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    A.R.S. § 42-11132.2

    Property Tax Exemption When a Building Is Leased to a Veterans Organization

    Verified May 17, 2026 • 57th Legislature, 1st Regular Session

    A.R.S. § 42-11132.02 exempts property leased to a qualifying veterans organization. The exemption requires the lease to be long-term and the property to be used for the veterans-service mission.

    Title 42, PROPERTY TAX

    azleg.gov

    Scope note: RJP Estate Planning is not a law firm; legal services are provided by the licensed Arizona attorneys we partner with. RJP helps Arizona families with living trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and probate avoidance. Property tax matters are outside the scope of RJP’s services, and this page explains Arizona law for educational purposes only.

    What This Statute Says

    A.R.S. § 42-11132.02 exempts property leased to a qualifying veterans organization. The exemption requires the lease to be long-term and the property to be used for the veterans-service mission.

    1. Continues to use or hold the property primarily for the operations of the veterans' organization.

    A.R.S. § 42-11132.02

    The leased-to-veterans rule completes the trio of leased-property exemptions for educational, religious, and veterans uses. The private lessor still owns the property; the exemption tracks the use rather than the ownership.

    For estates that include investment property leased to a veterans organization, the exemption can be material to the property's value and to the family's long-term holding strategy.

    When This Statute Comes Into Play

    This statute typically becomes relevant in three situations. A property owner is reviewing an annual tax bill. An estate is being administered and the personal representative has to address ongoing property tax obligations. Or a charitable or nonprofit organization is claiming or maintaining an exemption. The statute is part of a larger framework in chapter 11 of title 42 and operates alongside the related sections cross-linked below.

    What This Means for Arizona Families

    Most families never think about Arizona property tax statutes until they are sitting at a closing table on an inherited home, reviewing an unexpected tax bill, or trying to claim an exemption for a surviving spouse. When that moment arrives, the rules in chapter 11 of title 42 are the framework you are working inside.

    If you are holding real property in a revocable living trust, the trust structure does not by itself remove the property from the tax rolls. The exemption has to come from a specific statute. Our FAQ on what to do with property you inherit in Arizona covers the immediate practical questions, and our FAQ on probate timelines covers how a contested or stalled administration can affect tax filings and exemptions.

    If you are administering an estate, the personal representative has a duty to keep property taxes current, to claim available exemptions where appropriate, and to maintain documentation in case the assessor reviews a claim later. Calendar the February exemption filing window each year for any property where a widow, widower, or disability exemption applies. Once the deadline passes, the saving for that year is usually lost.

    42-11132.02. Property leased to veterans' organization A. Property, buildings and fixtures that are leased to a veterans' organization shall be classified as class nine property pursuant to section 42-12009. If only part of the parcel or improvements is leased to a veterans' organization and primarily used or held for the operations of the veterans' organization, only the portion so leased qualifies as class nine property. To qualify under this subsection, the veterans' organization must annually file with the assessor an affidavit that it: 1. Continues to use or hold the property primarily for the operations of the veterans' organization. 2. Is the sole economic beneficiary of the classification of the property as class nine pursuant to section 42-12009, subsection A, paragraph 6. B. Property, buildings and fixtures that are owned by a veterans' organization, that are leased to a veterans' organization and that are primarily used for the operations of the veterans' organization are exempt from taxation. C. If the veterans' organization that owns the property files with the assessor the affidavit required by section 42-11152, evidence of the veterans' organization's tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19) of the internal revenue code and an affidavit by the veterans' organization that it uses or holds the property primarily for the operations of the veterans' organization as described in subsection B of this section, the property qualifies for the tax exemption under this section. The veterans' organization shall notify the county assessor in writing pursuant to section 42-11152 if all or part of the property is conveyed to a new owner or is no longer primarily used or held by the veterans' organization. D. For the purposes of this section, "veterans' organization" means a United States veterans' organization that qualifies as a charitable organization and that is recognized under section 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19) of the internal revenue code.

    This page provides general legal information about Arizona statutes and is not legal advice. For guidance on how this law applies to your situation, speak with a qualified attorney.

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