Home › Personal Injury Laws by State › Arizona Personal Injury Laws

Arizona generally requires most personal injury lawsuits based on negligence to be filed within two years after the claim accrues. Shorter periods and special notice requirements generally apply to claims against public entities, and different rules, accrual questions, exceptions, and tolling provisions may apply depending on the claim and the parties involved. This page cannot determine which deadline applies to any particular situation; only a licensed Arizona attorney reviewing the facts can do that.

Arizona generally follows an at-fault system for motor-vehicle injury claims. Liability ordinarily depends on who caused the collision. The compensation available in any particular matter generally depends on the injuries or losses involved and the insurance coverage that applies. How these rules apply in any individual situation depends on its facts, and if the parties involved cannot agree on liability, the court process may be necessary to resolve it.

Arizona follows a pure comparative-fault rule. In general terms, compensation may be reduced according to an injured person's share of fault, but a person's own fault generally does not bar recovery entirely, with limited exceptions established by law. Whether and how fault is attributed in any particular matter depends on its facts and may have to be determined by a court of law.

Arizona generally requires vehicle owners to maintain liability insurance that meets minimum requirements established by state law. Insurers are also generally required to offer uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, which a policyholder may reject in writing. The coverage available in any particular situation depends on the policies involved and current law.

Arizona's constitution generally prohibits laws that limit the amount of damages recoverable for causing the death or injury of a person, so the caps on compensatory damages that exist in many states generally do not apply in Arizona injury cases. Special rules may still apply to certain claims and parties, including claims involving public entities, and other categories of damages are subject to separate legal standards. Because these rules can vary by claim and may change, this page does not determine what damages may be available in any particular matter.

Arizona personal injury lawsuits may be filed in the state's superior courts, which have general civil jurisdiction, or in justice courts for some more limited civil matters. Many injury claims are resolved through insurance processes or negotiation without a lawsuit being filed. Which court, if any, would be appropriate depends on the nature of the claim, the relief involved, and other facts that a licensed Arizona attorney can evaluate.

A licensed Arizona attorney can explain how rules involving deadlines, fault, insurance, damages, and procedure may apply to a specific situation—something a general reference page cannot do. This platform helps injured people seek connections with participating local personal injury attorney offices in the Arizona communities listed below, based on availability. Requesting a connection is free and carries no obligation to hire an attorney.