Updated September 7, 2026. Quick answer: In Arizona, arizona (a UPC state) requires a bond of a personal representative unless the will expressly waives it, or all heirs/devisees file a written waiver, or the representative is an exempt institution (bank, trust company, public fiduciary, etc.), or a surviving spouse qualifies for summary/small-estate procedures.
Does Arizona require an executor to post a bond?
Arizona (a UPC state) requires a bond of a personal representative unless the will expressly waives it, or all heirs/devisees file a written waiver, or the representative is an exempt institution (bank, trust company, public fiduciary, etc.), or a surviving spouse qualifies for summary/small-estate procedures.
“A bond is required of a personal representative unless either: 1. The will expressly waives the bond. 2. All of the heirs if no will has been probated, or all of the devisees under a will that does not provide for waiver of the bond, file with the court a written waiver”
Source: Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 14-3603
Can the will waive it in Arizona?
Yes. A bond is not required if ‘the will expressly waives the bond.’
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Can the heirs or beneficiaries waive it in Arizona?
Yes. If there is no probated will, all heirs may file a written waiver; if the will exists but doesn’t waive bond, all devisees under it may file a written waiver instead.
If a bond is required, how much?
When a bond is required, Arizona sizes it at 100% of the estimated value of the personal estate plus expected annual income, per its own bond-amount statute.
“his best estimate of the value of the personal estate of the decedent, real estate, less encumbrances thereon and of the income expected from the personal and real estate during the next year…in an amount not less than the estimate provided”
Source: Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 14-3604
What makes Arizona different
Arizona layers institutional exemptions (national banks, state-chartered trust companies, title insurers, the public fiduciary) on top of the standard UPC will/heir waiver options, and separately exempts a qualifying surviving spouse using small-estate summary procedures; a broader menu of default exemptions than most UPC states.
| Bond-requirement source | Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 14-3603 |
| Arizona courts (general reference) | Arizona judicial branch |
| Confidence | High |
Every statute quoted on this page was read directly from the state’s own legislature/code site this session, or, where that site blocked automated access, from a reputable legal-citation mirror quoting the same official text with its official citation (disclosed below). General information, not legal advice; a probate court has final discretion over bond in every state; confirm your own case with the court or a local attorney before relying on the default described here.
Related: how long creditors have to file a claim against an estate in Arizona.