Highlights
- Gov. Katie Hobbs signed SB 1426 on Friday, giving Arizona property owners a faster path to remove unauthorized occupants.
- Nine conditions must be met for the expedited removal process, including no existing lease, no family relationship, and no oral agreement.
- The Arizona Supreme Court is directed to prioritize these cases and execute judgments as soon as they are issued.
- The law takes effect 90 days after the legislature adjourns for the year.
Arizona property owners now have a faster legal tool to remove unauthorized occupants after Gov. Katie Hobbs signed Senate Bill 1426 into law Friday. The bill passed with bipartisan support.
The law accelerates the forcible detainer process, the mechanism by which owners reclaim their property, when nine specific conditions are met. Among them: the occupant has no existing lease, is not an immediate family member of the owner, has no oral agreement to remain, and there is no existing lawsuit between the parties.
The legislation also directs the Arizona Supreme Court to expedite these cases and execute judgments against unauthorized occupants as soon as they are issued. Apache Junction Police Chief Michael Pooley, speaking at a news conference ahead of the bill's passage, said the changes could allow removal in days rather than weeks.
Republican bill sponsor state Sen. Wendy Rogers framed the law around a straightforward scenario: a homeowner returns from vacation to find someone has moved in and damaged the property. Rogers clarified that the new provisions do not affect existing tenant protections in situations where a person is lawfully permitted to stay.
"We are a state of property owners and property rights are paramount," Rogers said.
Arizona real estate agent D'Andrea Turner described at the same news conference the two-year ordeal she endured trying to reclaim her home from squatters, including a period of homelessness, after occupants ransacked the property and attempted to sell it without her consent.
The law takes effect 90 days after the legislature adjourns for the year.
Sources
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- ktar.com retrieved 02/06/2026 02:06
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 02/06/2026 02:06. Every claim traces to a source.
