Knowledge & Resources
Wills and estate planning
What a will does, how to write one, and what your state requires for it to count.
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Wills and estate planning
What a will does, how to write one, and what your state requires for it to count.
Arizona has the strictest witness rule in the country: since October 2019 a witness may not be a beneficiary, or related to one, unless the will is made self-proved.
An Arizona paper will must be in writing, signed by the testator or in the testator's name by another individual in their conscious presence and at their direction, and signed by at least two people who each signed within a reasonable time after witnessing either the signing or the testator's acknowledgment of it. Read the rule on who may witness before you pick anyone: Arizona disqualifies more people than any other state.
A.R.S. § 14-2502
No. Section 14-2502 requires two witnesses, not a notary, and notarizing an Arizona will does not by itself replace them. A notary does matter more here than elsewhere, though, because making the will self-proved lifts the unusually strict restriction on who may witness.
A.R.S. § 14-2502
Yes. A will that does not comply with the ordinary formalities is valid as a holographic will, witnessed or not, if the signature and the material provisions are in the handwriting of the testator.
A.R.S. § 14-2503
Arizona goes further than any other state. For a will executed on or after 1 October 2019, a person may not act as a witness at all if they are a devisee under the will, or if they are related to a devisee by blood, marriage or adoption. Elsewhere a beneficiary witnessing risks the gift; in Arizona it disqualifies the witness outright, and the disqualification reaches their relatives. The exception is a will made self-proved under sections 14-2504 or 14-2519, where the restriction does not apply. In practice: use two witnesses who are neither beneficiaries nor related to any, or make the will self-proved.
A.R.S. § 14-2505
A person who is eighteen years of age or older and of sound mind may make a will in Arizona.
A.R.S. § 14-2501
A.R.S. § 14-2502 (Execution of paper wills; witnessed wills; holographic wills; testamentary intent). Signed by the testator (or in the testator's name in their conscious presence and by their direction), and signed by at least two people who witnessed the signing or the acknowledgment.
Links last checked 2026-08-24.
This is general information about the law, not legal advice, and it has not been reviewed by an attorney licensed in Arizona. Requirements change. Confirm the current rules for your state before you sign.
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