Door 3 · Arizona
Custody as a father in Arizona
Presumption status: none — A.R.S. §25-103(B) states a public policy that, absent evidence to the contrary, a child's best interest includes substantial, frequent, meaningful and continuing parenting time with both parents, and §25-403.02(B) requires courts to maximise each parent's parenting time consistent with best interests under §25-403. Equal time is a starting point for analysis only. Arizona is a documented near-miss, NOT a presumption state.
Factor detail — labeled not-yet-published
The presumption status below is verified for Arizona. A factor-by-factor list for this state has not been published in our verified data, so none is printed rather than invented. Buyers in this state get the presumption and decoding material plus the full national documentation system; the sales page says exactly that.
Presumption status
none · A.R.S. §25-103(B); §25-403.02(B); Smith v. Smith, 253 Ariz. 43 (App. 2022), reaffirmed in 2026 decisions
A.R.S. §25-103(B) states a public policy that, absent evidence to the contrary, a child's best interest includes substantial, frequent, meaningful and continuing parenting time with both parents, and §25-403.02(B) requires courts to maximise each parent's parenting time consistent with best interests under §25-403. Equal time is a starting point for analysis only. Arizona is a documented near-miss, NOT a presumption state.
No presumption burden applies in this state.
The paternity gate in Arizona
Paternity-gate form names for Arizona are labeled not verified in our data, so none are printed. The rule that travels: a signed acknowledgment establishes parentage; it is not itself a custody order or an enforceable schedule.
Run the custody decoder for Arizona
Rules checked October 2026.