Ariz. Rev. Stat. » Title 45
Arizona Revised Statutes

Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 45-175 (2026)

Chronological preference to water in times of scarcity

✓ current as of May 2026
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During years when a scarcity of water exists, owners of lands shall have preference to the water for irrigation according to the dates of their appropriation or their occupation of the lands, either by themselves or their grantors. The oldest titles shall have precedence.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 2 cases, 2001–2016 · leading case: In Re the Gen. Adjudication of All Rights to Use Water in the Gila River Sys. & Source, 35 P.3d 68 (Ariz. 2001).
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In Re the Gen. Adjudication of All Rights to Use Water in the Gila River Sys. & Source, 35 P.3d 68 (Ariz. 2001). “This chronological staging becomes important in times of shortage because preference is given according to the appropriation date, allowing senior holders to take then’ entire allotments of water before junior appropriators receive any at all.”
Silver v. Pueblo Del Sol Water Co., 384 P.3d 814 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 2× “AR.S. § 45-175 (2003). ¶ 24 Arizona groundwater is regulated by the Department and governed by the doctrine of reasonable use.”
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