What This Statute Says
Definitions sections look dry, but they are the wiring that holds the rest of the article together. This one is short because the article uses only one technical term consistently.
In this article, unless the context otherwise requires:
A.R.S. § 25-381.02When This Statute Comes Into Play
The definition is invoked whenever:
- A statute in this article refers to the conciliation court.
- A county is debating whether its court has been formally established under Section 25-381.03.
- An attorney is citing the article in a case where no conciliation court exists in that county.
What This Means for Arizona Families
Not every Arizona county has a conciliation court. The definition keeps the article focused on counties that have actually established one and avoids dragging counties without a conciliation court into procedures that do not exist there.
Reconciliation is rare once a divorce filing is on the table, but the Court of Conciliation has helped many Arizona couples either repair the marriage or part on better terms. Either result has estate-planning consequences. Our FAQ on how divorce affects your Arizona estate plan covers the updates that follow a finalized dissolution; if you reconcile, the same plan needs a different review. The Arizona community property presumption and any premarital agreement the spouses signed both shape what is on the table during conciliation. An Arizona family law attorney working with an estate planning attorney can keep the two tracks coordinated regardless of which way the petition resolves.