forged or fraudulent deeds; exclusion

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

SB1556: Excluding Forged Deeds from City Lot Ownership Protection

This law states that people who claim ownership of city lots using a forged deed or a fake power of attorney cannot be considered the lawful owner, even if they have paid taxes for five years.

What This Bill Does

• Defines the lawful owner of a lot in a city or town as someone with a recorded deed and at least five consecutive years of tax payments.
• Removes this protection from anyone who claims title using a forged deed.
• Removes this protection from anyone who claims title using a power of attorney that was forged.
• Amends Arizona Revised Statutes section 12-524 to include these new rules.

Who It Names or Affects

• People claiming ownership of lots in cities or towns based on recorded deeds
• Courts handling cases about recovering city lots

Terms To Know

Recorded deed

A legal document showing property ownership that has been officially filed with the government.

Forged power of attorney

A fake or unauthorized document giving someone the right to act for another person in signing deeds.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill becomes effective on the general effective date, but no specific calendar date is listed.
• The text applies specifically to lots located within cities or towns, not all types of land.

Official Summary Text

SB1556 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet

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COMMITTEE

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session

FACT SHEET FOR
S.B. 1556

forged or fraudulent
deeds; exclusion

Purpose

Specifies that
in an action to recover a lot in a city or town the lawful owner of the lot is
the person who claims ownership based on a recorded deed and who has paid taxes
on the lot for at least five years, unless the claim of title is made under a
forged deed or a deed executed under a forged power of attorney.

Background

An action to
recover a lot located in a city or town from a person having a recorded deed for
the lot who claims ownership and has paid the taxes on the lot must be brought
within five years after the cause of action accrues, provided that the person
against whom the action is brought has claimed ownership and has paid the taxes
on the lot for at least five consecutive years preceding the commencement of the
action (
A.R.S.
� 12-524
).

There is no
anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this
legislation.

Provisions

1.

Deems a person who claims ownership of a lot in a city or town based on
a recorded deed and who has paid taxes on that property for at least five years
as the lawful owner in an action to recover the lot, unless that person claims
ownership through a forged deed as outlined.

2.

Prohibits a person who claims ownership of a lot in a city or town from
benefiting from an action to recover the lot, if the person claims title to the
lot under a forged deed or a deed executed under a forged power of attorney.

3.

Makes technical changes.

4.

Becomes effective on the general effective date.

Prepared by Senate Research

February 6, 2026

ZD/KS/ci

Current Bill Text

SB1556 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
forged or fraudulent deeds; exclusion

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SB 1556

Introduced by

Senator
Rogers

AN
ACT

AMENDING SECTION 12-524, ARIZONA
REVISED STATUTES; RELATING TO REAL ACTIONS.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Section 12-524, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
12-524.

City lot claimed under recorded deed; five year limitation

A.
An action to recover a lot
located in a city or town from a person
having
who has
a recorded deed
therefor
for the lot
, who claims ownership and has paid the taxes
thereon
on the lot
, shall be brought
within five years after the cause of action accrues, and not afterward,
provided that the person against whom the action is brought, by himself or his
grantors, has claimed ownership
thereof
of
the lot
and has paid the taxes
thereon
on the lot
for at least five consecutive years next preceding
the commencement of
such
the

action.�
Except as prescribed in subsection B of this section, a
person who claims OWNERSHIP of the PROPERTY based on a recorded deed and who
has paid the taxes on that property for at least five years is deemed the
lawful owner of the property.

B. This section does not apply to a
person who is in possession of land and who in the absence of this section
would claim title through a forged deed, and no person claiming under a forged
deed or a deed executed under a forged power of attorney is allowed the
benefits of this section.
END_STATUTE