Arizona
Post Divorce Property Division

Arizona Property Division Guide :: Table of Contents

What Is Property Division?
Property Division Law Table
Arizona Child Visitation Law Summary
Arizona Property Division FAQ
Arizona Property Division Law Text

Arizona Property Division General Information

Property Division Method
(Community Property or Equitable)

Only Community Property Divided

Nonmonetary Contributions

Contributions to Education

Economic Misconduct

COMMUNITY PROPERTY

YES

What is property division in a Arizona divorce?

Also known as equitable distribution, property division is the process of dividing property rights and obligations between spouses during the process of a divorce. Property division may be agreed upon between the soupses through a property settlement, or it may be decided in court during the judicial process of divorce. The process of property division is affected by state laws such as community property laws, definitions of marital contributions, etc.

Arizona is a community property state, and assets acquired both during and prior to the marriage can be subject to division following divorce. Some factors considered by Arizona courts in a property division case include economic misconduct. This page summarizes the most important aspects of property division laws in Arizona.

Arizona Property Division Court Considerations Table

Community Property
Only Marital Community Property Divided
Statutory List of Factors
Contributions made within a marriage. Such as
Economic Misconduct
Contribution to Education

Arizona Property Division Summary

Arizona divides marital assets under community property law, which means that property and assets acquired during a marriage are jointly owned by both spouses, regardless of who purchased it or whose name is on the title. In most cases, community property will be divided 50/50 between the spouses. Other factors may be taken into account by the judge when determining the fair division of certain assets.

How Does Property Division Work?

In Arizona, marital property, or property acquired during the marriage, is distributed equally (50-50) to each party unless the court finds such a division to be inequitable or parties agree to a different formula under which to divide property.

Non marital property, or property acquired prior to the marriage is retained by each individual spouse.

Arizona Property Division Frequently Asked Questions

Arizona Property Division FAQ

Is Arizona a community property state?
Does state of Arizona only divide marital property after a divorce?
Is there a set list of statutory factors for determining property division in the state of Arizona?
Do courts in the state of Arizona consider nonmonetary contributions?
Does Arizona consider a spouse's economic misconduct in property division?
Are contributions to education considered in the state of Arizona?
Can a pre-nuptual agreement affect property division in Arizona?
How can I enforce a property division order in Arizona?
Dower and Curtesy in Arizona?

Is Arizona a community property state?

Arizona is a community property state, which means that virtually all assets and debt acquired during the duration of a marriage are considered marital property, and are thus divided equally between the spouses in the event of a divorce. Examples of assets generally considered community property under Arizona law include:

Wages and income earned by either spouse during the marriage
Investment income earned during the marriage
Houses, furniture, cars, etc purchased during the marriage
Debt acquired during the marriage (like a mortgage, car loan, etc)

Some property, including that acquired by either spouse previous to marriage, may be exempt from the community property designation. Other property may be ruled as "partial" community property due to co-mingling or spouse contributions during the marriage, which can lead to complicated property division negotiations during a divorce.

Does state of Arizona only divide marital property after a divorce?

Arizona is one of a minority of states that not only divide marital or community property acquired during the course of a marriage, but may also divide assets earned prior to the marriage regardless of which spouse is the title owner. This may result in a significant surprise for spouses who entered a marriage with high-value assets.

Is there a set list of statutory factors for determining property division in the state of Arizona?

Arizona does not have a specific list of factors for the court to consider when determining an equitable division of property between spouses. This means that judges will have flexibility when determining what factors to consider in each individual property division case.

Do courts in the state of Arizona consider nonmonetary contributions?

Arizona does not have a law requiring the court to consider the nonmonetary contributions (like household chores, childcare, etc) of a spouse when determining an appropriate property division.

Does Arizona consider a spouse's economic misconduct in property division?

Arizona law allows courts to consider economic misconduct of a spouse as a factor in determining equitable property division. Economic misconduct generally means dissipation of assets, which is the legal term for the wasting or loss of marital funds or assets by a spouse through means like excessive spending, gambling, fraud, etc.

If a spouse is found to have dissipated marital funds in a way that injured the other spouse, the court may take punitive or restorative action by awarding a higher percentage of divided property to the injured spouse.

Are a spouse's contributions to their partner's education considered in the state of Arizona?

Arizona has no statute requiring courts to consider a spouse's contributions to their partner's education or earning capacity when determining how to divide marital property.

Can a pre-nuptual agreement affect property division in Arizona?

A prenuptual agreement, or pre-nup, is a binding legal contract signed by both spouses prior to getting married in Arizona. A prenup containing a property division agreement can take precedence over Arizona's property division laws by establishing what is considered as separate vs marital property, as well as agreeing on how finances will be structured during the marriage and divided in the event of a divorce.

The existance of a valid prenuptual agreement can prevent a Arizona court from having full reign to determine how assets are divided between the spouses, and instead allow them to be divided in a way agreed to by both spouses prior to the event.

How can I enforce a property division order in Arizona?

A Arizona property division order is a court order issued by a court order issued by a judge, describing how property is to be divided between spouses following a divorce. A property division order is a binding legal obligation, and failure to comply with the terms in full by either spouse can result in being charged with contempt of court. If your spouse is not complying with a property division order, you can consult a family lawyer to discuss potential legal avenues.

Dower and Curtesy?

Dower and curtesy abolished (§1-201)

| State Law Official Text

Section(s):
ARIZ . REV. STAT. ANN. § 25-211 ARIZ . REV. STAT. ANN. § 25-318

A. In a proceeding for dissolution of the marriage, or for legal separation, or in a proceeding for disposition of property following dissolution of the marriage by a court which previously lacked personal jurisdiction over the absent spouse or previously lacked jurisdiction to dispose of the property, the court shall assign each spouse's sole and separate property to such spouse. It shall also divide the community, joint tenancy and other property held in common equitably, though not necessarily in kind, without regard to marital misconduct. For the purposes of this section only, property acquired by either spouse outside this state shall be deemed to be community property if the property would have been community property if acquired in this state.

B. In dividing property, the court may consider all debts and obligations that are related to the property, including accrued or accruing taxes that would become due on the receipt, sale or other disposition of the property. The court may also consider the exempt status of particular property pursuant title 33, chapter 8. [FN1]

C. This section does not prevent the court from considering all actual damages and judgments from conduct that resulted in criminal conviction of either spouse in which the other spouse or a child was the victim or excessive or abnormal expenditures, destruction, concealment or fraudulent disposition of community, joint tenancy and other property held in common.

D. The community, joint tenancy and other property held in common for which no provision is made in the decree shall be from the date of the decree held by the parties as tenants in common, each possessed of an undivided one-half interest.

E. The court may impress a lien on the separate property of either party or the marital property awarded to either party in order to secure the payment of:

1. Any interest or equity the other party has in or to the property.

2. Community debts that the court has ordered to be paid by the parties.

3. An allowance for child support or spousal maintenance, or both.

4. All actual damages and judgments from conduct that resulted in criminal conviction of either spouse in which the other spouse or a child was the victim.

F. The decree or judgment shall specifically describe by legal description any real property affected and shall specifically describe any other property affected.

Arizona Post Divorce Property Division