How Long Does It Take to Evict a Tenant in Arizona?

Evicting a tenant in Arizona usually takes two to four weeks from the first written notice to the lockout, and that is roughly how long it takes to evict a tenant in Arizona when the case is straightforward and uncontested. Contested cases, appeals, or a misstep by the landlord can push the timeline out to several months. The reason for the eviction sets the opening clock, the court calendar sets the middle, and the tenant’s response decides the end.

The Standard Timeline, Step by Step

Arizona’s eviction process runs on statutory deadlines that stack together in a predictable way. Here is how the days add up in a typical case.

The Notice Period: 5 or 10 Days

Every eviction starts with a written notice, and the landlord cannot file in court until that period runs out. The length depends on what the tenant did:

If the tenant pays or cures the problem within the window, the lease continues and the landlord cannot proceed. Two situations skip the right to cure: a repeat of the same type of violation during the same lease term after a prior cure (ten-day notice, no cure option), and falsifying criminal history or a prior eviction on a rental application (also ten days, no cure).²

Filing and the Hearing: Another 3 to 6 Days

Once the notice period expires without the tenant complying or leaving, the landlord files a special detainer action in the Justice Court covering the property. The court issues the summons the same day. The tenant must be served at least two days before the hearing, and the hearing is set no fewer than three and no more than six days after the summons is issued.³

If personal service fails, the process server can post the summons on the tenant’s door and mail a copy by certified mail, and that counts as valid service for obtaining a money judgment.³

At the hearing, the landlord has to prove the grounds. If the tenant doesn’t appear or the judge rules for the landlord, the court enters judgment for possession and can award unpaid rent, lease-specified late fees, attorney fees, and costs in the same proceeding.³

The 5-Day Wait and the Writ of Restitution

Winning the hearing does not mean the tenant has to leave that day. The landlord must wait five calendar days after the judgment before the court will issue a Writ of Restitution, which is the order authorizing a constable or sheriff to remove the tenant.⁴ That window gives the tenant one last chance to leave on their own.

After the writ issues, the landlord delivers it to the local constable or sheriff. The officer posts a notice at the property and returns at a scheduled time to perform the lockout. Scheduling depends on the officer’s workload and can add anywhere from a day to a week in busy jurisdictions.

Faster Track: Irreparable Criminal Breach

For irreparable breaches, every clock compresses. The hearing happens no later than the third day after filing, and the court orders restitution 12 to 24 hours after the hearing rather than making the landlord wait five days.³ A clear-cut irreparable-breach case can move from filing to lockout in under a week.

What Can Stretch an Eviction Into Months

Continuances and Counterclaims

Either side can ask the judge to postpone. In Justice Court, a continuance can push the hearing back up to three additional days. In Superior Court, the limit is five days. The request has to be supported by a sworn statement showing good cause.³

A tenant who files a counterclaim, commonly alleging the unit was not maintained in habitable condition, can add weeks. If the judge finds the claim has merit, the case may need a separate hearing or trial date.

Appeals

The tenant can appeal the Justice Court ruling to Superior Court. The notice of appeal is due within five days of the judgment, along with a $250 cost bond that the court can waive or defer.⁵

An appeal by itself does not stop the lockout. To stay in the property during the appeal, the tenant has to post a supersedeas bond covering rent owed, costs, and attorney fees, and then keep paying rent into the court each month on the regular due date. That bond cannot be waived. For irreparable-breach cases, the supersedeas bond has to be paid before the writ issues at all.⁵ An appeal can add months to the overall timeline.

Retaliatory Eviction Defense

Arizona prohibits evictions filed in retaliation for a tenant reporting health or safety code violations to a government agency, complaining to the landlord about maintenance, or joining a tenants’ union. If the tenant made one of these protected complaints within six months before the filing, the law presumes the eviction is retaliatory, and the landlord has to prove a different motive. The defense does not apply if the tenant caused the code violation or is behind on rent.

Military Service Protections

A tenant on active military duty can ask the court to stay the eviction for at least 90 days under the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act by showing that current duties prevent them from appearing. The request has to include a letter from the commanding officer confirming that military leave is not available.⁶

Federally Subsidized Housing

Tenants in public housing or certain federally subsidized programs may be entitled to longer notice periods before a nonpayment case can be filed. As of early 2026, HUD regulations require a 30-day notice before filing for unpaid rent in these programs, along with a rent ledger showing how the balance was calculated. A proposed rule change could shorten these requirements, so landlords with subsidized tenants should confirm the current federal rules before acting.⁷

The Partial-Payment Trap That Restarts the Clock

A landlord who accepts any rent after learning about a lease violation generally waives the right to terminate for that breach. The notice becomes worthless and the process starts over.⁸

There is one exception. A landlord can accept partial rent and still move forward if the tenant signs a written agreement at the time of payment spelling out when the balance is due. Without that contemporaneous written agreement, the acceptance is treated as a waiver. If a tenant already received a five-day notice for unpaid rent and then signs a partial-payment agreement, the landlord does not need to issue a new five-day notice when the tenant breaks the agreement.⁸

After the Lockout: 14 More Days for Property

The lockout returns possession, but the landlord is not fully finished if the tenant left belongings behind. Arizona law requires the landlord to inventory the property, send notice to the tenant’s last known address by certified mail, and post a notice on the unit’s door for five days.⁹

The landlord then has to store the property with reasonable care for 14 calendar days after retaking possession. Only after that window can the landlord donate or sell it.⁹

Mobile Home Parks Run on a Different Clock

If the rental is a space in a mobile home park rather than a standard house or apartment, none of the timelines above apply. The Arizona Mobile Home Parks Residential Landlord and Tenant Act controls instead, and its notice periods are substantially longer: 30 days for a material lease violation with 14 days to cure, and 20 days for a health or safety violation with 10 days to cure. Immediate termination for irreparable criminal breaches still exists, and the repeat-violation rules require documented incidents over a 12-month period rather than a single repeat during a lease term.¹⁰

1
Arizona Judicial Branch. Non-Payment of Rent
2
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 33-1368 – Noncompliance with Rental Agreement by Tenant
3
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 33-1377 – Special Detainer Actions; Service; Trial Postponement
4
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 12-1178 – Judgment; Writ of Restitution; Limitation on Issuance
5
Arizona Judicial Branch. After an Eviction Judgment
6
United States Courts. Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA)
7
Stateline. HUD Seeks to Reduce Time Allowed for Tenants to Receive Notice Before Evictions for Nonpayment
8
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 33-1371 – Acceptance of Partial Payments; Waiver of Right to Terminate
9
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 33-1370 – Abandonment; Notice; Remedies; Personal Property
10
Arizona Department of Housing. Arizona Mobile Home Parks Residential Landlord and Tenant Act