To fill out and file Arizona divorce forms, download the dissolution packet that matches your situation (with or without minor children) from the Arizona Judicial Branch’s Self-Service Center at azcourts.gov, complete the petition and its supporting documents, file them with the Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where you live, pay the filing fee, and formally serve your spouse. The forms are free; the filing fee in Maricopa County is $376, with a statewide base of $261 plus local surcharges elsewhere.
Check Residency and Marriage Type First
At least one spouse must have lived in Arizona, or been stationed here on military orders, for 90 days before filing.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 25-312 – Dissolution of Marriage; Findings Necessary You file in the county where you live, not where you married or where your spouse now lives.
For a standard marriage, Arizona is no-fault. The petition only has to state that the marriage is “irretrievably broken.”2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 25-314 – Pleadings; Contents; Defense; Joinder of Parties Covenant marriages are different: the petition must allege a specific ground such as adultery, a felony conviction, abandonment of at least one year, domestic violence, two years of continuous separation, or mutual agreement.3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 25-903 – Dissolution of a Covenant Marriage; Grounds Your marriage license or certificate will say whether it’s a covenant marriage. If it doesn’t say so, it isn’t one.
Download the Right Packet
The Arizona Judicial Branch publishes two main packets for dissolving a non-covenant marriage: one for couples with minor children and one for couples without.4Arizona Judicial Branch. Family Law Forms Pick one packet and stay in it. Mixing forms from the two sets is a common reason clerks reject filings.
Both packets contain the same core documents:
- Petition for Dissolution of Marriage, the formal request to end the marriage.
- Summons, the legal notice telling the other spouse about the case and the deadline to respond.
- Preliminary Injunction, an automatic order freezing the status quo: neither spouse may hide or sell community property, cancel insurance covering the other spouse or children, or destroy documents while the case is pending.5Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 25-315 – Preliminary Injunction; Effect
- Sensitive Data Sheet, a confidential coversheet carrying Social Security numbers, employer information, and dates of birth. It’s filed under seal so SSNs stay out of the public record.6Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County. Sensitive Data Coversheet With Children
If you have minor children in common, your packet also includes a Parenting Plan and a Child Support Worksheet.
Filling Out the Petition
The petition is the central document. Under A.R.S. ยง 25-314, it must include:2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 25-314 – Pleadings; Contents; Defense; Joinder of Parties
- Each spouse’s birth date, occupation, and address, along with how long the filing spouse has lived in Arizona.
- The date and place of the marriage, and whether it is a covenant marriage.
- The names, birth dates, and addresses of all minor children common to both spouses, and whether the wife is currently pregnant.
- Any agreements already reached on child support, parenting time, legal decision-making, or spousal maintenance.
- The specific relief you are asking the court to grant: property division, spousal maintenance, a parenting plan, child support, or any combination.
State plainly that the marriage is irretrievably broken; you don’t need to explain why. For real estate, use the full legal description from the deed, not just the street address. For retirement accounts, list the plan administrator and account number so the court can order division later. Fill every blank. If a section doesn’t apply, write “N/A” rather than leaving it empty. Clerks routinely reject petitions with blank fields.
Parenting Plan and Child Support Worksheet
If you have minor children, the Parenting Plan spells out two things: legal decision-making (who decides major questions about the child’s education, health care, and religion) and parenting time (where the child actually lives on a daily, weekly, and holiday basis).4Arizona Judicial Branch. Family Law Forms Cover weekdays, weekends, school breaks, and specific holidays by name. “Holidays will be split fairly” invites future disputes; the court wants dates.
The Child Support Worksheet calculates each parent’s obligation using the Arizona Child Support Guidelines. You’ll need both parents’ gross incomes, the cost of health insurance for the children, daycare expenses, and the number of parenting-time days each parent has. The formula apportions support by each parent’s share of combined income, so accuracy matters. Estimated or rounded figures can produce an incorrect amount the court later has to revisit.
Compile Property, Debts, and Retirement Accounts
Before you fill in the property section, make a list. Arizona is a community property state: everything either spouse acquired during the marriage is community property, with narrow exceptions for gifts, inheritances, and property acquired after a dissolution petition is served.7Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 25-211 – Property Acquired During Marriage as Community Property Property owned before the marriage or received as a gift or inheritance stays separate. For each real estate parcel, bank account, vehicle, credit card balance, and loan, note whether you believe it is community or separate and its current value or balance.
Retirement accounts need a separate step. Dividing a 401(k), pension, or similar employer-sponsored plan requires a Qualified Domestic Relations Order: a separate court order that tells the plan administrator how to split the account. A QDRO must name both spouses and their addresses, identify each plan, state the dollar amount or percentage going to the non-participant spouse, and specify the time period covered.8U.S. Department of Labor. QDROs Chapter 1 – Qualified Domestic Relations Orders: An Overview Arizona’s state retirement systems use their own Domestic Relations Order (DRO) with similar requirements, including the community interest end date and instructions on what happens if either party dies before or after retirement. ASRS recommends submitting a draft DRO for its review before certifying it through the court, which avoids rejection after the decree is final.9Arizona State Retirement System. Divorce: Information and FAQs
Filing With the Clerk
Once the packet is complete, file it with the Clerk of the Superior Court in your county. You can file at the clerk’s counter in person or use AZTurboCourt, an online system that walks you through an interview-style questionnaire, generates court-approved forms, and lets you submit them electronically.10AZ Court Help. AZTurboCourt Process Overview
Fees vary by county. The statewide base is $261, but counties add local surcharges.11Arizona Judicial Branch. Superior Court Filing Fees Maricopa County charges $376 whether or not children are involved.12Maricopa County Clerk of Superior Court. Filing Fees Check your county clerk’s website for the exact amount before you go.
If you can’t afford the fee, apply for a waiver or deferral. A full waiver is available if your gross income falls below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines or if you receive SSI, TANF cash assistance, or SNAP. A deferral or payment plan may be approved at higher income levels, generally up to 225 percent of the poverty guidelines, and courts can grant deferrals beyond that for good cause.13AZ Court Help. Fee, Waiver, and Deferral Information Bring proof of income or a copy of your benefits award letter.
Serving Your Spouse
After the clerk stamps your documents, you must formally deliver them to your spouse. Arizona recognizes three main methods:
- Process server or sheriff. A private process server or county sheriff physically delivers the summons, petition, and preliminary injunction to the other spouse and provides an affidavit of service you file with the court. This is the most common method.
- Acceptance of service. If your spouse is cooperative, they can sign a written acceptance before a notary. You mail or hand-deliver the documents with the acceptance form and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Once filed, the signed acceptance has the same effect as personal service. Signing is not an admission of anything in the petition; it only acknowledges receiving the papers.14New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Arizona Rules of Family Law Procedure, Rule 40 – Summons
- Voluntary appearance. Your spouse can appear in court in person or through an attorney, or simply file a response, which counts as an appearance.
A respondent served within Arizona has 20 days to file a written response.15New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Arizona Rules of Family Law Procedure, Rule 24.1 – Time for Filing and Serving a Response to a Petition If your spouse is on active military duty, additional protections under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act may apply.16Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 50 USC 3932 – Stay of Proceedings When Servicemember Has Notice
What Happens After You File
Arizona imposes a mandatory 60-day waiting period before the court can hold a hearing or enter a final decree. The clock starts the day after your spouse is served or the day an acceptance of service is filed.17Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 25-329 – Waiting Period No agreement between spouses shortens it.
If your spouse files a response and you agree on every term (property division, spousal maintenance, and any parenting arrangements), you can submit a consent decree after the 60 days have passed. The judge reviews the paperwork and, if everything is in order, signs the decree without a trial.
If your spouse doesn’t respond at all, you can pursue a default decree. On day 61 after service, file an Application and Affidavit of Default with the clerk, then mail or hand-deliver a copy to your spouse the same day. After 10 more business days with no response, you can ask the court to schedule a default hearing. At the hearing, the judge will ask about your situation and the terms in your petition before deciding whether to grant the divorce.18AZ Court Help. How Can I Get a Default Decree Signed by the Court? Because your spouse never responded, the court generally grants what you asked for, which is why getting those terms right in the petition matters.
Don’t Forget the QDRO After the Decree
A final decree by itself usually isn’t enough to split an employer-sponsored retirement account. Federal law requires a separate QDRO instructing the plan administrator how to divide the funds.8U.S. Department of Labor. QDROs Chapter 1 – Qualified Domestic Relations Orders: An Overview People overlook this step and discover years later that the account was never actually divided. If your divorce involves a 401(k), pension, or state retirement plan, prepare the QDRO or DRO alongside the decree and submit it to the plan administrator promptly.