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The End of Life Plannerby Valoren

General information · not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.

Free · general informationArizona

What to do when someone dies in Arizona

The first things Arizona’s own law asks for after a death, quoted word for word, then the pages for everything that follows, in the order it usually comes. Nothing here decides what a particular family must do. That belongs to the office named, the court, or an attorney in Arizona.

  • Every fact dated, in the official words
  • Each state’s own law

Every quotation checked October 24, 2026

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The free first-week checklist

Pages taken from the planner, by email: who to phone first, and a blank records sheet.

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Every quotation on this page is the official body’s own words, as they stood on the day we read them. The date is beside each one.

Registering the death: who submits the certificate, how soon, and the medical certification

Registering the death comes first. These are Arizona’s own words on who files the record, and how soon.

A. Within seven calendar days after receiving possession of human remains, a funeral establishment or responsible person who takes possession of the human remains shall:

3. Submit the death certificate for registration to a local registrar, a deputy local registrar or the state registrar.

the health care provider or a health care provider designated by that provider shall complete and sign the medical certification of death on a death certificate within seventy-two hours.

Arizona · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · A.R.S. §36-325(A)

What the person holding the will must do, and the liability for not doing it

The will has its own rules. These are Arizona’s own words on who brings it to the court after a death, and what the court does with it.

A. After the death of a testator and on request of an interested person, a person having custody of a will of the testator shall deliver it with reasonable promptness to a person able to secure its probate or, if none is known, to an appropriate court.

B. A person who wilfully fails to deliver a will as required by this section is liable to any person aggrieved for any damages caused by this failure.

Arizona · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · A.R.S. §14-2516

The first weeks

The estate: probate in Arizona, its route for a smaller estate, what falls to whoever is settling it, and the accounts that pass outside the will.

The same page for other states

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FAQ

Common questions

A. Within seven calendar days after receiving possession of human remains, a funeral establishment or responsible person who takes possession of the human remains shall:

3. Submit the death certificate for registration to a local registrar, a deputy local registrar or the state registrar.

the health care provider or a health care provider designated by that provider shall complete and sign the medical certification of death on a death certificate within seventy-two hours.

Arizona · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · A.R.S. §36-325(A)

A. After the death of a testator and on request of an interested person, a person having custody of a will of the testator shall deliver it with reasonable promptness to a person able to secure its probate or, if none is known, to an appropriate court.

B. A person who wilfully fails to deliver a will as required by this section is liable to any person aggrieved for any damages caused by this failure.

Arizona · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · A.R.S. §14-2516

For anyone who would rather their family found it all in one place than went looking.

A couple. A parent. An adult child and a parent, doing it together. One sitting starts it; keep it current, and tell someone where it is.

A man on the telephone with the planner's pages open on the table