Terms Used In Arizona Laws > Title 33 > Chapter 2 - Estates

• Action: includes any matter or proceeding in a court, civil or criminal. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• Conservation easement: means a nonpossessory interest of a holder in real property imposing limitations or affirmative obligations for conservation purposes or to preserve the historical, architectural, archaeological or cultural aspects of real property. See Arizona Laws 33-271
• Conservation purposes: means any of the following activities which yield a significant public benefit:

  (a) Preserving land areas for outdoor recreation by, or the education of, the general public. See Arizona Laws 33-271

• Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Design: means street alignment, grades and widths, alignment and widths of easements and rights-of-way for drainage and sanitary sewers and the arrangement and orientation of lots. See Arizona Laws 9-463
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
• Fee simple: Absolute title to property with no limitations or restrictions regarding the person who may inherit it.
• Final plat: means a map of all or part of a subdivision essentially conforming to an approved preliminary plat, prepared in accordance with the provision of this article, those of any local applicable ordinance and other state statute. See Arizona Laws 9-463
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Grantee: includes every person to whom an estate or interest in real property passes, in or by a deed. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Holder: means either:

  (a) A governmental body empowered to hold an interest in real property under the laws of this state or the United States. See Arizona Laws 33-271

• Improvement: means required installations, pursuant to this article and subdivision regulations, including grading, sewer and water utilities, streets, easements, traffic control devices as a condition to the approval and acceptance of the final plat thereof. See Arizona Laws 9-463
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Land splits: as used in this article means the division of improved or unimproved land whose area is two and one-half acres or less into two or three tracts or parcels of land for the purpose of sale or lease. See Arizona Laws 9-463
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Life estate: A property interest limited in duration to the life of the individual holding the interest (life tenant).
• municipality: means an incorporated city or town. See Arizona Laws 9-463
• Planning agency: means the official body designated by local ordinance to carry out the purposes of this article and may be a planning department, a planning commission, the legislative body itself, or any combination thereof. See Arizona Laws 9-463
• Plat: means a map of a subdivision:

  (a) "Preliminary plat" means a preliminary map, including supporting data, indicating a proposed subdivision design prepared in accordance with the provisions of this article and those of any local applicable ordinance. See Arizona Laws 9-463

• Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
• Property: includes both real and personal property. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Rescission: The cancellation of budget authority previously provided by Congress. The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 specifies that the President may propose to Congress that funds be rescinded. If both Houses have not approved a rescission proposal (by passing legislation) within 45 days of continuous session, any funds being withheld must be made available for obligation.
• Street: means any existing or proposed street, avenue, boulevard, road, lane, parkway, place, bridge, viaduct or easement for public vehicular access or a street shown in a plat heretofore approved pursuant to law or a street in a plat duly filed and recorded in the county recorder's office. See Arizona Laws 9-463
• Subdivider: means a person, firm, corporation, partnership, association, syndicate, trust or other legal entity that files application and initiates proceedings for the subdivision of land in accordance with the provisions of this article, any local applicable ordinance and other state statute, except that an individual serving as agent for such legal entity is not a subdivider. See Arizona Laws 9-463
• Subdivision: means any land or portion thereof subject to the provisions of this article as provided in Section 9-463. See Arizona Laws 9-463
• Subdivision regulations: means a municipal ordinance regulating the design and improvement of subdivisions enacted under the provisions of this article or any prior statute regulating the design and improvement of subdivisions. See Arizona Laws 9-463
• Testator: A male person who leaves a will at death.
• Third party right of enforcement: means a right granted in a conservation easement to enforce any of its terms granted to a governmental body, charitable corporation or charitable trust, which, although eligible to be a holder, is not a holder. See Arizona Laws 33-271
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• Writing: includes printing. See Arizona Laws 1-215