Statute of Limitations for Wrongful Death in Arizona

7 min read

Published April 8, 2026 • By DocketMath Team

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws change frequently — verify all citations with current official sources.

Overview

Arizona’s wrongful death limitations period is 2 years, and the default citation provided for this jurisdiction is A.R.S. § 13-107(A). No claim-type-specific sub-rule was provided for Arizona in the source data, so this page treats the 2-year period as the general/default rule for the jurisdiction.

Wrongful death deadlines are strict because they determine whether a claim can be filed in time. The clock usually starts on the date the claim accrues, and missing the deadline can end the case before it begins. For Arizona, the key takeaway is simple: if you are evaluating a wrongful death claim under the provided jurisdiction data, the working limitations period is 2 years.

DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations tool helps you estimate the filing window by combining the date of death, the accrual date, and any deadline-tolling facts you want to track. If you need a quick estimate, try the statute of limitations calculator.

Note: This page is a reference guide, not legal advice. The deadline analysis can change if a claim is governed by a different statute, an accrual rule, or a tolling event.

Limitation period

The general limitations period for wrongful death in Arizona is 2 years. The jurisdiction data provided for this page identifies A.R.S. § 13-107(A) as the governing statute and sets the general/default period at 2 years.

In practical terms, that means the filing window is measured in years, not months or days. If the date that triggers accrual is known, the last day to file is generally the same calendar date two years later. When the filing date lands on a weekend or court holiday, the operational deadline may shift under the applicable court rules, so users typically check the final due date before filing.

A few workflow points matter when you’re evaluating the deadline:

Start date: identify the accrual date used for the claim.
End date: add 2 years to determine the presumptive deadline.
Filing method: confirm whether the filing is complete when submitted or only when accepted by the court.
Calendar checks: verify weekends and court holidays near the deadline.

For teams using DocketMath, the calculator can help compare different trigger dates side by side:

Input you choose	What it changes	Why it matters
Date of death	Often the starting point for analysis	Sets the base date for counting the 2-year period
Accrual date	Can differ from the event date in some cases	Changes the deadline if the claim accrues later
Tolling event date	Pauses or extends the clock in some scenarios	May move the deadline forward
Filing date	Tests whether the claim is timely	Shows whether the date falls inside or outside the window

Because this page is built from the jurisdiction data provided, the correct reference point here is the 2-year default period. If your facts involve a special tolling rule or a different accrual theory, the calculator is the fastest way to model the dates before taking the next step.

Key exceptions

No claim-type-specific sub-rule was found for Arizona in the provided data, so the default 2-year period is the rule to use unless another statute or tolling doctrine applies. That means the main job is not hunting for a hidden wrongful-death-specific exception in the source data, but checking whether your facts change the timeline.

Common issues that can affect the deadline include:

Delayed accrual: the clock may not begin on the event date if the legally relevant accrual date is later.
Minor or incapacitated claimant issues: some deadlines may be affected when a person with standing is under a legal disability.
Defendant concealment or fraud-related facts: concealment can sometimes alter when the clock begins or pauses it.
Procedural filing problems: even a correct deadline can be missed if the complaint is filed in the wrong court or not properly submitted.

A practical checklist helps keep the analysis clean:

Warning: A limitations period is not the same as a notice deadline, a probate deadline, or a service deadline. Each one can run on a different clock.

When users run the DocketMath calculator, exception-related inputs matter because they can move the deadline in either direction. For example, a later accrual date extends the period, while an untolled claim keeps the standard 2-year window. That is why the best way to use the tool is to enter the most defensible trigger date first and then test any tolling facts separately.

Statute citation

The citation provided for Arizona on this page is A.R.S. § 13-107(A), with a general limitations period of 2 years. That is the statute reference supplied in the jurisdiction data and the one this page uses for citation purposes.

For quick reference:

Item	Arizona reference
General limitations period	2 years
Statute citation	A.R.S. § 13-107(A)
Rule type	General/default period
Claim-specific sub-rule in provided data	None found

This citation matters because reference pages should point users to the exact legal anchor tied to the deadline. When you are documenting a deadline internally, using the statute citation alongside the date calculation makes the file easier to audit later.

If you are building a deadline memo, the cleanest format is:

Identify the jurisdiction: Arizona
Record the statute: A.R.S. § 13-107(A)
State the limitations period: 2 years
List the accrual date and any tolling facts
Show the projected filing deadline

That approach creates a clear paper trail for the calculation and makes it easier to compare multiple filing scenarios in DocketMath.

Use the calculator

DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations calculator shows whether a filing date falls within Arizona’s 2-year window. It is designed to turn a date question into a deadline answer fast.

Use it when you need to test one or more of these inputs:

Event date: the date of death or underlying event
Accrual date: the date the clock starts under your theory
Tolling date: a date that may pause or extend the period
Proposed filing date: the filing date you want to check

Here’s how the output changes based on the input:

If you enter	The calculator will show
The date of death only	A straight 2-year deadline estimate
A later accrual date	A later deadline tied to that accrual date
A tolling event	A revised deadline if the tolling is recognized
A filing date near the deadline	Whether the date is inside or outside the window

A few practical uses:

confirm whether a claim is still timely before drafting
compare a “best case” and “conservative” deadline
sanity-check calendar assumptions before service
document the analysis in a client file

Try the tool here: statute of limitations calculator

Using the calculator early is useful because deadline mistakes are usually date mistakes. Once the key dates are entered, the output gives you a fast way to evaluate the 2-year period under Arizona’s default rule.