Guide · November 9, 2026
Seller closing costs in Arizona: every line on the closing statement
Arizona charges a flat $2 fee on a deed, which is part of the $30 recorder fee, so an Arizona closing statement has different lines from a Florida one: a flat recorder fee, an affidavit of value, title and escrow fees, HOA resale papers, the property tax split, and each loan and lien paid from the price.
Key points
- The county recorder charges $30 to record a document (Arizona Revised Statutes, section 11-475). The $2 fee Arizona puts on every deed of sale is part of that $30 (section 11-1132).
- The Arizona Constitution bars any new tax or fee on the sale of real property that did not exist on December 31, 2007 (Article IX, section 24).
- The recorder refuses a deed without a complete affidavit of legal value, signed by the seller and the buyer or their agents, unless an exemption applies (section 11-1133).
- Each title insurer files its own fee schedule with the state at least 30 days before it uses it (section 20-376), so title prices can differ between companies.
- HOA resale papers cost the seller at most $400 in total, $100 more for a rush within 72 hours, and $50 for an update after 30 days (section 33-1806).
What an Arizona seller pays at the close of escrow
In Arizona the company that runs the closing is called the escrow company, and many title companies do this work. Arizona law calls the closing day the close of escrow. On that day the escrow officer gives you a closing statement with the price at the top and two kinds of money taken out of it.
The first kind is the cost of the sale: the recorder fee, title insurance, the escrow fee and HOA papers. The second kind is debt on the house that you already owe: the mortgage, a home equity line, liens and court judgments. Debts are paid from the price whoever pays the costs, because they stay with the house until they are paid.
Your contract decides who pays each cost of the sale. State law fixes some prices, such as the recorder fee and the most an HOA may charge for its resale papers. The title and escrow company quotes the rest.
| Line on the statement | Who pays it | Where the amount comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Recording the deed | The party the contract names | Section 11-475: $30 per document, with the $2 deed fee inside it |
| Affidavit of legal value | Signed by both sides, no extra recorder fee | Section 11-1133 |
| Owner's title insurance policy | The party the contract names | The insurer's fee schedule filed under section 20-376 |
| Escrow fee | Split as the contract says | The escrow company's own quote |
| HOA resale disclosure | The seller | Section 33-1806: $400 at most, $100 rush, $50 update |
| Property tax for this year | Split by the days each side owns the house | The county tax bill (two halves) |
| Mortgage, liens and judgments | The seller, from the price | Payoff letters from each holder |
Arizona charges a flat fee on the deed
Florida taxes a deed by its price: 70 cents per $100, which is $2,100 on a $300,000 house. Arizona law charges a flat $2 fee on each deed or contract for the sale of real property. Section 11-1132 says the recorder collects it before recording, and that the $2 is included in the $30 fee charged under section 11-475.
The Arizona Constitution blocks new taxes of this kind. Article IX, section 24 bars the state, its counties, cities, towns and taxing districts from adding any tax, fee, stamp or other charge on the sale or transfer of an interest in land. Its one exception is a charge that already existed on December 31, 2007.
So on a $300,000 sale in Phoenix the recorder's fee for the deed is $30. The fee is the same at any price.
Recording the deed and the affidavit of legal value
The county recorder charges $30 for each document it records, under section 11-475. A government agency pays $15. The escrow company records the deed after closing and lists the fee on your statement. If the escrow company also records the release of your old mortgage or of a paid lien, each one is a separate document with its own fee.
Every Arizona deed of sale must carry an affidavit of legal value. Section 11-1133 says the seller and the buyer, or the agent of either one, complete it together. It reports the price and other facts about the sale to the county. The recorder must refuse to record a deed without a complete affidavit, unless the deed is marked with an exemption under section 11-1134. An affidavit is complete when every item is filled in or marked not applicable.
The escrow company may prepare the affidavit for you to sign with the other closing papers. Check the price on it before you sign. It should match the contract.
Title insurance in Arizona
Title insurance protects an owner against claims on the house that started before the sale, such as an unpaid contractor or old unpaid taxes. In Arizona each title insurer sets its own fees. Section 20-376 requires every title insurer to file its schedules of fees with the state's director of insurance. A filing must sit on file for at least 30 days before it takes effect, and the director can extend that by up to 15 days.
Because each insurer files its own schedule, two companies can charge different amounts for the same policy. Ask for a written quote of the premium and of every other charge before you choose a company.
Who pays for the buyer's owner's policy depends on the contract. Read the closing costs paragraph before you sign.
Read the guide: title insurance when you sell →
The escrow fee
The escrow company charges a fee for holding the deposit, collecting the payoff figures, preparing the papers and paying everyone at the close of escrow. The amount is the company's own quote. The contract says whether the seller pays it, the buyer pays it, or the two split it.
Small charges may appear next to it: a courier fee, a wire fee, or a fee to order payoff letters. Ask for the list in writing at the start, so nothing on the closing statement is new to you.
HOA resale papers in Arizona
If the house is in a planned community with an HOA, section 33-1806 sets what the association must provide and what it may charge. In a community with 50 or more homes, the association must deliver the disclosure within 10 days after it receives written notice of a pending sale. In a community with fewer than 50 homes, the seller delivers it within 10 days after accepting the buyer's offer.
The fee is charged to the seller. It is at most $400 in total, with up to $100 more if the papers are needed within 72 hours. If 30 days or more pass, the seller may ask for an update, which costs up to $50. The association may collect these fees no earlier than the close of escrow, and it may charge them only once for the sale.
Read the post: HOA papers and fees when you sell →
Property tax for the year of the sale
Arizona bills property tax in two halves. The first half is due on October 1 and the second half on the following March 1 (section 42-18052). At the close of escrow the title company splits the year's tax by the days each side owns the house. Whether you give the buyer a credit, or the buyer gives you one, depends on which halves are already paid on your closing day.
Unpaid taxes from past years are a debt on the house and are paid from your price.
Read the guide: property taxes when you sell →
Your mortgage and liens in Arizona
Once your loan is paid, the lender must record a release or deliver it to you (section 33-707). If the lender has not recorded it within 30 days, it is liable for your actual damages. If it still has not done so more than 30 days after you send a written request by certified mail, it owes you $1,000 on top of those damages (section 33-712). If no release is recorded within 60 days, a title insurer may prepare and record one (section 33-707).
A court judgment becomes a lien on your Arizona house only once it is recorded, and it generally lasts 10 years from the date of the judgment (section 33-964). A contractor must record a lien within 120 days after the work is finished, or within 60 days after the owner records a notice of completion (section 33-993).
Read the guide: your mortgage payoff and liens →
An Arizona example, line by line
Take a $300,000 house in Phoenix, in an HOA, with the papers ordered on time. The lines that Arizona law fixes are the $30 recorder fee for the deed and HOA resale papers of at most $400, so $430 at most. The title premium comes from the schedule your title insurer filed with the state, and the escrow fee is the escrow company's quote. Ask for both in writing.
Then come your mortgage payoff and any liens, paid from the price. What is left is the amount due to you, on the last line of the closing statement.
In a sale to BIMINIO the cost lines are paid by BIMINIO. A cash offer is below full market value, so compare what you keep, after every cost, before you choose how to sell.
| Line | Amount | Source of the figure |
|---|---|---|
| Recording the deed | $30 | Section 11-475 |
| Affidavit of legal value | Inside the $30 | Sections 11-1132 and 11-1133 |
| HOA resale papers | $400 at most | Section 33-1806 |
| Owner's title premium | Insurer's filed schedule | Ask the title company |
| Escrow fee | Company quote | Ask the escrow company |
Run your own numbers in the net proceeds calculator →
How to keep Arizona closing costs down
In Arizona the title premium and the escrow fee are the two largest lines that differ between companies. Compare quotes for these two lines.
- Get written quotes from two or more title and escrow companies, with the premium and every other charge listed.
- Give the HOA written notice of the sale the day you sign, so you do not pay the $100 rush fee.
- Send your lender a written payoff request early, with your loan number.
- Check the county records for old loans or liens that were paid but never released, and ask the old lender to record the release.
- Read the closing costs paragraph of the contract before you sign, so you know who pays the title policy and the escrow fee.
Want a number for your house? BIMINIO buys in Florida and Arizona, as is, and pays the closing costs. A written offer comes within 24 hours.