three-week best case is computed from statutory minimums; contested cases, appeals, or court congestion extend it.
Mobile home parks and RV spaces are separate schemes — Mobile home park evictions (ARS 33-1476) and RV spaces are governed by separate schemes and fall outside these answers, the same limit that applies to the deposit and late-fee topics.
Currency — The statutes behind these answers — ARS 33-1368, 33-1377, 33-1367, 12-1178, and 12-1179 — are current as of July 21, 2026, and no 2026 session law amends any of those five sections. The 2026 session did amend the surrounding eviction landscape, effective September 12, 2026: Ch. 69 (SB 1426) adds a separate forcible-detainer track for unauthorized occupants that expressly leaves landlord-tenant rights under title 33, chapter 10 unchanged, and Ch. 194 (HB 2244) adds a post-judgment tenant remedy in ARS 12-1567 and 22-247. Both are listed under pending legislation on this page.

Common questions: Arizona eviction process

Each answer is the verified value from the table above, restated as a direct answer. Free to quote with a link to this page.

How much notice does a landlord have to give before filing an eviction for unpaid rent in Arizona?: 5 days. The landlord serves a written notice of the nonpayment and of intent to terminate if rent is not paid in that time, and those are CALENDAR days, not business days (ARS 33-1368(B), (G)). A tenant who tenders all past-due rent plus the written-lease late fee before the case is filed forces reinstatement of the lease.
How much notice is required to evict for a lease violation in Arizona?: 10 days. The written notice must specify the breach and state that the agreement terminates not less than 10 days after receipt, unless the tenant remedies the breach within those 10 days (ARS 33-1368(A)). Noncompliance materially affecting health and safety runs on a shorter 5-day notice, also curable.
How long does an eviction take in Arizona?: Roughly 13 to 17 days from notice to an enforceable writ in an uncontested nonpayment case, or about two to three weeks to lockout. Contested cases, appeals, and court congestion all run longer; this is a floor built from statutory minimums, not a prediction.
How long does a tenant have to appeal an eviction judgment in Arizona?: 5 days.
Can a landlord change the locks or shut off utilities instead of going to court in Arizona?: No — Arizona bars self-help eviction by statute; a landlord must go through the court process. A landlord who unlawfully removes or excludes the tenant, or wilfully diminishes essential services, owes the GREATER of two months' periodic rent or twice the tenant's actual damages, and the tenant may either recover possession OR terminate the rental agreement (ARS 33-1367).

Statute citations

ARS 33-1368 (A), (B), (D), (G) (verified 2026) Official source
ARS 33-1377 (B), (C), (E), (F) (verified 2026) Official source
ARS 12-1178 (C), (D) (verified 2026) Official source
ARS 12-1179 (A), (C)-(E) (verified 2026) Official source
ARS 33-1367 (verified 2026) Official source

How this record was verified: Direct read of statute text on the official Arizona Legislature site (azleg.gov): ARS 33-1321 and 33-1343 each read in full twice (independent reads matched verbatim), ARS 33-1368, 33-1375, 33-1329, 33-1376, and 33-1314 read in full, plus trap-check reads of the mobile-home statutes ARS 33-1414 (late fees) and 33-1432 (90-day rent-increase notice) to confirm those figures do NOT apply to standard rentals. Pending-bill statuses (HB 2337 of 2025, HB 4122 and HB 2243 of 2026) checked against azleg.gov bill text and legislative trackers 2026-07-09; all died without committee action.