Ariz. Rev. Stat. » Title 12
Arizona Revised Statutes

Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-521 (2026)

Definitions

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section AZ-LEGazleg.gov (official) JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

A. In this article, unless the context otherwise requires:

1. "Adverse possession" means an actual and visible appropriation of the land, commenced and continued under a claim of right inconsistent with and hostile to the claim of another.

2. "Peaceable possession" means possession which is continuous, and not interrupted by an adverse action to recover the estate.

3. "Real property" includes mines and mining claims.

B. "Peaceable and adverse possession" need not be continued in the same person, but when held by different persons successively there must be a privity of estate between them.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 52 cases (5 in the last 5 years), 1958–2025 · leading case: Ammer v. Arizona Water Co., 818 P.2d 190 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1991).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
Ammer v. Arizona Water Co., 818 P.2d 190 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1991). · cites it 8× “Arizona Revised Statutes section 12-521 (A) provides in pertinent part as follows: 1.”
Lowe v. Pima Cnty., 177 P.3d 1214 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2008). · cites it 4× “See A.R.S. § 12-521(A)(1) (“ ‘Adverse possession’ means an actual and visible appropriation of the land, commenced and continued under a claim of right inconsistent with and hostile to the claim of another.”
Whittemore v. Amator, 713 P.2d 1231 (Ariz. 1986). · cites it 4× “Adverse Possession A.R.S. § 12-521(A)(1) provides that adverse possession “means an actual and visible appropriation of the land, commenced and continued under a claim of right inconsistent with and hostile to the claim of another.”
Miller v. McAlister, 728 P.2d 654 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1986). · cites it 6× “Whether appellees met their burden of proving compliance with the requirements for adverse possession in A.R.S. §§ 12-521 and 12-526. 3. Whether appellees complied with the requirements of A.”
Lewis v. Pleasant Country, Ltd., 840 P.2d 1051 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1992). · cites it 4× “According to A.R.S. § 12-521(A): 1. “Adverse possession” means an actual and visible appropriation of the land, commenced and continued under a claim of right inconsistent with and hostile to the claim of another.”
Ellingson v. Fuller, 513 P.2d 1339 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1973). · cites it 8× “Defendants answered and counterclaimed, alleging that they had acquired title to the property in question by adverse possession under claim of right, in accordance with the provisions of A.R.S. §§ 12-521 and 12-526. Defendants also claimed a prescriptive easement on plaintiffs’…”
Spaulding v. Pouliot, 181 P.3d 243 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2008). · cites it 3× “2d at 759 ; A.R.S. §§ 12-521, 12-526. As the Trust correctly notes, the “ ‘mere use of [another’s property] for the required time is not [alone] sufficient to give rise to the presumption of a grant.”
Strawberry Water Co. v. Paulsen, 207 P.3d 654 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2008). · cites it 2× “” Similarly, their easement claims are to the pipe and a flow of water through it. ¶ 19 We have already established that this case entails water that has become personal property, not water rights.”
Kay v. Biggs, 475 P.2d 1 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1970). · cites it 7× ““Adverse Possession” is defined by A.R.S. § 12-521, subsec. A (1) as meaning “* * * an actual and visible appropriation of the land, commenced and continued under a claim of right inconsistent with and hostile to the claim of another.”
United States Ex Rel. Zuni Tribe of New Mexico v. Platt, 730 F. Supp. 318 (D. Ariz. 1990). · cites it 8× “A.R.S. § 12-521. The Arizona statutes further provide that: A.”
Cook v. Town of Pinetop-Lakeside, 303 P.3d 67 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2013). · cites it 2× “See A.R.S. §§ 12-521 to -529 (2003); Save Our Valley Ass’n v.”
Berryhill v. Moore, 881 P.2d 1182 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1994). · cites it 3× “AR.S. §§ 12-521, 12-526(A); see Ziggy’s, 152 Ariz.”
Show all 52 citing cases →
— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-521(A) — 7 cases
Lewis v. Pleasant Country, Ltd., 840 P.2d 1051 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1992). “According to A.R.S. § 12-521(A): 1. “Adverse possession” means an actual and visible appropriation of the land, commenced and continued under a claim of right inconsistent with and hostile to the claim of another.”
Spurlock v. Santa Fe Pac. R.R., 694 P.2d 299 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1984).
Ammer v. Arizona Water Co., 818 P.2d 190 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1991). “Arizona Revised Statutes section 12-521 (A) provides in pertinent part as follows: 1.”
Paxson v. Glovitz, 50 P.3d 420 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2002).
Harambasic v. Owens, 920 P.2d 39 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1996).
— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-521(A)(1) — 14 cases
Strawberry Water Co. v. Paulsen, 207 P.3d 654 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2008). “” Similarly, their easement claims are to the pipe and a flow of water through it. ¶ 19 We have already established that this case entails water that has become personal property, not water rights.”
Lowe v. Pima Cnty., 177 P.3d 1214 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2008). “See A.R.S. § 12-521(A)(1) (“ ‘Adverse possession’ means an actual and visible appropriation of the land, commenced and continued under a claim of right inconsistent with and hostile to the claim of another.”
Jones v. Burk, 795 P.2d 238 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1990).
Whittemore v. Amator, 713 P.2d 1231 (Ariz. 1986). “Adverse Possession A.R.S. § 12-521(A)(1) provides that adverse possession “means an actual and visible appropriation of the land, commenced and continued under a claim of right inconsistent with and hostile to the claim of another.”
Sabino Town & Country Estates Ass'n v. Carr, 920 P.2d 26 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1996).
— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-521(A)(2) — 2 cases
Whittemore v. Amator, 713 P.2d 1231 (Ariz. 1986). “Adverse Possession A.R.S. § 12-521(A)(1) provides that adverse possession “means an actual and visible appropriation of the land, commenced and continued under a claim of right inconsistent with and hostile to the claim of another.”
Blackhawk v. McComb (Ariz. Ct. App. 2016).
— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-521(B) — 8 cases
Ammer v. Arizona Water Co., 818 P.2d 190 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1991). “Arizona Revised Statutes section 12-521 (A) provides in pertinent part as follows: 1.”
Lowe v. Pima Cnty., 177 P.3d 1214 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2008). “See A.R.S. § 12-521(A)(1) (“ ‘Adverse possession’ means an actual and visible appropriation of the land, commenced and continued under a claim of right inconsistent with and hostile to the claim of another.”
Berryhill v. Moore, 881 P.2d 1182 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1994). “AR.S. §§ 12-521, 12-526(A); see Ziggy’s, 152 Ariz.”
Whittemore v. Amator, 713 P.2d 1258 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1985).
Stat-O-Matic Ret. Fund v. Assistance League of Yuma, 941 P.2d 233 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1997).
— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-521(a)(3) — 1 case
Golden Star Mine LLC v. Renegade Mining & Milling LLC (D. Ariz. 2025).
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.