The government of Arizona is the governmental structure of the state of

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

as established by the

Arizona Constitution The Constitution of the State of Arizona is the governing document and framework for the State of Arizona. The current constitution is the first and only adopted by the state of Arizona. History The Arizona Territory was authorized to hold a ...

. The executive is composed of the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, several other statewide elected officials, and the Governor's cabinet. The

Arizona Legislature The Arizona State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Senate. Composed of 90 legislators, ...

consists of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

and

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. The judiciary is composed of the

Arizona Supreme Court The Arizona Supreme Court is the state supreme court of the U.S. state of Arizona. Sitting in the Supreme Court building in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, the court consists of a chief justice, a vice chief justice, and five associate justice ...

and lower courts. There is also local government, consisting of counties, municipalities and special districts.

Executive

The statewide elected officers are: All elected officials hold a term of four years, and are limited to two consecutive terms (except the office of the State Mine Inspector, which is limited to 4 terms). Arizona is one of seven states that do not have a specified

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, so the Secretary of State is the first in line to succeed the Governor in the event of death, disability, resignation, or removal from office. The line of succession also includes the attorney general, state treasurer and superintendent of public instruction. Elections for statewide officers occur during even numbered, none presidential, years, except that 3 of the corporation commissioners are elected during presidential years.

Cabinet

The state departments and agencies are: Arizona State Capitol Executive Tower DSC 2708 ad

Arizona Department of Administration Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Four ...

(ADOA) *

Arizona Department of Agriculture Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Four Co ...

(AZDA) *

Arizona Department of Child Safety Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Four ...

Arizona Department of Commerce Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

Arizona Department of Corrections The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry, commonly and formerly referred to as simply the Arizona Department of Corrections, is the statutory law enforcement agency responsible for the incarceration of inmates in 13 prisons ...

(ADC) *

Arizona Department of Economic Security The Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) is a government agency of the State of Arizona. DES works with families, community organizations, advocates and state and federal partners to work towards allowing every child, adult, and family i ...

(DES) *

Arizona Department of Education Arizona Department of Education (ADE) is a state-level department tasked in Arizona with oversight of public education from kindergarten to secondary school. The ADE is run by an elected Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction. History Th ...

(ADE) * Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA) *

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

(ADEQ) * Arizona Department of Fire, Building and Life Safety (DFBLS) * Arizona State Forestry Division (AZSF) *

Arizona Game and Fish Department The Arizona Game and Fish Department is a state agency of Arizona, headquartered in Phoenix. The agency is tasked with conserving, enhancing, and restoring Arizona's diverse wildlife resources and habitats through protection and management progr ...

(AZGFD) * Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) * Arizona Geological Survey (AZGS) *

Arizona Department of Homeland Security The Arizona Department of Homeland Security (AZDOHS) is a state agency within the executive branch of the Arizona state government designed to develop, coordinate, and implement of a state policy to secure the state of Arizona from terrorist threa ...

(AZDOHS) *

Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS, pronounced “access”) is the state agency that administers Arizona’s Medicaid program. Medicaid was created to provide healthcare to individuals who qualify by financial (and, for some ...

(AHCCCS) *

Arizona Department of Health Services Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) is a state agency of Arizona, headquartered in Downtown Phoenix. The agency provides health services to the state's population. Directors * Will Humble (2009–2015) * Dr. Cara Christ (2015–2021) * D ...

(ADHS) *

Arizona Historical Society The Arizona Historical Society (AHS) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to connect people through the power of Arizona's history. It does this through four regional divisions. Each division has a representative museum. The statewide ...

* Arizona Department of Housing * Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions (AZDIFI) * Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (ADJC) *

Arizona State Land Department The Arizona State Land Department is a department of the state government in the U.S. state of Arizona dedicated to the management of state-owned lands and property. Mission statement The mission statement of the Arizona State Land Department is ...

* Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control (DLLC) * Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind *

Arizona Department of Public Safety The Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) is a state-level law enforcement agency with a primary function of patrolling and enforcing state laws on Arizona highways. Director Heston Silbert was promoted from Deputy Director to Director in ...

(DPS) * Arizona Department of Real Estate (ADRE) *

Arizona Board of Regents The Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) is the governing body of Arizona's public university system. It provides policy guidance to Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, the University of Arizona, and their branch campuses. History ...

* Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) * Arizona Residential Utility Consumer Office (RUCO) * Arizona Department of Revenue (ADOR) *

Arizona School Facilities Board The Arizona School Facilities Board is a state agency of the state of Arizona. It finances the construction of new public district schools. External links Website School Facilities {{Arizona-school-stub ...

(SFB) * Arizona Office of Tourism (AOT) *

Arizona Department of Transportation The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT, pronounced "A-Dot") is an Arizona state government agency charged with facilitating mobility within the state. In addition to managing the state's highway system, the agency is also involved with pu ...

(ADOT) *

Arizona Department of Veterans' Services Arizona Department of Veterans' Services History Arizona has provided services to Arizona Veterans since 1925, when it created the position of Veterans’ Service Officer. This position was abolished in 1951 and replaced by the Arizona Vetera ...

(DVS) * Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) * Arizona Department of Weights and Measures (AZDWM). Eliminated in 2015. ;Arizona Boards and Commissions Include: * Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing * Arizona Commission of Indian Affairs * Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission * Arizona Judicial Conduct Commission * Arizona Power Authority Commission * Arizona State Boxing Commission * Arizona State Lottery Commission * Arizona State Board of Dispensing Opticians * Arizona State Parks Board

Legislature

The

bicameral Bicameralism is a type of legislature, one divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single gr ...

and consists of the 60-member

Arizona House of Representatives The Arizona State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. The upper house is the Senate. The House convenes in the legislative chambers at the Arizona State C ...

and the 30-member

Arizona Senate The Arizona State Senate is part of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Arizona. The Senate consists of 30 members each representing an average of 219,859 constituents (2009 figures). Members serve two-year terms wi ...

. Each of the thirty legislative districts has one senator and two representatives. Legislators are elected for two-year terms and are limited to four consecutive terms in a chamber, though there is no limit on the total number of terms. Each Legislature covers a two-year period. The first session following the general election is known as the first regular session, and the session convening in the second year is known as the second regular session. Each regular session begins on the second Monday in January and adjourns ''sine die'' (terminates for the year) no later than Saturday of the week in which the 100th day from the beginning of the regular session falls. The President of the Senate and Speaker of the House, by rule, may extend the session up to seven additional days. Thereafter, the session can only be extended by a majority vote of members present of each house.

Judiciary

Cochise County courthouse, Bisbee, Arizona

The

is the highest court in Arizona. The court currently consists of one chief justice, a vice chief justice, and five (5) associate justices. Justices are appointed by the governor from a list recommended by a bipartisan commission, and are re-elected after the initial two years following their appointment. Subsequent re-elections occur every six years. The supreme court has appellate jurisdiction in death penalty cases, but almost all other appellate cases go through the Arizona Court of Appeals beforehand. The court has original jurisdiction in a few other circumstances, as outlined in the state constitution. The court may also declare laws unconstitutional, but only while seated ''

en banc In law, an en banc session (; French for "in bench"; also known as ''in banc'', ''in banco'' or ''in bank'') is a session in which a case is heard before all the judges of a court (before the entire bench) rather than by one judge or a smaller p ...

''. The court meets in the Arizona Supreme Court Building at the capitol complex (at the southern end of Wesley Bolin Plaza). The Arizona Court of Appeals, further divided into two divisions, is the intermediate court in the state. It hears and decides cases in three judge panels. Division One is based in Phoenix, consists of sixteen judges, and has jurisdiction in the Western and Northern regions of the state, along with the greater Phoenix area. Division Two is based in Tucson, consists of six judges, and has jurisdiction over the Southern regions of the state, including the Tucson area. Judges are selected in a method similar to the one used for state supreme court justices. The

Arizona Superior Court The Superior Court of the State of Arizona is the Arizona state court of general jurisdiction. Jurisdiction The Constitution of Arizona provides the Superior Court with jurisdiction over: * concurrent jurisdiction over cases and proceedings in whi ...

is the court of

general jurisdiction {{Globalize, article, USA, 2name=the United States, date=December 2010 A court of general jurisdiction is a court with authority to hear cases of all kinds – criminal, civil, family, probate, and so forth. United States All federal courts ...

. The Superior Court also acts as an appellate court for justice and municipal courts. The Arizona justice courts are nonrecord courts of

limited jurisdiction Limited jurisdiction, or special jurisdiction, is the court's jurisdiction only on certain types of cases such as bankruptcy, and family matters. Courts of limited jurisdiction, as opposed to general jurisdiction, derive power from an issuing auth ...

in each county, presided over by a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or '' puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the s ...

who is elected for a four-year term, that have jurisdiction over civil lawsuits where the amount in dispute is $10,000 or less, landlord and tenant controversies, small claims cases and the full range of civil and criminal traffic offenses, including DUIs, and other types of misdemeanor allegations (e.g. shoplifting, writing bad checks, violating restraining orders). The Arizona municipal courts, also known as city courts or magistrate courts, are nonrecord courts of limited jurisdiction that have criminal jurisdiction over misdemeanor crimes and petty offenses committed in their city or town and share jurisdiction with justice courts over violations of state law committed within their city or town limits, and hear misdemeanor criminal traffic cases such as

driving under the influence Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...

of alcohol, hit-and-run and reckless driving where no serious injuries occur, and hear civil traffic cases, violations of city ordinances and codes, and issue orders of protection and injunctions prohibiting harassment, and can also issue search warrants.

Local government

Maricopa County Courthouse October 6 2013 Phoenix Arizona 2816x2112 Rear

Arizona is divided into political jurisdictions designated as

counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

, which derive all of their power from the state. Incorporated cities and towns are those that have been granted

home rule Home rule is government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governance wi ...

, possessing a local government in the form of a city or town council.

References

External links

AZ.Gov
{{Governments of the United States